Description

Your Invitation to State-of-the-Art Vinyl LP Playback and Gorgeous Design: British-Built Rega Planar 8 Turntable Package Features Triple-Glass Platter, Neo PSU Power Supply, RB880 Tonearm, and Nd7 MM Cartridge

Inspired by Rega's pinnacle creation (the Naiad), the company's U.K.-built Planar 8 turntable goes beyond mere evolution and enters a design realm of its very own. Add a supplied Nd7 MM phono cartridge to the equation, and this analog package hits an even higher level.

Engineered to squeeze out details embedded in LP grooves with a degree that belies its price class, Planar 8 is both practical and luxury analog. An ultra-lightweight skeletal plinth comprised of a polyurethane foam core, double-braced stress-beam assembly, three-piece super-flywheel-effect laminated glass platter, and new RB880 tonearm combine to provide optimal rigidity, dampening, and stiffness. A perfectly round drive belt and Rega's Neo PSU power supply deliver immaculate accuracy and user-adjustable control.

In addition to "value," the words "exemplary" and "innovative" might be the operative terms that best describe Planar 8. For starters, look at the radical plinth distinguished by angles and cutouts – an ingenious design that minimizes mass while increasing rigidity and, by way of its Tancast 8 polyurethane foam core construction, prevents energy absorption. The forward-thinking approach extends to a phenolic brace located between the tonearm mount and main bearing, adding extra reinforcement while barely upping overall mass. Then there's the triple-glass platter, a flywheel-effect type that bulks up in mass at the rim while retaining a lightness that makes the main bearing's job a breeze.

Setting up Planar 8 is easy. Simply remove the packaging protecting the main bearing and tonearm, fit the tracking weight, and set the bias. Sonically, Planar 8 immediately reveals itself as an incredibly insightful musical instrument. It plays vinyl LPs with a combination of authority, coherency, control, and drive that evokes the sensation of sitting in a recording studio alongside the musicians. You'll hear a stunning abundance of attack, sustain, and weight, along with precise audiophile characteristics, such as clarity, tautness, and remarkable dynamics.

And let's not forget about the Nd7 cartirdge.

The flagship model of Rega's Nd Series goes the distance with a fine-line nude diamond profile for ravishing levels of detail retrieval, surface-tracking adaptability, and dynamic responsiveness. Nd7 also shares in common with its sibling models the use of a neodymium magnet — thought to be the first time the advantageous element has been employed in a line of MM cartridges. Devised over the course of a decade, Nd7 furthers its playback potential with newly devised generator geometry for outstanding channel balance and an optimized pole gap for superb linearity and cross-talk characteristics.

Built with a three-point mounting system, Nd7 boasts miniaturized parallel coils that are wound in-house with 38-micron wire and only 1275 turns. This construction technique allows Nd7 to excel when it comes to the areas of high-frequency response and low-noise operation. To give Nd7 lightweight and rigid characteristics — and ensure it does not add stress on tonearms — Rega devised a zero-tolerance, injection-molded, glass-filled polyphenylene sulfide body (PPS) inspired by the company’s MC models.

Discerning listeners and audio manufacturers often talk about the sweet spot. With Planar 8, Rega has done more than attain it. Indeed, the British analog experts sit you right down within it. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.

"While delivering each musical strand with clarity, it manages to tie everything together to produce a cohesive and massively enjoyable whole. It's this combination of hi-fi analysis and simply communicating the emotion in the music that the Rega does so well."
– What Hi-Fi?, five-star review

"Rega's Planar 8 really advances the idea of what constitutes state-of-the-art vinyl playback at this price. Almost regardless of the cartridge you end up choosing, it has the remarkable ability to thrill and entertain and is an exceptionally well-thought-out design that really delivers."
– Hi-Fi Choice, Editor's Choice review

"This is a phenomenal turntable and one that makes a justifiable claim to being state of the art at the price point, and it takes our award."
—AVForums, Editor's Choice, Best Turntable, £1,000 and Over

"If your goal is to play and enjoy records and not worry about 'tweaking,' the Planar 8 is easy to recommend. At this price point it's a major sonic and structural step up for Rega and it runs at the correct speed!"
– Michael Fremer, Analog Planet

"If you are looking for maximum musical intensity for your pound, dollar, or euro, you will be very hard-pressed to find a better turntable at anywhere near this price. I am a Rega RP10 user myself, but I've been hearing new things on this newcomer at nearly half the price: It truly is a triumph of analog audio engineering."
– Jason Kennedy, The Ear

Double-Brace Technology Prevents Energy Absorption

A super-lightweight plinth combines with a phenolic resin double brace mounted specifically where the increased rigidity is required (between the tonearm mounting and the main hub bearing), forming a structurally sound stressed-beam assembly. Planar 8's rigid plinth design prevents energy absorption and unwanted resonances that add unnatural distortions to the music. Similarly, heavier mass can transfer more unwanted energy – such as motor or bearing noise – directly into the rotating record. The use of braces instead of the complete skin allows double-thickness phenolic resin in key areas while providing further weight reduction to the plinth, directly addressing the issue of mass absorption and unwanted energy transmission.

Ultra-Lightweight Plinth Offers Increased Rigidity

The Planar 8 is the second Rega turntable constructed using the ultra-lightweight Tancast 8 polyurethane foam core, a material developed for the aerospace industry. This foam core comes sandwiched between two layers of HPL (high-pressure laminate). HPL is exceptionally thin and extremely rigid. The innovative construction makes Planar 8's skeletal plinth 30% lighter than the original RP8 while offering increased rigidity over the prior model.

RB880 Tonearm Delivers Incredible Stability

Rega introduces the RB880 tonearm, equipped with an improved vertical bearing assembly constructed using an aluminum and stainless-steel, low-mass assembly with vastly improved stability and rigidity. RB880 employs Rega's advanced, preloaded zero-tolerance bearing assembly adjusted to less than 1/1000th of a millimeter, allowing for friction-free movement and zero levels of unwanted play. The subtle structure is only visible via small windows at the rear of the new bias housing assembly. A thinner stainless steel balance weight also allows greater adjustability and compatibility. In addition, RB880 is terminated with a redesigned, low-capacitance phono cable terminated with high-quality locking phono plugs for excellent connection.

Super Flywheel-Effect Triple-Layer Glass Platter

Planar 8 employs a three-piece laminated-glass platter constructed from two different high-quality Pilkington glasses. As a general rule, the platter is the only part of a turntable that requires extra mass – to achieve constant rotational speed. However, a heavier platter creates more problems for the main bearing design, meaning an ideal compromise creates the best solution. Practically speaking, it relates to keeping as much of the mass to the outside rim of the glass platter to create more flywheel effect but keeping the inside of the platter as light as possible without sacrificing stiffness.

Highlights

• RB880 precision tonearm
• Rega Nd7 moving phono magnet cartridge factory fitted
• Super flywheel effect triple layer glass platter
• Double brace technology
• Tancast 8 foam core plinth
• Custom matched Neo PSU
• Reference EBLT drive belt fitted as standard
• Available in two matte finishes, black and white

• Selectable Speed: 33 1/3 rpm, 45 rpm
• Planar 8 Turntable Dimensions (with dustcover fitted) (W x H x D): 420 x 125 x 315 mm
• Neo PSU Dimensions (W x H x D): 180 x 50 x 155 mm
• Turntable Weight: 4.2 kg
• Neo PSU Weight: 0.6 kg