Rega Planar 8 Turntable with Neo PSU (Matte White)

Description

PLANAR 8

The Planar 8 was inspired by the ultimate Rega turntable,
the ‘Naiad’. We decided early on that instead of an evolution of the previous
RP8, the new Planar 8 was to be developed and engineered to encapsulate the essence
of ‘Naiad’ at an affordable price. Our aim was to deliver a level of
performance far beyond what has been achieved at this price point before.

Please note: The Planar 8 will now ship with new
look NEO MK2 power supply as standard.

Engineering masterclass

Every aspect of the Planar 8 is engineered to extract as
much detail from the vinyl surface as possible. We have used the most advanced
materials and engineering solutions built around a supremely lightweight plinth
to ensure the greatest level of performance. The Planar 8 is supplied with the
new RB880 tonearm and Neo PSU as standard which offers electronic speed change,
advanced anti-vibration control and user adjustable electronic fine speed
adjustment to ensure total accuracy and control over the motor. The outer frame
of the previous model has now been removed and a new stylish, removable, single
piece dustcover has been introduced further reducing the overall mass of the
turntable.

KEY FEATURES

• RB880
  precision tonearm

• Ania,
  Ania Pro, Apheta 3 factory fitted (optional)

• 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 matt finishes, Polaris grey and white (new for 2023)

• Lifetime
  warranty against manufacture defects

 

ULTRA LIGHTWEIGHT PLINTH

The Planar 8 is the second Rega turntable constructed using
our latest ultra-lightweight Tancast 8 polyurethane foam core (a material developed
for the aerospace industry). This material is sandwiched between two layers of
HPL (high-pressure laminate).

HPL is exceptionally thin and extremely rigid. This new
construction makes the new Planar 8 skeletal plinth 30% lighter than the
original RP8 while offering increased rigidity over the previous model.

DOUBLE BRACE TECHNOLOGY

A super lightweight plinth combined with a phenolic resin
double brace mounted specifically where the increased rigidity is required
(between the tonearm mounting and the main hub bearing) forms a structurally
sound “stressed beam” assembly. This rigid plinth design prevents energy
absorption and unwanted resonances which will add unnatural distortions to the
music.

Equally, 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 these
key areas while providing further weight reduction to the plinth which directly
addresses the issue of mass absorption and unwanted energy transmission.

RB880 TONEARM

For the new RB880 we have introduced an improved vertical
bearing assembly constructed using an aluminum and stainless-steel, low mass
assembly with vastly improved stability and rigidity.

This tonearm is using our advanced preloaded zero tolerance
bearing assembly adjusted to less than 1000th of a mm, this gives friction-free
movement and zero levels of unwanted play. This subtle but effective new
structure is only visible via small windows at the rear of the new bias housing
assembly (see image below).

A thinner stainless steel balance weight is used, allowing
greater adjustability and compatibility. Finally, the RB880 is terminated with
a re-designed, low capacitance phono cable terminated with high quality,
locking phono plugs to ensure the best possible connection.

EBLT DRIVE BELTS

For three years Rega has been researching and developing
with chemists the use of a bespoke new rubber compound for drive belts. Using a
specialized curing system, the new drive belt offers superior consistency of
modulus (a constant representing the degree to which a substance has a
particular property, especially elasticity).

These new belts are manufactured on Rega designed, state of
the art, super-accurate tools which produce ‘perfectly round’ and
‘dimensionally accurate’ belts, critical for perfect speed stability.

HUB BEARING ASSEMBLY

The Planar 8 uses a new low mass central bearing assembly. A
single piece machined aluminum sub-platter and hardened tool steel spindle run
inside a custom brass housing which is cleverly mounted within the chassis.
This new mounting is designed to eradicate unwanted potential energy being
transferred or stored in the plinth.

SUPER FLYWHEEL EFFECT TRIPLE LAYER GLASS PLATTER

The Planar 8 uses a three-piece laminated glass platter
which is the result of collaboration with a British glass engineering company.
This brand new platter is constructed from two different high-quality
Pilkington glasses.

As a general rule, the only part of a turntable that requires
extra mass is the turntable platter in order to achieve constant rotational
speed. However, a heavier platter creates more problems for the main bearing
design so again an ideal compromise creates the best solution.

Practically this means 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.

24 V LOW NOISE MOTOR ASSEMBLY

The Planar 8 uses Rega’s latest generation, 24 V,
synchronous, low vibration motor technology. Uniquely mounted using the highest
level of coupling while retaining higher vibration isolation than any previous
model.

This new motor mounting technique (mounted from the bottom)
has been taken directly from the ultimate Rega turntable, the Naiad.

This unique mounting method removes all stress on the motor
body. The reduced vibration and more rigid mounting delivers superior drive
from the new EBLT drive belts. Each motor is hand-tuned to match its own custom
Neo power supply before fitting to the turntable to optimize the anti-vibration
circuit.

NEO PSU

The Neo PSU offers a smooth power supply, an advanced
anti-vibration circuit and fine electronic speed adjustment. It uses the RP10
DSP (digital signal processing) generator built upon a high stability crystal.

The DSP generator will divide the accurate signal from the
crystal to the exact frequency required to turn the platter at the selected
speed. The DSP generator will also produce a near-perfect sinusoidal waveform
to drive the motor. This, along with an efficient drive amplifier, generates a
24 V, AC balanced signal of less than 0.15% distortion, which is completely
unaffected by any changes in the mains/line voltage and conditions. This then
drives the turntable’s anti-vibration circuit, which is situated beneath the
turntable.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

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