Planar 8 & Neo
PSU
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.
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.
"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 analogue audio engineering" Jason Kennedy -
editor of the ear.net October 2018.
The Planar 8 will be available with the recommended
Ania or Apheta 2* MC cartridges factory fitted at an
attractive, discounted package price.
Please Note: The new smaller footprint
of the Planar 8 will not fit on the current Rega turntable wall bracket.
We have developed a new lightweight custom Planar 8 wall
bracket for this model.
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.
DB Technology (Double Brace Technology) “Mass absorbs
energy - lost energy equals lost music”!
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 aluminium 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.
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.
24v Low noise motor assembly
The Planar 8 uses Rega's latest generation, 24v, 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 optomise the
anti-vibration circuit.
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 specialised 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.
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 24V, 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.