PLANAR 8

Turntables

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.

*New matt white finish available from April 2023 - The white Planar 8 is supplied with a clear dustcover and clear triple layer float glass platter.

 

 

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
• Nd7, 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 ΤΟNEARM

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.

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.

HUB BEARING ASSEMBLY

The Planar 8 uses a new low mass central bearing assembly. A single piece machined aluminium 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 optimise 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.

 

REVIEW & AWARDS

                                                                           

Rega Planar 8 - Read More

"It probably won’t come as too much of a surprise to find that the Planar 8 is absolutely in its element with the Kraftwerk piece too. There’s a huge amount of propulsive energy to the sound, but it never gets in the way of the exceptional detail retrieval that ensures you get a real feeling of the elated audience and the space they are in. The bass on offer is sensational too; there are other turntables in the group that can certainly match the Rega for outright depth, but nothing quite manages to combine it with the speed and definition that the Planar 8 so effortlessly stitches in at the same time"

Rega Planar 8 - Read More

"With large scale music, the Planar 8 is effortlessly open and three dimensional. The sound extends out beyond the speakers but does so without leaving any sense of a hole in the space between them. The entire performance of the Planar 8 is a demonstration of what vinyl can deliver as a format once you meet the required investment. There's no warmth or bloom to this - it's as warm as the recording and nothing more. 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."  

Rega Planar 8/Apheta 2 review - Read More

"Clever engineering helps the Planar 8 set sky-high standards at this price. We haven’t heard a better sounding alternative" - What Hi-Fi?

Mass effect - Read More

Rega Planar 8 - Read More

Rega Planar 8 - Read More

Rega Planar 8 Turntable Review - Read More

"Seen in this context, the Planar 8 makes perfect sense. If you have been enjoying your Planar 1 Plus and have reached the fortunate point where you can buy your ‘forever’ turntable (don’t laugh, some people genuinely do step off the upgrade ladder), the Planar 8 will be at once wonderfully familiar and at the same time entirely special. It is capable of performance that it is very hard to challenge for the same money but does it from a compact footprint, with logical assembly and some well thought out accessories. This is a phenomenal turntable and one that makes a justifiable claim to being state of the art at the price point. When all this is taken into account, the Planar 8 has to be seen as the current Best in Class." 

The Rega RP8 Turntable - Read More

"I’m in new reference turntable purchase mode. The RP8 runs US$2,995 ($3,995 with Rega Apheta2 MC cartridge). I’ll be listening closely to VPI and Clearaudio products, too. Unless I win the lottery and can purchase a Bergmann Magne Turntable. The RP8 is a fantastic piece of kit, decked out with appropriate accessories, all for a very reasonable price. Very highly recommended.  " 

Rega Planar 8/Ania Review - Read More

"In the most reductive terms, the Rega Planar 8 is articulate. It’s expressive. It has a fluent, naturalistic and authoritative way with music and doesn’t sound analytical even when it’s extracting the finest details from the depths of a mix. It’s convincing in every way. " - Simon Lucas

SPECIFICATIONS