Rega have been gradually upgrading their turntables starting with the Planar 1. However, the Planar 8 is not merely an upgrade. It was inspired by Rega’s rare £30,000 turntable, the ‘Naiad’. Rega have said “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”.
The outer frame of the previous model has been removed and a new, removable dust cover has been fashioned for the skeletal plinth, which is 30% lighter, but more rigid. The plinth is constructed using their latest Tancast 8 polyurethane foam core, as used in the Planar 6, and the material is sandwiched between two layers of high- pressure laminate.
There is a new RB880 arm which has an improved vertical bearing assembly, and is terminated with a redesigned, low capacitance phono cable with high quality, locking phono plugs fitted to ensure the best connection.
The Planar 8 comes with the Neo external power supply which has an advanced anti-vibration circuit and fine electronic speed adjustment. The Planar 8 uses Rega’s latest 24v, synchronous, low vibration motor technology. Each motor is hand tuned to match its own custom Neo power supply. Rega has even developed for this model a bespoke new rubber compound for the drive belt, called the EBLT! Finally, the Planar 8 has a brand new, three-piece laminated glass platter which is constructed from two different high-quality Pilkington glasses. There is even a dedicated wall bracket produced for this model.
At present we have the Planar 8 on demonstration with the Ania cartridge. We can compare it with our Planar 6, which has the same cartridge fitted. Do arrange to audition this remarkable new turntable.
We are delighted to have the new Rega Planar 8 on demonstration. It replaces the previous model, the RP8.
The turntable, without a cartridge, costs £1,699. There is also a choice of two Rega moving coil cartridges that come factory fitted at a reduced price. The Planar 8 with the Ania cartridge costs £2,119, and with the Apheta 2 cartridge, it costs £2,439. The second option is especially good value as it would cost over £300 more if the turntable and cartridge were bought separately