Rega Planar 8 mit RB 880 incl. NEO PSU and Nd7

Rega Planar 8 with Rega Nd7 cartridge

The Planar 8 was inspired by Rega's ultimate turntable, the "Naiad." Early on, it was decided that the new Planar 8 should not be an evolution of the previous RP8, but rather designed and engineered to embody the essence of the "Naiad" at an affordable price. The goal was to achieve a level of performance previously unmatched in this price range.

Note: The Planar 8 now comes standard with the new NEO MK2 power supply.

*New matte white finish available from April 2023 – The white Planar 8 comes with a clear dust cover and a clear, triple-layer float glass panel.

Engineering masterpiece

Every aspect of the Planar 8 is designed to extract as much detail as possible from the vinyl surface. The most advanced materials and engineering solutions have been employed, built around an extremely lightweight chassis to ensure the highest possible level of performance. The Planar 8 comes standard with the new RB880 tonearm and the Neo PSU, which allows for electronic speed adjustments, advanced anti-vibration control, and user-defined electronic fine-tuning to ensure absolute accuracy and control over the motor. The outer frame of the previous model has been removed, and a new, stylish, removable one-piece dust cover has been introduced, further reducing the turntable's overall weight.

Key features

• RB880 Precision Tonearm
• Nd7 (MM), Ania Pro (MC), Apheta 3 (MC) factory installed (optional)
• Super flywheel effect thanks to three-layer glass plate
• Double Brace Technology
• Tancast 8 foam core chassis
• Custom-made Neo PSU
• Reference EBLT drive belt installed as standard
• Available in two matte finishes: Polaris Grey and White (new from 2023)
• Lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects

Ultra-lightweight chassis

The Planar 8 is the second Rega turntable to utilize the latest ultra-lightweight Tancast 8 polyurethane foam core chassis (a material originally developed for the aerospace industry). This material is sandwiched between two layers of HPL (high-pressure laminate). HPL is extremely thin and exceptionally rigid. This new construction makes the new Planar 8 skeleton chassis 30% lighter than the original RP8, while offering increased rigidity compared to the previous model.

Double Brace Technology

A super-lightweight chassis combined with a phenolic resin double brace, specifically mounted where increased rigidity is required (between the tonearm mount and the main bearing), forms a structurally stable "tension beam" arrangement. This rigid chassis design prevents energy absorption and unwanted resonances that could lead to unnatural distortion of the music.

Similarly, a heavier mass can transfer more unwanted energy, such as motor or bearing noise, directly to the rotating plate. Using struts instead of the complete outer shell allows for double the thickness of the phenolic resin in these key areas while simultaneously reducing the chassis weight, thus directly addressing the problem of mass absorption and unwanted energy transfer.

RB880 tonearm

The new RB880 features an improved vertical bearing assembly, constructed from a low-mass aluminum and stainless steel structure offering significantly enhanced stability and rigidity. This tonearm utilizes an advanced preloaded bearing unit set to less than 1/1000 mm, ensuring frictionless movement and zero unwanted play. This subtle yet effective new structure is visible only through small windows on the rear of the new bias housing.

A thinner stainless steel counterweight is used, allowing for greater adjustability and compatibility. Finally, the RB880 is completed with a newly designed, low-capacitance phono cable equipped with high-quality, locking phono connectors to ensure the best possible connection.

EBLT drive belt

Rega spent three years researching and developing a custom-designed new rubber compound for drive belts in collaboration with chemists. Thanks to a special curing system, the new drive belt offers superior consistency in modulus (a measure of a material's elasticity).

These new belts are manufactured on high-precision tools developed by Rega, producing "perfectly round" and "dimensionally accurate" belts that are crucial for perfect speed stability.

Bearing assembly

The Planar 8 uses a new, low-mass central bearing assembly. A one-piece machined aluminum sub-platter and a hardened tool steel spindle run in a custom-designed brass housing, cleverly mounted within the chassis. This new mount is designed to eliminate unwanted potential energy that would be transferred to or stored in the chassis.

Super flywheel effect thanks to three-layer glass plate

The Planar 8 uses a three-part laminated glass panel, developed in collaboration with a British glass engineering company. This brand-new panel consists of two different high-quality Pilkington glasses.

Generally, only the platter of a turntable requires additional mass to achieve a constant rotational speed. However, a heavier platter creates more problems for the main bearing design, so an ideal compromise provides the best solution.

In practical terms, this means shifting as much mass as possible to the outer edge of the glass turntable to achieve a greater flywheel effect, while keeping the interior of the turntable as light as possible without sacrificing rigidity.

24V low-noise motor assembly

The Planar 8 uses the latest generation of Rega's 24V synchronous, low-vibration motor technology. Uniquely mounted with the highest level of coupling and simultaneously higher vibration isolation than any previous model.

This new motor mounting technique (mounted from below) was taken directly from the ultimate Rega turntable, the Naiad.

This unique mounting method eliminates all stress on the motor housing. The reduced vibration and stiffer mounting ensure superior drive power for the new EBLT drive belts. Each motor is hand-tuned to work optimally with its custom-designed Neo power supply before being mounted on the turntable to optimize the anti-vibration circuitry.

Neo PSU

The Neo PSU offers a stable power supply, advanced anti-vibration circuitry, and precise electronic speed adjustment. It utilizes the RP10 DSP (Digital Signal Processing) generator, which is based on a highly stable crystal.

The DSP generator splits the crystal's precise signal into the exact frequency required to rotate the platter at the selected speed. The DSP generator also produces a near-perfect sine wave to control the motor. This, along with an efficient drive amplifier, generates a 24V AC smooth signal with less than 0.15% distortion, completely unaffected by variations in mains voltage and operating conditions. This signal then powers the turntable's anti-vibration circuitry, located beneath the platter.

Rega Nd7 MM cartridge

The brand-new Rega Nd7 moving magnet cartridge, developed over a period of ten years, promises outstanding performance at the cutting edge of moving magnet technology. The Nd series, currently patented, sets new standards with its use of ultra-powerful neodymium magnets in the moving magnet design, enabling this unique design.

Advanced Moving Magnet Technology

Each Nd7 is meticulously handcrafted by highly skilled technicians. The Nd7 utilizes the most advanced "Fine Line" Nude Diamond profile for ultimate detail reproduction. This same profile is also used in the high-end MC models Apheta 3 and Aphelion 2. This profile features extremely small radii and is made of monocrystalline synthetic diamond with a minimum radius of just 3 µm in the top view and 30 µm in the vertical view. This profile allows for instant adaptation to very small changes in the vinyl surface due to the diamond's small contact area, resulting in exceptionally high levels of detail. The design employs a completely new generator geometry with perfect symmetry to achieve extremely precise channel balance. The Nd7 also features optimized pole spacing for superior linearity and crosstalk characteristics, resulting in a much wider soundstage than its predecessors. This new cartridge features miniaturized parallel coils wound with 38-micron wire and only 1275 turns. This results in a low-inductance, low-resistance generator, offering significantly improved high-frequency reproduction. In keeping with a commitment to sustainability, the Nd series comes in 100% recyclable packaging.

Key features

• Fine Line Nude Diamond Profile
• Aluminum side tile
• Neodymium magnet
• Unique generator
• Rega 3-point mounting system
• Highly rigid, lightweight PPS housing
• Handcrafted stereo pickup
• Factory-installed on the Planar 6 and Planar 8 turntable models
• Lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects

Nd magnet technology

The Nd7 is the first moving magnet cartridge to use a neodymium (Nd) N55 magnet. This is the world's most powerful commercially available magnet and a key component that enables this unique design by delivering more power than conventional bar magnets.

Housing made of glass fiber reinforced PPS

The entire assembly is housed in a hardened chassis made of glass-fiber reinforced polyphenylene sulfide (PPS). This lightweight and highly rigid material reduces the chassis weight and minimizes stress on the tonearm bearings, thus supporting precise movement and accurate record playback. This new chassis design was inspired by the successful MC series.

Cantilever & needle profile

The Nd7's aluminum cantilever is equipped with a precise, perfectly elliptical Nude Diamond stylus. This profile ensures exceptional tracking accuracy and extracts greater detail from the vinyl surface.

Factory-installed options

The Nd7 cartridge is offered as a factory-installed option for the award-winning Planar 6 and Planar 8 turntable models. Designed specifically for these turntables, the Nd7 promises to bring out the best in your record collection. The factory-installed packages are offered at a discounted price compared to purchasing the components separately.

Dismantling program

Rega cartridges' unique pivot pad design enhances performance by eliminating the mechanical joint between the stylus body and the main body. This significantly improves tracking ability and stylus stability. If a Rega cartridge becomes damaged or worn, it can simply be returned to the dealer, who will supply a refurbished model with a new cantilever, stylus, and pivot pad. Each refurbished cartridge is fully tested like a new one and offered at a reduced price comparable to that of a replacement stylus from other manufacturers.

Technical data

• Nominal output voltage: 5-6 mV
• Needle: Fine linear nude diamond profile
• Mounting: 3-point mounting
• Coils: Miniaturized parallel coils
• Window color: Yellow
• Tracking force: 1.75 g
• Selectable speeds: 33 1/3 rpm, 45 rpm
• Dimensions of the Planar 8 turntable (with dust cover): 420 x 125 x 315 mm (W x H x D)
• Dimensions of the Neo PSU: 180 x 50 x 155 mm (W x H x D)
• Turntable weight: 4.2 kg
• Weight of the Neo PSU: 0.6 kg