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

Rega Planar 8 with Rega Nd7 cartridge

The Planar 8 was inspired by the ultimate Rega turntable, the 'Naiad'. It was decided early on that the new Planar 8 would not be an evolution of the previous RP8, but would be designed and engineered to embody the essence of the 'Naiad' at an affordable price. The aim was to achieve a level of performance previously unattainable in this price range.

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

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

Engineering masterpiece

Every aspect of the Planar 8 is designed to extract as much detail from the vinyl surface as possible. The most advanced materials and engineering solutions have been used, 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 Neo PSU, which allows electronic speed changes, advanced anti-vibration control and custom electronic fine adjustments to ensure absolute accuracy and control of 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 overall weight of the turntable.

Key Features

• RB880 precision tonearm
• Nd7 (MM), Ania Pro (MC), Apheta 3 (MC) factory installed (optional)
• Super flywheel effect through three-layer glass plate
• Double Brace Technology
• Tancast 8 foam core chassis
• Custom Neo PSU
• Reference EBLT drive belt installed as standard
• Available in two matt 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 use the latest ultra-lightweight Tancast 8 polyurethane foam core chassis (a material developed for aerospace). This material is sandwiched between two layers of HPL (high pressure laminate). HPL is extremely thin and extremely rigid. This new construction makes the new Planar 8 skeletal chassis 30% lighter than the original RP8, but offers increased rigidity over 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 cause unnatural distortion of the music.

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

RB880 tonearm

An improved vertical bearing arrangement has been introduced for the new RB880, consisting of an aluminum and stainless steel low-mass structure with significantly improved stability and rigidity. This tonearm uses an advanced pre-loaded bearing unit adjusted to less than 1/1000mm, allowing friction-free movement and zero unwanted play. This subtle but effective new structure is only visible through small windows at the rear of the new bias housing.

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

EBLT drive belts

Rega spent three years researching and developing with chemists a bespoke new rubber compound for drive belts. Using a special curing system, the new drive belt offers superior consistency of modulus (a measure of a material's elasticity).

These new belts are manufactured on high-precision tools developed by Rega, which produce “perfectly round” and “precisely dimensioned” belts, which 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 hardened tool steel spindle run in a bespoke brass housing that is cleverly mounted in the chassis. This new mount is designed to eliminate unwanted potential energy transferred into or stored in the chassis.

Super flywheel effect through 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 is made from two different high quality Pilkington glasses.

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

In practical terms, this means moving as much mass as possible to the outer edge of the glass platter to create a greater flywheel effect, while keeping the interior of the platter 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 whilst providing greater vibration isolation than any previous model.

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

This unique mounting method removes all stress on the motor housing. The reduced vibration and stiffer mounting provide superior driving power from the new EBLT drive belts. Each motor is hand-tuned to work optimally with its bespoke Neo power supply before being mounted to the turntable to optimise the anti-vibration circuitry.

NeoPSU

The Neo PSU provides a smooth power supply, advanced anti-vibration circuit and fine electronic speed adjustment. It uses the RP10 DSP (Digital Signal Processing) generator based on a highly stable crystal.

The DSP generator splits the crystal's precise signal into the exact frequency needed to spin 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, produces a 24V, AC smooth signal with less than 0.15% distortion that is completely unaffected by changes in mains voltage and conditions. This then drives the turntable's anti-vibration circuitry, which is located underneath the turntable.

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 the use of ultra-strong neodymium magnets in the moving magnet design, making this unique design possible.

Advanced moving magnet technology

Each Nd7 is carefully handcrafted by highly skilled technicians. The Nd7 uses the most advanced “Fine Line” Nude Diamond profile for ultimate detail reproduction. The same profile is also used in the high-end MC models Apheta 3 and Aphelion 2. This profile has extremely small radii and is made from monocrystalline artificial diamond with a minimum radius of only 3 µm in plan view and 30 µm in vertical view. This profile allows instant adaptation to very small changes in the vinyl surface due to the small contact area of the diamond, resulting in exceptionally high levels of detail. The design uses a completely new generator geometry with perfect symmetry to achieve extremely accurate channel balance. The Nd7 also features optimized pole spacing for superior linearity and crosstalk characteristics, resulting in a much wider soundstage than previous models. This new cartridge features miniaturized parallel coils wound with 38-micron wire and only 1275 turns. This results in a low-inductance, low-impedance generator that offers greatly improved high-frequency response. In line with a commitment to sustainability, the Nd Series is supplied in 100% recyclable packaging.

Key Features

• Fine Line Nude Diamond Profile
• Aluminium cantilever
• Neodymium magnet
• Unique generator
• Rega 3-point mounting system
• Highly rigid, lightweight PPS housing
• Handcrafted stereo pickup
• 100% recyclable packaging
• Available 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 makes this unique design possible by delivering more power than conventional bar magnets.

Housing made of glass fibre reinforced PPS

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

Cantilever & needle profile

The Nd7's aluminum cantilever features a precise, perfect 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 on 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 buying them individually.

Dismantling program

The unique pivot pad design of Rega cartridges improves performance by eliminating the mechanical joint between the needle housing and the main body. This greatly improves the tracking ability and stability of the needle. If the Rega cartridge becomes damaged or worn, it can simply be returned to the dealer who will supply a reconditioned model with a new cantilever, needle and pivot pad. Each rebuild is fully tested like a new cartridge and is offered at a reduced price, matching the price of a replacement needle from other manufacturers.

Technical data

• Nominal output voltage: 5-6 mV
• Needle: Fine linear nude diamond profile
• Fastening: 3-point fastening
• 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)
• Weight of the turntable: 4.2 kg
• Weight of the Neo PSU: 0.6 kg