ULTRALIGHT BASE
The Planar 10 is the third Rega turntable to be built using our latest technology, the 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 Planar 10's new skeletal base 30% lighter than the original RP10, while offering increased stiffness over the previous model.
DB TECHNOLOGY (DOUBLE ARM TECHNOLOGY)
"Mass absorbs energy: lost energy equals lost music!" A super-lightweight plinth combined with a ceramic upper brace and a phenolic resin lower brace mounted specifically where extra rigidity is needed (between the tonearm mount and the main hub bearing) forms a structurally sound "stressed beam" assembly.
This rigid plinth design prevents energy absorption and unwanted resonances that would add unnatural distortion to the music. Likewise, a heavier mass can transfer more unwanted energy, such as motor or bearing noise, directly into the rotating record. The tonearm and cartridge must be able to read accurately, directly from the platter. This unique Rega double-braced solution allows this.
The use of reinforcements instead of full skin allows for increased thickness in these key areas, while providing a further reduction in plinth weight which directly addresses the issue of mass absorption and unwanted energy.
RB3000 ARM
Rega is renowned for the quality of its tonearm bearing assemblies. In particular, the meticulous manufacturing of our bearing housings and bearing journals. Technical characteristics such as roundness and parallelism are crucial.
Over the past three years, Rega has developed a new manufacturing process that improves all of these characteristics, resulting in bearings that fit precisely to the micron. The RB3000 is the first Rega tonearm to benefit from these improvements. The entire arm structure is designed to have the fewest mechanical joints, using the stiffest materials in all critical areas.
The RB3000 tonearm is so precise that no adhesive is used at any point during construction. Our latest, precision-engineered, low-mass vertical bearing assembly has been manufactured to further complement the inherent design philosophy of the Planar 10 turntable.
The RB3000 tonearm uses our advanced, zero-tolerance preloaded bearing assembly, adjusted to less than one thousandth of a mm. This ensures frictionless movement and zero unwanted play. Simply put, frictionless, zero-play bearings allow for slight ridges in the record groove of less than a micron.
The RB3000 also uses our latest award-winning Rega aluminum armtube (each meticulously hand-polished, keeping mass to an absolute minimum), which has been redesigned to redistribute mass and further reduce stress and resonance. This advanced tube design increases the rigidity and stiffness of the entire assembly, further reducing stress on the bearings.
HUB BEARING GROUP
This latest design demonstrates attention to detail and modern CNC engineering advancements. This allows for new compromises, bringing Rega's main bearing design closer than ever to the unattainable ideal.
The Planar 10 utilizes a new, low-mass center bearing assembly. A one-piece machined aluminum subplatter and hardened tool steel spindle ride within a custom brass housing engineered for improved mechanical integrity. The complete assembly is intelligently mounted within the chassis to eliminate unwanted potential energy from being transferred or stored in the plinth.
CERAMIC PLATE
The P10 uses a custom flywheel-effect ceramic platter. The platter is made from compressed ceramic oxide powder, fired, and diamond-cut to ensure perfect accuracy and flatness across the entire surface. The final platter features a modified construction with improved coupling to the sub-platter.
4V LOW NOISE MOTOR GROUP
The Planar 10 uses Rega's latest generation 24V low-vibration synchronous motor technology. Uniquely mounted using the highest level of coupling while maintaining greater vibration isolation than any previous model, this new motor mounting technique (bottom-mounted) is taken directly from Rega's ultimate turntable, the Naiad. This unique mounting method removes all stress from the motor body while keeping the drive pulley perfectly stationary. This allows for improved speed stability and accuracy from the turntable.
Reduced vibration and a more rigid mounting provide superior transmission from the new EBLT drive belts. Each motor is hand-tuned to match its custom PL10 PSU before being mounted on the turntable to optimize the anti-vibration circuitry.
EBLT TRANSMISSION BELTS
For three years, Rega worked with chemists to research and develop a new, custom-made rubber compound for drive belts. Using a specialized polymerization system, the new drive belt offers superior modulus (a constant representing the degree to which a substance possesses a particular property, particularly elasticity).
These new belts are produced on state-of-the-art, super-precise tools designed by Rega (inspired by collaboration with the high-tech Formula 1 engine parts manufacturer) that produce “perfectly round” and “dimensionally accurate” belts, crucial for perfect speed stability.
PL10 PSU
The PL10 PSU offers the ultimate in motor control stability, convenient electronic speed shifting, advanced anti-vibration control, and user-adjustable electronic speed fine tuning to ensure maximum precision and control over the life of the motor.
Housed in Rega's latest custom case, the PL10 PSU is dedicated to running our low-noise 24V motor as quietly and precisely as possible. Motor speed and control are achieved using a new DSP (Digital Signal Processing) generator built on a highly stable crystal. This device divides the precise square wave from the crystal to the exact frequency required to spin the platter at the selected speed.
The DSP core will also generate a near-perfect sine waveform to power the motor. Factory-set vibration suppression and fine-tuning of the speed are then made to the power supply to fine-tune each motor for optimal performance.
DUST COVER
The outer frame of the previous model has been removed and a new elegant, removable, one-piece dust cover has been introduced, further reducing the overall mass of the turntable.
