Rega Planar 6 measurements!

Many people have loved the sound and the ease of operation of Rega turntables for decades. Still, others have a skeptical nature and have been wary of any product where they cannot find a thorough spec sheet for. As there is no industry standard for this, companies have long listed what specs they wanted to or found relevant. Further, some specs can be misleading as the publishing of these numbers do not always reflect the sound quality of a particular component. So those who shop by specs often miss out on wonderful sounding equipment choices. Rega has historically only published a very minimal set of specs for their products and thus they get called out a lot for not doing so. Fortunately, there are some independent studies that have shown them to be very competent in performance both objectively and subjectively.

Behold: Rega Planar 6 Turntable Review & Test

-Bill

 

thank you VERY much for posting this!

 

Fine review and test. As a Planar 6, Ania cartridge, and Fono MC preamp owner I can attest to the synergy of the system.

 

The wow and flutter figures are decent but hardly what I would call world class, even for a belt drive. Honestly I expected better on the W/F due to the upgraded speed controller. At least it meets the old NAB standards for W/F though. I wonder if it would do better with a controller like the discontinued Phoenix stuff.

 

I'm not sure any controller would have much affect on the wow and flutter measurements. Is the Phoenix controller really much different from the Rega one?

Interesting test results on the rumble, they showed big power line harmonic spikes, but dismissed them as external interference without any explanation.

 

I have three turntables of different brands and two drive methods. The Rega has the lowest wow, flutter, and rumble that I have never heard. When Stereophile tested a VPI Prime it was not perfect regarding speed and wow:
VPI Prime Scout: $2199
When the history of domestic audio is written, the late 2010s will be remembered as a time of reinvigoration for VPI, a recent example of which is Prime Scout: a belt-drive turntable with a solid plinth, an aluminum platter, and an outboard AC motor, bundled with the company's JMW 9 unipivot turntable. A Delrin clamp for the platter and a thread-and-weight antiskating mechanism for the arm—the latter a bit of a departure for VPI—are also included, as are an easy-to-use cartridge-alignment jig and an electronic downforce gauge. AD thought the platter clamp added an unwelcome touch of fussiness to the sound, but was otherwise impressed with the Prime Scout, praising its talents for preserving sonic colors, communicating musical drive, and "throwing a remarkably big, spacious, convincingly detailed soundstage" when playing records so inscribed. Art's measurements, such as they were, revealed that the Prime Scout ran a little fast, and exhibited more wow than his 1950s idler-wheel Garrard, although wow was not excessive in absolute terms: wow! As AD said at the end, "As they say in New Jersey, what's not to like?" (Vol.40 No.10 WWW)




Read more at Recommended Components: Fall 2018 Edition Turntables, Tonearms, Cartridges, etc.

 

The magazine said the numbers for wow and flutter were excellent. They match the numbers Fremer got for the RP10. Fremer said the RP10 was as good at wow and flutter as the Technics 1200G. He tested both. Dont confuse published specs with real world numbers.

Here is the Fremer RP10 review.
2018_01_25_06_38_20.pdf

 

From a very recent P8 review:

Of note in the review: the Planar 8 quite literally makes its presence felt. If this turntable doesn’t put to bed the notion that great analogue bass is tied to mass, I’m not sure what will.

 

I'm not. I just don't put a lot faith into Fremer or his tests. Get an independent lab to do it.

 

Thank you for the review. I had not seen the entire review before. I did see the summary and CLASS A rating by Stereophile. And Fremer is no pushover. LOL.

 

I do trust his reviews. I cannot afford an independent lab. What independent lab test turntables ? Am I missing something ?

 

The article in at the top says the RP6 was tested by a lab. Not gonna get into a Fremer discussion here. I'm not even the one that brought him up.

 

I missed that the Planar 6 was tested by Newport Labs. I am not going to get into a Rega good/Rega bad discussion. Their popularity and rave reviews speaks for itself.

 

The P6/Ania/Fono that I bought about a month after it hit the US market has changed the way I listen to music. I'm hearing things with more clarity than I have been able to before (RP3 with Exact and mods). This is my first MC cart and love it and the P6.

 

...same...

 

Fremer simply uses various commercially available software and phone apps...not saying that is bad...but anyone can do that..someone who positions themselves
as an authority should seek third party tests.

 

My Rega seems dated now as far as appearance. I wanted the Planar 6 when it came out. Now I want the Planar 8. A Planar 8 with a London Jubilee cartridge.

 

That does make sense. It certainly would add impartiality hopefully.

 

...were are talking 4 large? I think the Planar 8 is going to strike fear in the hearts of other table makers...

 

I do respect Fremer, who has heard more high end tables than all of us combined. He commented that the RP10 was as good as tables that were way into 5 figures and good enough for the best systems. If the P8 rivals that table, as the early reports suggest, there is a coyote in the hen house.

 

Is there a price yet for the P8 here in the States ? The London Jubilee I would get from Divine Audio which has much lower prices on the London's than say NeedleDoctor.

 

I respect Fremer too. He is about the most critical reviewer in my experience.

 

Not sure why Rega draws out the haters like they do. The P6 has incredible reviews from all over the world. Ed Selley compared it directly to the 1200GR and concluded that the P6 matched it on pitch, and was less colored. He did throw a bone to the Technics fan club by saying that some folks would like the more colored table. We have seen that on this forum. Jason Kennedy gave it an incredible review, saying it some things as well as his RP10. No, its not a 10, or even an 8, but its from the same family.
Tone Mag reviewed the P6, Mobile Fidelity, and Technics 1200GR all in the same issue this past summer. All received excellent reviews, one table was named class leader. Wonder which table that was. Now this review from down under, same story.

The Rega bashers just poo-poo the results. Us P6 owners just enjoy our new record collections, because the old ones damn sure didnt sound like this.

The P8 is a little more expensive in the UK than the RP8, so I am guessing in the 3200-3300 range. That is just a wild guess, but the P6 went up 100 bucks from the RP6.

If you are really going to shoot for a P8, you know you need a major upgrade at phono pre. You want a cant miss recommendation? Buy the best Sutherland you can afford.

 

I do not understand the bashing either. The unfounded statements are actionable. Especially on social media. This is typical of a Rega basher....it cannot work well because the design is different. The reviewers are biased even though I have never seen a Rega ad in an audio magazine. Lab tests support the fact that the P6 is excellent. Reviewers find the RP10 excellent but there is not a lab test. So then the RP10 cannot be any good. I have been reading and subscribing to Stereophile for decades. I find their reviews to be fair. The VPI Prime Scout ran a tad fast and had noticeable wow. But yet, Rega is always called out. I read these forums to learn and enjoy positive statements. Rega's would not be so popular if they were not excellent. There are two Rega dealers near my home in Phoenix. They could sell any brand they want, but they sell Rega. Why ? Because people want them. Excellent product, excellent dealer network, and excellent customer service. And great prices. I am not going to look now, but the RP10 rated Class A in Stereophile is probably the least expensive turntable in that class. I ignore the negative posts as far as giving them any weight. The rest of us know better. Why do so many brands like SOTA mount Rega tonearms ? I have owned many turntables over six decades and even the cheapest Rega that I had did not suffer in comparison.

 

Yah, but who's gonna do that?
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