Rega Planar 8 announced!

Another great review. As the owner of two RP6's and an RP10 I am very much not in the market for a turntable, but these new Regas are very exciting!

Can't wait to see what they do next with the 10 and above.

 

More foam!

 

Me niether, recently bought a new model P2, and LOVE it......that things sounds astounding for $700.

Rega is the real deal.

 

The comment above about not needing mass for bass is soo true and something that irks me me a bit with regard to some of the negative comments ive seen leveled at Rega in the past. Its all about reading the groove and minimizing the smearing of info in the grooves that gets you bass (and everything else really). Ive upgraded from an ATlp120 through various cheap Pro-jects, Rega P3, 5, 7 and now a P9 with an RB2000 arm and each upgrade it was always striking the extra heft and depth to the low frequencies. I do believe the ceramic platter Regas have a weightier, thicker sound than glass platter Regas and while they are heavier its not by a huge amount (P7 is only 200g heavier than P3 glass, P9 is a lot more however at 700g heavier than P3) which leads me to believe that the hardness is the main contributing factor as well as the perimeter weighting.

I think some people mistake bass depth for warmth, which all things being equal a heavier TT might give you a warmer more mellow sound where a P8 etc will just give you what is in the groove with less bloom, overhang, bloat, smear and colouration. I personally think that a source with those characteristics is best because you can warm it up with carts, amps and speakers as required and if your tastes change you can take it back as lean and neutral as you like. Also i think that you will retain greater fidelity even if you warm it up with other components as opposed to some systems that can sound dull if you warm them up a bit.

 

USA pricing has just been issued:

Rega Planar 8 turntable - $3095

Rega Planar 8 w/ Ania - $3695

Rega Planar 8 w/ Apheta - $4295

Rega Planar 8 wall brkt - $225

-Bill

 

Very good prices. If I hadn't purchased my Demo RP8 earlier this year I'd seriously consider the P8.

Right now I have a temporary Exact on it which actually sounds fabulous. I had purchased an Ania (and Aria stage) but there was a manufacturing issue where the left channel totally cut out. Rega is replacing it with a tested new one but I think I am going to upgrade even more with the brand new Hana MC instead. I think it will be better for my particular system and room combination.

 

If you let the Ania run for a while on the RP8, I think that you'll warm up to it in such a way that you'll not be in any hurry to do anything but listen to records.
-Bill

 

Yeah probably so. I had about 30 plus hours on it. It was good then all of a sudden it crapped out. The left channel died and I had to check out my receiver, cables, speakers, stage, etc. And sure enough it was the cart. I put an old Exact I had back on and it was amazing.

I heard that there were some manufacturing errors which have now been corrected, but then I just heard an RP 8 and an LP12 with the new Hana and it excited me more. My room is somewhat bright so It just may be a better fit. But we shall see.

 

The Ania is not bright after break in.

 

Understood, but I have also heard the the Exact is warmer than the Ania so I have a reference point. . My turntable and cart guru thinks the Hana will be somewhat warmer and a better fit my specific rig and room. Sure it could be a crap shoot but I keep hearing amazing things about these Hana carts. And what I've personal heard sounds really good.

 

It is all about the balance. If your room is bright, I can imagine those B & Ws could be a tad much. If the Hana doesn’t do it, check out a higher level Grado

 

My guess is that the Exact is a bit fatter in the midrange and the Ania is a bit leaner. Which might make the Exact a nicer match with the B&Ws.

 

Review just out on the new Rega Planar 8 model turntable fitted with the Apheta 2 LOMC cartridge: Rega Planar 8/Apheta 2 review
-Bill

 

Great review

 

But they didn't give it the ol' stethoscope test?

 

Apparently they must not have such impaired hearing that they find that necessary.
-Bill

 

Sounds like Rega has another great TT with the new P8.
SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 3
• Build 5

Can't wait to hear some feedback from members that pick one up.

 

As a quick fyi for those interested in the new P8, they are now shipping in the US. I should have one in hand in a few days.

 

Rega - Planar 8 Turntable

 

2 of the 3 reviews cited in this thread allude to the P8 not being real substantial in terms of bass. Not sure how that exactly translates...they seem to excuse it not being as bass-forward or dominate by referencing accuracy. But are those higher mass decks with "more bass" really exaggerating it, or is the Rega not quite coaxing it?

 

I think that you will find most all reviews of the top Rega decks to describe the decks as delivering deep and powerful bass when it is present on the Lp. They are also described as being accurate, with bass being tightly controlled, ie natural in attack and decay. Many other decks have a sound that can be described as being fatter or fuller due to what is called overhang. That is resonance left in a deck that is more slowly released and which blurs the attack and decay of tones, making them less distinct. It can artifically bloat them to where the presentation sounds more full. So I think if you re-read the articles, you will find that they agree that all of the bass is there, just that the sound is cleaner than what many other decks can retrieve from the Lp. As always, a listen to a Rega deck in person will help you hear what reviewers are trying to describe.
-Bill

 

Its been 8 days and I've seen nothing on the internet to back this up. Do you have one yet? I have it on good authority that they wouldn't ship till after the first of the year.

 

Yes...my first unit arrived a few days ago (it was already sold so it's gone out). Have another that should arrive on Monday or Tuesday.

 

Local stores in Seattle have some in stock now.

 

I assume you have that borrowed from the dealer while your cart gets replaced. If not, let me know if you'd like to move it on. I've heard such mixed reviews of the Exact over the years, it's hard for me to commit even at it's relatively affordable price. I'm itching to try a Rega cart on my RP6.