Rega P9 Turntable

The P9 is the ultimate performance turntable available to the music-loving public. With the right cartridge, you will be astonished by how much information this turntable retrieves from your LP collection. The plinth is a complex CNC machined skeletal structure encased in highly rigid phenolic resin laminates; the equivalent to the carbon-fiber 'monocoque' chassis of a formula-one car, an ultra light, ultra rigid foundation. The plinth of the P9 uses a brand new material to hi-fi for the inner skeletal structure. It is an ultra lightweight fiber composite. This results in a lighter plinth with enhanced sonic properties compared to the original Planar 9.

The main bearing assembly is engineered to extremely tight tolerances. This results in virtually friction free rumble-less performance which, if lubricated correctly, will last your lifetime. The platter is quite simply the most exotic material Rega has used to date in their turntable designs. It is made from pure ceramic; a material that you would otherwise find on missile-nose cones or insulation tiles found on NASA space shuttles. Apart from diamond, this is the hardest material in existence.

New technologies in CNC woodworking machinery have allowed Rega to produce its first technologically complex surround. The new P9 surround is considerably more attractive than its predecessor and externally much larger, although through clever machining, the new surround is lower in mass which improves performance.

The external power supply unit uses a quartz crystal locked system. To ensure accurate speed stability of the platter motor, two quartz crystal control reference oscillators have been utilized. This system produces a high frequency (3MHz for 33rpm and 4MHz for 45rpm) signal, which is then divided down to feed generously rated, high current power fet amps. The output from these is very pure at <0.03 THD. This is a lower value than many power amplifier's outputs. The beauty of this power supply is that a dual phase is supplied to the motor, the phases of which may be varied in relation to each other. This means that the power supply phases are trimmed to eliminate motor vibration. In turn, there is no need for plinth suspension, which would ordinarily be required to eliminate motor resonance.

The RB1000 is included with the turntable. This tonearm takes thirty times longer to produce than an RB300. At present there are only two of Rega's most highly trained and experienced technicians that can build this exotic tonearm. Key areas of improvement over the RB900 can be found in the bearing assemblies, wiring and construction materials. Rega has worked to redistribute and reduce mass in areas of the tonearm where mass is critical to performance. The polished armtube yields high structural rigidity, combining ultra low friction together with extreme stability. These attributes will make any cartridge work harder than it has ever worked before. Expect to hear detail not yet extracted from the recordings you're most familiar with.