Intro
Contents
The world of turntables is expansive, even at the top end. What happens if you pair a top deck with a top preamplifier? We take a look at the Rega P10.
The Rega Planar 10, also referred to as P10, was Rega’s top model for a long time, until the Naia appeared. The Rega Apheta 3 MC element came fitted factory-mounted on the review copy.
Your reviewer himself has a Rega P6 with Ania MC element, paired to a Graham Slee Reflex C preamplifier. That makes him very curious to see what the combination of the Rega P10 and Grimm PW1 brings. What does a top-of-the-line player bring the listener compared to what is already an excellent player?
The Rega P10 specifics
Where many manufacturers add mass to get rid of resonance and movement in the table, and other vibrations from the environment, Rega takes a radically different approach: the lighter, the better. Consequently, the P10 is an open-ended construction that is featherweight without the platter. The box comes with a clear drawing of where you may lift the table and where, above all, you should keep away with your hands. It looks and feels fragile, but the construction is rigid.
The platter is made of a ceramic material with perfect weight distribution and acoustically fully damped. The accompanying power supply for the motor is in a black cabinet, which looks almost grotesque in relation to size of the table. The cables on the tone arm are exactly the same as on the arm on the P6. What is good is good, and it marks Rega’s philosophy that they only change something if it actually adds value to the level they are aiming for.
Everything feels and looks special, including the “space ship” model dust cover. What is striking when you assemble the player is how precisely everything fits. The tolerances are minute; it all fits seamlessly like a Swiss watch.