| Content | The new Planar 2 was developed over the past two years alongside the recently released Planar 3. Featuring the brand new RB220 tonearm which is packed with groundbreaking new features such as a new 24v low noise motor, acrylic laminated plinth, newly designed central bearing and so much more. Every feature of this innovative new turntable is designed to extract the maximum amount of information and detail from your vinyl collection.
- Re-designed feet - New improved foot assembly to increase stability and reduce vibration transfer.
- Carbon cartridge - supplied as standard on all Planar 2's for simple plug and play convenience.
- Motor cover tray - with integrated cooling.
- Optional lid / plinth protectors - supplied to prevent marks on the plinth and keep it looking its best.
- Instructions - Easy to use multi-lingual quick start guide for easy set up.
- Packaging - New improved packaging.
- Tonearm: Hand-assembled RB220 tonearm
- Cartridge: Factory fitted Carbon moving magnet cartridge
- Motor: 24 V low noise motor
- Dimensions (lid closed) (W x H x D): 447 x 117 x 360 mm
- Weight: 5.5 kg
| Now it’s time for the heavy lifting. The motor alone weighs in at over 5lbs. This massive AC motor sits to the side of the table, providing complete isolation, and has a pulley for the belt that is machined to .0005% tolerance to achieve perfect speed. If you find the motor heavy, wait until you pick up the platter. This 20lb. beast is made out of aluminum and damping materials. It’s 39” circumference is machined to a +/- .001” tolerance. Coupled to the hardened steel bearing, this system spins at a perfectly constant speed. We believe this characteristic is essential when trying to achieve the “live” feeling from music. If the speed is off, the music does not sound realistic. VPI’s method of mass is one of the best ways to accomplish this since the heavy platter will maintain consistency once it gets up to speed. The first time you flip the switch on the motor, you’ll hear it squelch as it torques up, but don’t let this worry you. While it sounds a bit odd, it’s normal.
The Prime’s 10” 3D tonearm is quite a feat. Ideally, a tonearm would be one single piece of material, yet until 3D printing, this has been almost impossible to manufacture. VPI was able to use anti-resonant materials, and the end result is an elegant one-piece tonearm.
The tonearm is a unipivot type, meaning it’s free to move around in all directions and only has one bearing. Many in the audio industry believe this is the most friction-free bearing around, allowing your phono cartridge to do its job. The unipivot bearing even has two side outriggers to fine tune its level position. VPI includes a 6” lightweight rod you rest in a groove on the top of the headshell section, allowing you to easily determine whether its level.
Another impressive tonearm feature is its fully adjustable VTA (vertical tracking angle), which allows you to move the tonearm in order to align the top of the phono cartridge parallel to the record surface in order to achieve the best possible sound. With most tonearms, this is done by loosening screws in the side or base to raise or lower the arm, which makes it difficult to fine-tune the height. With the VPI arm, however, you simply loosen up two large screws, then use a large round knob to move the height up or down in small increments. Just as coffee fanatics experiment with achieving the perfect grind, VTA allows audio fanatics to experiment with achieving the perfect sound. There is even the option to make minor adjustments based on the thickness of your vinyl records, and the arm has a scale so you can record the exact setting for each record.
Finally, to couple the record better to the damped platter, VTA includes a stainless steel and delrin record clamp, which simply drops down over the center spindle to hold down the record.
At Audio Advice, we’re very particular about cables included with turntables. Since the signal coming out of your phono cartridge is extremely low in output, it’s necessary to use a higher-end set of cables so nothing is lost in the transfer of the signal from your turntable to the phono preamp. The Prime does not come with cables, which we actually prefer, since it allows you to choose from any of the aftermarket cables on the market today. Your choices are unlimited and whatever model you select will fit firmly onto the high-end RCA jacks found on the back of your Prime table.
One final word of advice: you must ensure your Prime is set up by a professional. They can mount and align the cartridge perfectly, and should also preset the VTA to the right height for an average record. From there, all you need to do is put it back together and set the recommended tracking force.
Performance
To check out the Prime, we used it with the Soundsmith Zephyr MIMC cartridge. Like VPI, Soundsmith has been around for over 30 years and is actually made in the USA right down the road from VPI in Peekskill, NY. This is a $1,749 low output moving iron cartridge. The Zephyr was very easy to get setup properly with it’s square body. It also has very good channel separation.
One of our favorite test LPs is Cat Stevens Tea for the Tillerman and the Prime perfectly captures his somewhat gravelly voice. The first cut, “Where Do the Children Play,” has a variety of sounds and rhythm changes that are a noteworthy test for a high-end turntable. In the first 5 seconds, you can tell the Prime is special. we’ve never heard bass notes reach down so low while maintaining such a realistic tonal quality. This same track has some very close mic’d guitar lines throughout the song. There are actually two guitars playing which on some rigs is hard to distinguish. Not so on the Prime! They each stand out alone even when things really build up towards the end of the track.
The 3D arm really lets your phono cartridge do its job, too. Once everything was set up we were not able to detect a shred of cartridge mistracking. In terms of dynamics, the percussion sounds explode to life with the Prime. After critically listening to a few more tracks, we ended up turning off the lights and putting on an old favorite, the first Chicago Album, CTA. We were instantly immersed in the music. The 3D representation afforded by the Prime is almost spooky.
As we played more records, we found the presentation of the music on almost every recording was extending wider left to right than our speakers. We believe part of this is the outstanding audio quality of the Zephyr MIMC, but if the table and tonearm are not going a great job, you would never get that type of soundstage. The Zephyr is certainly a great match for this outstanding turntable. The combination produced deep rich bass, with a high-end extension that was never harsh -- always smooth and liquid.
- 10-inch 3D Tonearm
- VTA Tower included
- Classic 20-pound platter and bearing
- Four solid Delrin corner assemblies designed for isolation and mechanical grounding
| RPM 3 Carbon utilizes evolutionary enhancements to improve the performance of RPM series: A low resonance chassis holds an inverted platter bearing with ceramic ball for further reduced rumble. All ingredients add up to a miracle in sound for the price and ultra-stylish look!
RPM 3 Carbon utilizes evolutionary enhancements to improve the performance of RPM series: A low resonance chassis holds an inverted platter bearing with ceramic ball for further reduced rumble. All ingredients add up to a miracle in sound for the price and ultra-stylish look!
- Precision belt drive using synchronous motor
- NEW Ultra-precision DC-driven AC generator motor power
- NEW Inverted platter bearing with ceramic ball
- Platter made from MDF using vinyl mat
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Juke Box E is turntable, phono stage, Bluetooth receiver, line pre-amplifier, and power amplifier in one. Just add speakers to create a complete system with the fastest possible installation process.
Juke Box E is record player, phono stage, Bluetooth receiver, line pre-amplifier and power amplifier in one, requiring only a pair of speakers to make a complete system. If you thought that a starter turntable system is complicated to set up, Juke Box E proves the contrary. This good sounding belt-drive deck offers the fastest possible installation process because it comes pre-adjusted out of the box and offers superb sound quality.
Tracking force and anti-skating of the turntable section are carefully pre-set. An acrylic dust cover is included. The “All-in-one turntable system” is available in high-gloss black, red or white color.
The Juke Box Highpower Supply is optionally available. It features up to 50% more peak power output, increasing dynamic and bass response. The true ground connection over a 3 pin power plug can dramatically reduce hum and noise under critical power conditions.
- Instant playback with super-easy setup
- High contrast display on top
- Bluetooth and 1 line input
- Line record output
- Gold plated sockets
- Pre-adjusted tracking force & anti-skating force
- Ortofon OM5e cartridge, pre-mounted
- 8.6” aluminum tonearm with sapphire bearings
- Belt drive with silicone belt
- Low vibration synchronous motor & DC power supply
- Special feet for effective decoupling
- IR remote control included
- Colour options: HG Black, HG White, HG Red
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The single speed RP78 has been designed and engineered to achieve outstanding performance way beyond the expectations of a product at this price point. Using our latest 24v motor technology the new Planar 78 is also fitted with the latest RB220 precision tonearm.
Designed solely for the reproduction of 78 rpm records, we have omitted any unnecessary gimmicks allowing us to concentrate the manufacturing costs on the high-quality parts necessary to reproduce records accurately. The minimalist design of the Rega Planar 78 and the use of extremely high-quality components ensure that your turntable should last for many years.
The RB220 offers astonishing performance and is one of Rega's best selling tonearms. An evolution of the famous RB250, which was supplied as standard on early Planar 2 and P2 turntable, the RB220 uses our patent-pending ultra-lightweight high-quality polymer bearing selected, high quality vertical and horizontal bearings.
The tonearm uses our die-cast tube and the three-point fixing technique based on the mounting design system. This system reduces stress on the plinth and tonearm and offers greater stability though the arm. All of which translates into more music for you the listener.
Details & Specs:
- Hand-assembled RB220 Rega tonearm.
- Precision main bearing.
- Flywheel effect platter manufactured from phenolic resin which assists startup speed and stability.
- Lightweight plinth.
- Low vibration 24v motor.
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In 1991 Pro-Ject started a revolution in HiFi with the introduction of the Pro-Ject 1 turntable. A new high-end, low budget turntable at a time when CD was king. Against all odds, we were creating interest in analog audio at a time when others were turning their backs, and the success was only down to three critical philosophies: Simple yet technically correct design, High-quality valuable materials, and Fully handcrafted, expert engineers, made in the EU.
The design is carefully tuned to offer the most critical features for the best price and everything is put together with Pro-Ject‘s decade long experience in making the best performing turntables without blowing the budget: MDF is 2-3 times more expensive than standard particle boards, not to mention a plastic chassis, but sounds and feels way better.
The X1‘s luxury 8 layers of painting and the hand-polished finish are 3-4 times more expensive than simple foils.
Inside, it houses a sophisticated DC/AC generator board which, combined with the convenient speed control board, delivers clean and stable power to the quiet-running motor. This adds additional cost but performs many times better than a simple, direct powered AC motor. For even further improved performance, the motor is decoupled from the main plinth using a new motor suspension system.
In the X1, the motor drives a new, heavy, non-resonant Acryl platter via a sub-platter drive system and a premium grade main bearing for liquid smooth rotation. This is the perfect platform on which to place your precious vinyl records, guaranteeing absolute reliability in its performance and sonic character. The X1 is also better than its predecessors thanks to the super-stiff, perfectly tempered Carbon/Alu sandwich construction tonearm. This new 8.6” tonearm design is incredibly light and stiff, with improved resistance to external interference. Finished as a one-piece, with no resonance-inducing headshell, the X1 can also be set for azimuth and VTA adjustment, offering the flexibility that so many people are asking for, especially in this and even lower price ranges.
The tonearm is then supplied with a TPE-damped counterweight, further reducing cartridge-tonearm resonances.
Lastly, height-adjustable feet in their Alu/ TPE sandwich construction are a very exclusive but necessary feature to level up the turntable and effectively isolate it from the surface it is place on.
The X1 has all the high-end features of modern turntable designs to maximize the music and listening experience. All these features can in fact be done at a reasonable cost. Due to our extensive experience and meticulous manufacturing processes, we put resources, time and effort into giving music lovers the best sound for their money, rather than cutting corners to save on costs. It is a statement and a counterpoint against other upcoming turntable designs, which go the way of offering more features but less performance.
- Speed control with electronic speed switch for ultimate speed stability
- Carefully isolated motor for less vibration and noise
- Sub-platter with extremely low 0.001mm bearing tolerances
- Stainless steel platter-bearing with soft brass bushing and teflon mirrors for lowest rumble and noise, and a stable, accurate speed transmission
- Resonance free, 1.5 kg heavy acryl platter
- 8,6” carbon/alu sandwich tonearm with best internal damping and TPE damped counterweight
- Kardan ultra-low friction 4 pin point precision tonearm bearing
- Sumiko Rainier cartridge newly developed with Sumiko for highly dynamic and full sound
- Massive and heavy, precision CNC‘d MDF chassis
- Luxury 8 layers of painting and hand-polished finish or real-wood, satin-waxed veneer
- Super shielded, semi-symmetrical, low-capacitance phono cables - purpose designed by Pro-Ject
- Height adjustable, aluminum feet for massively reduced risk
of acoustical feedback
- Handmade in Europe
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