Rega RP8 User Manual
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TURNTABLE DESIGN & MYTHOLOGY
Today there are many approaches to Hi-Fi design which follow established and informed
engineering or electronic principles. Amplifier and loudspeaker design has been well
documented over the years with excellent technical publications. These subjects have
been based on tried and tested acoustic criteria and many computer software
programs now exist that enable a near amateur to design a passable working
loudspeaker based on known acoustic and mathematical parameters.
Enter turntable design: When it comes to turntable design we are limited to a few poorly
informed articles describing only very limited aspects of design. This is a subject full of
mythology. Designers propose theories that counter the basic laws of physics, use
terminology that doesn’t actually exist in the engineering world, build products that are
more like beautiful sculptures than acoustic reproduction machines and sell items
costing tens of thousands of pounds that hardly function as intended and often fail to
work at all. For instance a very common myth is “the heavier the better”. Turntable
bases weighing tens of kilograms are not uncommon. The reality is that the base
actually needs to be as light as possible to prevent unwanted bearing and motor noise
being transferred to the turntable or record. Platters also fall under a similar myth
with many platter designs becoming so heavy that it is impossible to design a correctly
functioning bearing (and some so light that anyone can hear the speed inconsistency).
The turntable platter itself needs to be of enough weight to spin at a constant speed
within the confines of the chosen bearing and motor drive system. Many amateur
designers in any field choose one component in a design and try to achieve an extreme
in size, weight and quality. They believe that by taking one theory to its extreme the
design will become “perfect”. The reality of all engineering, design (and life) is that
perfection is not possible. Based on this reality, Rega’s goal has always to optimise a
mixture of numerous “correct compromises” thus bringing the designer nearer to the
unachievable goal of perfection.