Rega Planar 10 Turntable with Apheta 3 Cartridge - Black 

Open-Box Unit with Everything You Need

• Brand/Model/Finish: Rega Planar 10 Turntable with RB3000 Tonearm - Black
• Condition: Open-box like-new, professionally inspected
• Retail: $7,895 
• Configuration: Reference turntable with Apheta 3 MC cartridge pre-installed
• What's Included: Complete with dust cover, external PSU, factory-mounted and aligned Apheta 3 phono cartridge, all accessories, all in original packaging
• Warranty: Full Rega 3-Year manufacturer's warranty

Rega - British Engineering Excellence Since 1973

Roy Gandy founded Rega with a simple belief: the turntable's job is to extract information from the groove without adding or subtracting anything. For five decades, this philosophy has driven Rega to challenge conventional thinking, resulting in innovations like the legendary RB300 tonearm and the revolutionary skeletal plinth design. While others chase specifications, Rega pursues a singular goal - making the mechanical process of vinyl playback disappear, leaving only music.

The Planar 10 represents the closest mortal approach to their cost-no-object Naiad, which at $40,000 serves as Rega's engineering laboratory. Every lesson learned from the Naiad has been intelligently applied to the Planar 10, creating a turntable that delivers reference-class performance at a fraction of the flagship's price. This isn't trickle-down technology - it's a ground-up reimagining of what's possible when engineering excellence meets real-world pricing.

The Naiad Connection - Reference Technology Realized

The Planar 10's development began with a radical question: how close could Rega come to the Naiad's performance without the hand-built, cost-no-object approach? The answer required rethinking every aspect of turntable design. The skeletal plinth isn't just minimalist aesthetics - it's a masterclass in mass reduction and rigidity optimization. By eliminating unnecessary material while strengthening critical stress points, Rega achieved the seemingly impossible: a structure lighter yet stiffer than conventional plinths.

The ceramic platter represents another Naiad-derived breakthrough. Where lesser turntables use heavy platters to achieve flywheel effect, Rega recognized that mass creates problems - stored energy, bearing wear, and speed instability. The Planar 10's ceramic platter provides ideal impedance matching to vinyl while being light enough for near-instantaneous speed stability. This is engineering that serves music, not metrics.

RB3000 Tonearm - The New Reference Standard

• Hand-Assembled Precision: Each RB3000 built by single technician for consistency
• Zero-Tolerance Bearings: Proprietary design eliminates play without adding friction
• Low-Mass Bias System: New precision housing reduces moving mass for superior tracking
• Titanium Vertical Bearing: Exotic material choice for ultimate rigidity
• Hand-Polished Tube: One-piece aluminum tube with progressive tapering
• Reference Wire: Continuous run from cartridge clips to RCA plugs
• Spring-Loaded Tracking: Maintains perfect downforce regardless of record thickness

Apheta 3 Moving Coil - The Perfect Partnership

Rega doesn't just mount any cartridge on the Planar 10 - they include their flagship Apheta 3, specifically designed for their reference tonearms. This isn't a marriage of convenience but engineering synergy. The Apheta 3's body serves as a rigid extension of the headshell, while its moving coil generator complements the RB3000's low effective mass.

The Apheta 3's hand-wound coils use the finest wire available, achieving 350μV output - high for a moving coil but low enough to maintain minimal moving mass. The Vital profile nude diamond extracts maximum information while minimizing wear. This cartridge alone retails for $1,995, making its inclusion remarkable value. Pre-installed at Rega's factory with microscopic precision, it's perfectly aligned and ready to play.

Power Supply Excellence - The PL10 PSU

The external PL10 PSU isn't an accessory but an integral component. Using DSP-generated sine waves with unprecedented accuracy, it provides two perfectly synchronized 24V AC phases to the motor. The crystal-locked speed control maintains 33.33 and 45 RPM with zero drift, while physical separation from the turntable eliminates electromagnetic interference. The beautifully machined aluminum case matches the turntable's aesthetic while providing comprehensive shielding.

Revolutionary Plinth Architecture

The Planar 10's skeletal plinth pushes Rega's "lightweight, rigid" philosophy to its logical extreme. Computer-optimized topology places material only where needed for strength, creating a structure that's essentially invisible to vibration. The polycarbonate foam core provides damping without adding mass, while the HPL (High Pressure Laminate) skins add tremendous stiffness. This isn't just a platform for the bearing and arm - it's an engineered absence, removing the plinth from the sonic equation.

Engineering by Subtraction

Where others add mass, damping, and complexity, Rega removes everything unnecessary. No suspension to resonate. No heavy platter to store energy. No excessive damping to smother dynamics. This subtractive approach requires absolute precision - there's nowhere to hide flaws. Every component must be perfect because there's nothing to compensate for imperfection. The result is startling directness, a window into the recording that other turntables can't achieve.

Professional Recognition

• Stereophile Class A+: "The Planar 10 offers Naiad-level insight at a fraction of the price - Rega's masterpiece"
• The Absolute Sound: "With the RB3000 arm and Apheta 3 cartridge, this is reference-level analog regardless of price"
• Hi-Fi News Outstanding Product: "The skeletal design isn't just visually striking - it's acoustically invisible"

Open-Box Advantage

This pristine unit offers the complete Planar 10 experience at substantial savings. Professionally inspected and verified, it's never been played - the Apheta 3's stylus is untouched. Complete with all original packaging, documentation, and Rega's comprehensive lifetime warranty, you receive the full ownership experience. For a statement turntable of this caliber, finding an open-box unit is exceptionally rare.

Complete Package Includes

• Rega Planar 10 turntable in perfect condition
• RB3000 reference tonearm
• Apheta 3 moving coil cartridge (factory installed)
• PL10 external power supply
• Precision-molded dust cover
• All connecting cables
• Comprehensive setup manual
• Original double-boxed packaging
• 3-Year warranty with registration

The Analog Endgame

At $7,895, the Planar 10 represents serious investment - and permanent satisfaction. This is a turntable that stops the upgrade cycle, delivering performance that competes with designs costing twice its price. The included Apheta 3 cartridge means you're ready for reference-level playback immediately. This open-box opportunity provides access to Rega's penultimate achievement at a price that acknowledges value matters even in the high-end. With only one available in this pristine condition, this is your chance to own what many consider the finest turntable regardless of price - Roy Gandy's vision of analog perfection fully realized.