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Rega P7 Review
by James Leahy
Introduction
This is my personal favourite
in the Rega turntable line up and my reference turntable that I use
in my own system everyday. Let me outline the reasons why I chose
this unit amongst all others to finish off my analogue front end.
Rega accepts that the
manufacturing of any product involves compromises to varying
degrees. However they have always maintained they they try to choose
the one which will give the customer the best value. This is why
Rega products are notoriously devoid of gadgets and useless frills,
why packaging is designed for efficiency rather than attractiveness
and why, as a rule, simple works best. The P7 is available in two
colours of silver or black aluminium frame surrounding the plinth. The
supplied dust cover (not pictured) is clear acrylic on all models
except for the black P3 which is smoked. Go figure.
But onto more important
matters of the ear, with the Rega P7 you get unbeatable performance
per dollar invested. Lets start from the top down and reveal what
makes the P7 a winner.
The first time I auditioned a
Rega P7, I remember thinking like many others before me that the rig
did not outwardly appear to be very 'snazzy' looking compared to
it's competition within this price range. I would urge all to not
let Rega's minimalist construction philosophy fool you into
thinking, 'plain looks' equal 'low performance'. It has been
in my experience that in actual fact during real world testing quite
the opposite is true. They are British, so over at Rega they think
differently for a start alright....
Other table manufactures
preferring to rely on a different school of thought when it comes to
turntable construction. Rega aims to make their rigs similar to a
Ferrari in terms of offering maximum rigidity with low mass.
Opposite to this mind set and popular with other brands is tank like
construction with the highest mass possible in an effort to battle
the laws of physics. Rega have not adopted this approach and as such
are industry innovators not followers. Rega achieves it's high
performance with great precision and provides rumble free
operation due to the synchronous motors made by Premotec. It is said
that one can hold a Rega drive motor in one's hand and it can
be switched on/off without any possible vibration being felt. Hence
one can not tell if the motor is running or is off, such is the
quality of the Rega motor's used. This contributes massively to the
low noise of this table critical in users that wish to run MC
cartridges. After all lets not forget that information that
is lost at this critical point can never be recovered latter. It is
critical to understand this principle as many spend considerably
more on their amplification and loudspeakers never to realize how
much information is lost at the source.
The first thing one notices is
that it offers the new highly regarded RB700 tonearm as standard and
this makes a very compelling reason to own this masterpiece of
modern day engineering in itself. The RB700 is painted in beautiful
silver and has a contrasting black anti-skate adjustment. The new
three point mounting system that secures the RB700 to the plinth is
a giant step forward in terms of rigidly and provides true sonic
benefits over the RB600. This feature is directly taken from the
RB1000 and as such you get an truly excellent product at a reduced
price through trickle down technology. The RB700's bearings are hand
assembled to provide extremely low tolerances and immeasurable
friction! The counterweight provided is also a cut above the
standard, constructed out of tungsten with a double o-ring clamping
system to rigidly secure it to the arm. Rega tonearms have always
provided no in-built adjustment for VTA.
The tonearm's height must be
adjusted by the use of shims sold separately being placed between
the tonearm's base and the plinth. This is a small price to pay for
this minor trouble. However, Rega has reportedly claimed that any
in-built adjustment would substantially subtract from their tonearms
rigidity and aim of sonic perfection. I must say that I would tend
to agree that that idea. The less adjustments the better and with such
a simple alternative, it is a non issue in my book. When I mounted my
favourite reference MC cartridge, namely Ortofon's legendary Jubilee,
I used one 2mm shim and it all took about 15 minutes to carefully
remove the tonearm and output cord from the plinth and insert the
shim then refit and check the VTA.
Like all high-end tonearms the
Rega RB700 is of one piece construction made from aluminium tube. In
the high-end market tonearms with removable head shells are
generally frown upon by audiophiles due to their inherent lack of
rigidity and strength at one of the most critical points in the
tonearms structure due to a detachable system. You may notice me go
one about rigidity of construction in this review, that is because
this principle is one of the key factors that Rega regards of
primary importance when it comes to their tables construction
philosophy.
The fun doesn't stop with the
tonearm vinylphiles. You are also given a laser cut 'state of the
art' ceramic platter that in my view looks even more dramatic than
what is supplied on the range topping P9 at almost twice the price!
This unique ceramic platter with it's 18 individual discs
incorporated into the underside of the platter aids with rotation
inertia and provides remarkably low resonance and high rigidity to
an already excellent rig. Not to mention looking way cool at the
same time. However, knowing Rega it was primarily selected for it's
sonic attributes not looks. The P7's platter is said to account for
one third of the total cost of the whole unit, such is the quality
of construction and attention to detail put into every P7 platter.
The P7 also comes with Rega's
exclusive outboard (separate) regulated power supply (called the TT
PSU) that is digitally locked in the best efforts to providing
exacting levels of motor speed accuracy. This is also available is
silver or black. The all new TT PSU and motor anti-vibration circuit
is a combination of the innovative P9 power supply along with an
improved P25 anti-vibration motor drive feeding the P9 24V AC
synchronous motor. The TT PSU uses a remote "wall wart" transformer
therefore keeping the sources of hum & noise well away from
sensitive parts such as the cartridge and phono leads
The compact TT PSU uses
exactly the same high stability crystal locked low distortion sine
wave generator as is used in the heart of the P9 power supply. This,
along with an efficient drive amplifier fed from stabilised DC power
supply, generates a 24Volt AC balanced signal of less than 0.05%
distortion, which is completely unaffected by any changes in the
mains/line voltage and conditions. This then drives the turntables
anti-vibration circuit, which is situated beneath the turntable.
The drive voltage for the motor is run along the power lead to the
turntable motor, which also carries the 33/45-RPM DC relay control
voltage used to activate the anti-vibration circuit. The P7 table
actually contains no electrical circuits that may interfere with the
tables low noise floor. The speed is controlled directly from the TT
PSU and can be easily selected for the correct record you are
playing.
The gear drive mechanism also
features full steel billet CNC construction technology (not plastic
like the P3 & P5) and is directly lifted off the P9 with it's
dual drive belts that provide for maximum transfer of energy. This
feature sold me on this unit. The
platter bearing is also of the highest standard that comes from the
P9. This helps directly to provide the extraordinary level of
performance at a much reduced price. Rega does not offer a
suspension system as such but prefers to rely on their tables
supreme rigidity to control vibrations and I was surprised at how
amazingly well this approach works even with a 3000 watt subwoofer
in my listening room. Not a hint of feedback even at reference
levels with the rig sitting on no more then the top of an equipment
stand! The P7 is balanced with 3 very solid feet with rubber inserts
that really work to decouple the table from any resonance being felt
through the mounting surface.
Sonic
Evaluations
Before sitting down for my
first listen I remember thinking in great anticipation what the
benefits might be over my old table. Well the wait was now over.
When I settled down to Jimmy Cliff's -'Brother' from Music Maker (Warner
Bros,1974) the coherence and impact of the soundstage was
frighteningly solid and powerful. Gone was the lack of authority I
was used to with slightly detached vocals. I was very impressed with
the way the music has a newly found rhythm in the lower mid bass
section and the P7's great depth of image. This turntable is for
bass freaks and those who are not shy of the volume knob.
Never have
I heard a table produce bass in such abundance and with gobs of
layers that cut through the soundstage like the way a knife glides
through warm butter. The overall sonic presentation gives a rock
solid image with great slam and impact. That is the way in which I
like to listen to my music, because I like to feel it as much as
hear it. If you are of the same 'school of thought' I am sure you
will appreciate everything the P7 has to offer.
What more can I say about this
model other than, I wish I had bought one years ago. Your cartridge
will never sound as good as it could without a turntable worthy of
reference status. You can never get time back again no matter how
hard you try but you can always make more money. I offer you the
benefit of learning from my mistakes people.
Associated review Equipment
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Amplifier:
Audio Research VT200 Mk.I
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Line Stage: Audio Research LS26
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Phono Stage:
Audio Research PH5
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Speakers:
ScanSpeak & Vifa Custom
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Cartridge:
Ortofon MC Jubilee
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Cables:
Neotech
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Subwoofer: Velodyne HGS-15
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