Rega planar 3 bearing and oil


I recently reoiled my rega planar 3 bearing. It had oil in it, and on the shaft of the subplatter, and the turntable had no obvious problems, but I figured it was probably due for it's 3000 mile change, and besides, I like to tinker !
I removed the ball, inspected and thoroughly cleaned all surfaces using isopropyl alcohol, and then added a few drops of castrol hypoid gear oil (as recommended by rega) and checked that the new oil was drawn to the very top of the subplatter shaft.

To my amazement this has resulted in a considerable improvement in the sound of the turntable. Gone is any hint of glassiness or sibilance in the high frequencies, that used to make the deck sound very very similar to my CD player. The sound is just as detailed but beautifully smooth. I wasn't expecting anything like this ... but for $4 of oil (and I have quite a bit left over :-)) I'm very happy.

So any brave owners with old rega decks try changing the oil ... you might be very pleasantly surprised.

On a related issue I noticed that some high-end decks come with ceramic or saphire bearings, of very high tolerance. I have found that www.bocabearings.com can supply such bearings for around $4. Can anyone think of a negative impact of trying a high-precision bearing in the Rega ? Should I stick with steel ? There is an aftermarket subplatter for sale at music direct that uses a ruby bearing.
seandtaylor99
Thanks Stefan. If you don't want to remove the bearing housing from the plinth then a small magnetic screwdriver can be used to remove the bearing from the well.
For $4 I'll take a punt on a silicon nitride grade 5 bearing and see if it makes any difference. It's only a small part of the bearing assembly, but the fun of trying is worth the $4 admission. If I hear any difference I'll post back.
Where does one go about finding the upgradable bearings? I can't seem to find them.
A bearing company that sells small bearings.They can be oredered online,make sure you get the correct size and you only need one.
Jason,
Boca bearings sells them. http://www.bocabearings.com/

I'm not sure if the silicon nitride bearing made much improvement. It certainly did not make the magnitude of difference that changing the oil to Mobil SHC634 did (that's a huge upgrade). I'd recommend trying to get hold of a quart of SHC634 and relube the existing bearing before trying a ceramic ball.