Buying a new TT today

aj523  Nice choice! You are going to love it!  I was simply amazed at what the Planar 10 with the RB3000 tonearm did for my vinyl playback.

Did I mention before, I sold off my higher-end Micro Seiki Direct Drive turntable with a highly respected Micro Seiki tonearm and changed to the belt drive Rega Planar 10.  I had belt drive turntables in my earlier years of hi-fi systems.  Then I went to the Micro Seiki direct drive, and now I am back to a belt drive turntable.  No complaints, I got a better sounding deck.

@mammothguy54

Good timing. Just arrived today and the whole package from the ceramic platter to the absolutely massive separate power supply to the cabling to the tone arm, is several grade up from the P8. I only listened to one record, the one i know the best, Come Away with Me, Norah Jones and its a dramatically lower noise floor. She never sounded so intimate.. Out to eat now, but more later.

@aj523   May I add some information for you.  The surface that you place the Planar 10 on will have a substantial influence on the sonic performance.  If you read the review by Michael Fremer you should note that he stated something very similar.  I can tell you from my experience the following.  I first had the TT on a solid wood surface, fairly thick and relatively dead.  Certainly a respectable platform surface.  Thinking this through, and doing some research, I concluded with two options.  Option #1 was to simply replace the santoprene rubber feet with the Rega optional solid aluminum feet (cone shaped).  They are only $80 retail so that's a very simple and low cost upgrade.  Option #2, and the one that I  chose, was to buy an entirely new platform and vibration control system.  I opted for the Symposium Acoustics, model Segue ISO.  That brand makes fabulous platforms and system racks and this particular model was developed with turntables in mind.  I also added the Symposium Acoustics Rollerblock Jr + isolation and vibration control devices (the + denotes the upgraded tungsten carbide balls).  That brand (I believe) invented the rollerblock category and offers an assortment of devices.  The santoprene feet on the TT can easily be removed via a screwdriver directly through the bottom of the feet.  This leaves a solid metal ring mounted firmly to the bottom of the plinth that, coincidentally, is nearly identical in diameter to the Rollerblock Jr devices.  The Rollerblock Jr and the Segue ISO work perfectly together to isolate and mechanically drain all micro-vibration from the turntable.  I believed there would be a difference, but I had no idea just how profound it actually was.  Soundstage became wider and deeper, midrange became slightly more neutral and definitely more airy, and most impressively was the impact and definition in the bass region.  Repetitive kick drums, for example, were more individual and precise than I had ever heard on my system.  I suggest that you live with your new joy for some time and get a good feel for it.  When ready, step up to the Symposium system and you will be greatly rewarded.  Considering the price of your new TT and cartridge, and probably your system, it's a modest financial investment into superior sound quality.  Full retail on the two models is between $550 and $650, depending on which size platform you choose.  Note: I chose the 19" X 18" so the package retail price was $650, but I did secure a 15% discount.  I can't say enough about how good the sonic improvement is and am now in the process of adding more isolation and vibration drainage control for every component in my system.  Enjoy the music.  Sorry if this was a bit long🎶

TT is on a flat stone slab.  Perfectly level with meter.

Thanks for the tips and I will certainly look into it. I was trying not to do all these audiophile type improvements like cables. Are you using the stock cable for the power supply?  I always get upgraditis on that. 

I  started looking at after market mats and so confusing,  I called Rega UK this morning and the tech guy told me under no circumstances should I swap out the mat that's made specifically for the P10's ceramic platter. So glad i did that.  Maybe I'll ask Rega tomorrow about replacing the stock cord. 

Congrats AJ and Mammoth Guy for joining the Rega club! I would love to try the RB3000 but it isn't being sold separately at the moment and the Rega dealer who let me buy the RB880 separately before it was available as a stand alone purchase, hasn't even received a P10 yet, so you beat him to the punch. Now you have no where to go if you want to upgrade your table in the future you're at the pinnacle....maybe cartridge or phono stage?

AJ - I've never been a real tweaker and don't get sucked in by big expensive cable upgrades and other nonsense. Rega designs their tables not to be tinkered with. I guess if you have isolation problems, you should try to remediate them, but the rubber feet were put on the table for a reason. On the P8, you can't replace the power cord from the PSU to the TT as it is hard wired into the table. Same for the tt interconnecting cables. You'd have to completely rewire the whole arm (which Rega just redesigned, so I'd leave it alone). Mats are very important, and Rega put a lot of thought into it - so trust them. I don't know who you are talking to at Rega, but the sales guys at the US distributor don't know much. If you talk to their tech guys who fix them (can't see that happening except for abuse), they will give you the real deal about what you can do to improve the sound (and what won't). They are very nice, and not super serious. They know where Rega cuts corners and aren't hesitant to relay that information. The point of this pursuit is to enjoy the music. 

I know sometimes that is tough as we all get obsessed by it at times, but if you read Van den hul's FAQ on their website, it talks about a lot of these things and has plenty of humorous insertions to keep you alert if you choose to read it. They are about the most serious engineers out there and they don't want anyone to lose sleep over an enjoyable avocation. Here is the link: https://www.vandenhul.com/faq-cables-and-phono/. Happy reading - the hifi tips white paper is interesting, the others can get a bit technical, but still worthwhile. After reading it, you'll never move a cable again.