New Rega Planer 8 (P8) Turntable - Apheta 2 Cartridge Combo - Thoughts

@fsmithjack 

I'd like to try to help, especially since you have named a turntable that I use as a nominee. One I consider an end of the road turntable.

Couple questions

Does your music room sit on suspended wood beams?

Who was responsible for your turntable setup from where - the stand points touch the floor, through to setting up the turntable, toonearm, cartridge, wiring and loading into the phonostage ?

How many hands in the pot ?

I don’t own a P8 but have listened to it with Apheta 2 at a friends house , both of us are HEAVY patrons of some the best classical bands in the world and are very aware what real music sounds like .
His Rega is very close to the sound we hear in fine halls . I think it would
be as much as any sane person would ever need at least on acoustic music.
And I never liked Rega’s !!

Guys - this is awesome info and I really appreciate it. I am going to give another analogue rig a shot for sure.


I got all my money back and actually made a couple bucks. Not much but the keys is no money lost and so I am going to take another crack at it for sure.


I’m at work now on my phone but will respond to all the folks that just send in comments. 

i spoke to Josh at Walker Audio and my Magico S5 MK II are in so I’m so psyched - I ordered these at Thanksgiving and they are on the Doc ready to ship to me.

They cannot release them until my trade in’s - S5 originals have a tracking number and are in possession of shipping company. I can’t wait.

its kind of a process though. They are over 200 pounds a peice and the big wooded crates in my basement are another 60 or 70 pounds. Needless to say I can’t pick these things up. I’ve got a furniture moving company coming and bringing the crates up from my basement and then loading my speakers in them that are in my great room then they are bringing to their warehouse that has a loading dock then Walkers Audio’s shipper is picking them up there. 

When my new ones land they bring them in my house and hopefully open and help me set up but we shall see I guess. They are so heavy but worth it. I love Magico and can’t wait to get the new MK II models. 

As far as Rega and the last thread response.

I wanted to like Rega and am not a Rega badger. I actually bought the P8 and Apheta 2 Cart and Sutherland Engineering Duo phonostage that won Stereophile Componet of the Year, AudioQuest Fire Interconnects and 2 Audience AU24se LP Power Cables for the phonostage and AudioQuest 1000 conditioner to plug in the phonostage and Rega Neo PSU Audioquest Tornado AC Cable for the 1000 so this isn’t crappy stuff. I did all I could to get this Rega to sound good but it just didn’t at lease compared to my digital rig.

Hate to say it but honestly it sounded like half decent mid fi at best. No contest. It sounded nothing like real music never mind good Hi-Fi. Bummer because I really wanted to like it. Give Rega credit though got all my money back. 

You didn’t let the Apheta 2 break in.  Takes a fair amount of time.  Having experience with Rega and other brands and also high end streaming, I think your conclusion is misguided. 

I listened to an RP8 when I was auditioning.  I thought the table was really good except I did not like the way it reproduced strings in an orchestra.  Maybe it was the cartridge.  It was just very plug and play for me.  Not sure about using other cartridges other than REGA.