Rega RP6/Exact
Best turntable £750+, Awards 2012. Don’t let its simple style fool you – this is a brilliant performer
Write your own reviewFor
- Engaging and detailed
- well-matched, own-brand cartridge
- easy to use
- fine build
Against
- Looks much the same as the cheaper RP3
We’re huge fans of Rega’s excellent RP3 turntable. For around £500 it delivers a combination of sound, build and ease of use no rival – in our experience – can better.
Pay Rega about twice as much and you’ll get the brand new RP6. Apart from a wider choice of even more distinctive finishes, the two look similar. But, don’t let that fool you – the RP6 is worth the money.
You can buy the turntable without Rega’s Exact moving-magnet cartridge for £800, but we wouldn’t. The full package works so well that there’s little to be gained by going for the mix-and-match approach.
Rega RPD: Technical details
Engineering differences between the RP6 and its cheaper brother are many. The glass platter has a greater concentration of mass towards its rim, which increases inertia (so helping speed stability) without adding too much to the weight. Rega engineers have long felt excessive mass spoils the sound.
The plinth and arm designs are much the same as on the cheaper model, and none the worse for it. The arm, in particular, is the latest generation of a long-running design that performs well beyond its price level.
The deck’s lack of isolation – apart from three rubber feet, that is – means careful positioning is a must. A level, rigid surface away from the speakers is what’s required.
Rega RP6: Sound quality
Get it right and the RP6 shines. It’s fast and agile, with bags of detail. There are obvious gains in transparency and definition over the cheaper RP3, though the sonic character of the two is consistent.
This is a magnificently engaging turntable that’s as happy charging along to REM’s Automatic For The People as it is with Beethoven’s Symphony No.5.
Factor-in the RP6’s excellent build quality and easy set-up and it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that it’s a superb proposition. Don’t buy another turntable at this price without hearing this one first.
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