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Thread: Rega platter upgrade advice

  1. #1
    Join Date: May 2013

    Location: Rotherham

    Posts: 693
    I'm steve.

    Default Rega platter upgrade advice

    Can anyone give me an insight into the improvements with regard to swapping the standard glass platter on my 2016 Planar 3 to an acrylic or delrin/acetal platter, these being the 2 most likely options from Fidelity Designs, who I bought a subplatter from about 18 months ago.
    I was wondering if the lighter weight but more peripheral weighting of these platters would be beneficial to wow and flutter performance.
    Any comments from users of these platters would be helpful.


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  2. #2
    Join Date: Mar 2010

    Location: Sheffield

    Posts: 2,898
    I'm Simon.

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    All other things being equal moving weight to the edge improves speed stability. Moving weight to the edge while reducing mass, so that the overall mass goes does but the rotational inertia of the platter stays the same reduces bearing noise. Or you could mod it in between the two, lighter but with more rotational inertia.

    To work it out you'd have to do the math and that requires having a geometric model of the part and knowing the density.

    I had a 25mm acrylic platter for my P5 from a German guy, The Acrylteller. Beautiful platter, same weight as the Rega glass one but with mass concentrated in the last 70mm towards the outside edge.

    To be fair any acrylic platter is unlikely to give more than a couple of % increase in rotational inertia unless it's a good % heavier than the outgoing rega platter.

    If you want speed stability get a TT-PSU, you'll already have reaped a fair chunk of speed improvement with a new inner. When I measured my Rega one it was 0.3mm high at two spots, so added a 1.1hz wow to everything (2 spots per rev = 66.6 per minute = 1.1per second deviation = 1.1hz wow). Doesn't sound like much but on low synth notes, say 25hz they warbled from 23.9 - 26.1hz which is noticeable as a harmonic. A solid metal subplatter is a great upgrade.

    It doesn't look it from the pics, which are poor but the quality of his finish is miles above the UK stuff. I looked at them all. He makes the platters for Clearaudio, nuff said.

    http://www.acrylteller.com/epages/es...P1%20-%20P2%22
    Kuzma Stabi/S 12", (LP12-bastard) DC motor and optical tacho psu, Benz LP, Paradise (phonostage). MB-Pro, Brooklyn dac and psu, Bruno Putzeys balanced pre, mod86p dual mono amps, Yamaha NS1000m

  3. #3
    Join Date: May 2013

    Location: Rotherham

    Posts: 693
    I'm steve.

    Default Rega platter upgrade advice

    Quote Originally Posted by sq225917 View Post
    All other things being equal moving weight to the edge improves speed stability. Moving weight to the edge while reducing mass, so that the overall mass goes does but the rotational inertia of the platter stays the same reduces bearing noise. Or you could mod it in between the two, lighter but with more rotational inertia.

    To work it out you'd have to do the math and that requires having a geometric model of the part and knowing the density.

    I had a 25mm acrylic platter for my P5 from a German guy, The Acrylteller. Beautiful platter, same weight as the Rega glass one but with mass concentrated in the last 70mm towards the outside edge.

    To be fair any acrylic platter is unlikely to give more than a couple of % increase in rotational inertia unless it's a good % heavier than the outgoing rega platter.

    If you want speed stability get a TT-PSU, you'll already have reaped a fair chunk of speed improvement with a new inner. When I measured my Rega one it was 0.3mm high at two spots, so added a 1.1hz wow to everything (2 spots per rev = 66.6 per minute = 1.1per second deviation = 1.1hz wow). Doesn't sound like much but on low synth notes, say 25hz they warbled from 23.9 - 26.1hz which is noticeable as a harmonic. A solid metal subplatter is a great upgrade.

    It doesn't look it from the pics, which are poor but the quality of his finish is miles above the UK stuff. I looked at them all. He makes the platters for Clearaudio, nuff said.

    http://www.acrylteller.com/epages/es...P1%20-%20P2%22
    I’ve been on the German website not really sure of comparative cost as it’s shown in Euros. Very pleased with my alloy sub platter from FD hence that being my first thought, no doubt the engineering quality of the platters is as good as the sub platters. I had a TTPSU with the deck when I bought it, did ABs with and without and could not tell any difference so I sold it on. Was a bit shocked when I found out the Rega manufacturing tolerance for wow and flutter on the P3 is 0.3%, 0.2% on the P6 and above.
    Mine measured with the RPM iPhone app, with standard belt 33.46RPM and 0.24% W&F. Changed to an Edwards Audio Little Belter Blue belt, remeasured at 33.34RPM and 0.18% W&F, makes me wonder if a platter change will improve W&F much more, then again most agree the platter material improves the SQ. The Rega can’t match my other deck, for measured performance at least, it’s an Audio Technica ATLP5 direct drive, that’s spot on 33.33 and 0.12% W&F. Will have to give it quite a bit more thought.


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  4. #4
    Join Date: Mar 2010

    Location: Sheffield

    Posts: 2,898
    I'm Simon.

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    I'd suggest that the iphone speed app is a Fisher Price toy.
    Kuzma Stabi/S 12", (LP12-bastard) DC motor and optical tacho psu, Benz LP, Paradise (phonostage). MB-Pro, Brooklyn dac and psu, Bruno Putzeys balanced pre, mod86p dual mono amps, Yamaha NS1000m

  5. #5
    Join Date: May 2013

    Location: Rotherham

    Posts: 693
    I'm steve.

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    Quote Originally Posted by sq225917 View Post
    I'd suggest that the iphone speed app is a Fisher Price toy.
    Hardly, I know plenty of knowledgeable people who use it, or one like it, there are quite a few available, interesting that you can submit your test results to an online worldwide database, makes interesting reading comparing the performance of different decks, only one deck in the whole database managed W&F under 0.1%, not too surprising it's the most recent model Linn LP12, should be good for all that money.


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  6. #6
    Join Date: Apr 2009

    Location: Near Saffron Walden, Essex

    Posts: 7,087
    I'm Dave.

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    An Acrylic platter will change the sound slightly. Whether or not it is better than the standard glass platter is a matter of taste.

  7. #7
    Join Date: May 2011

    Location: Sheffield

    Posts: 225
    I'm John.

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    Quote Originally Posted by steve-z View Post
    Hardly, I know plenty of knowledgeable people who use it, or one like it, there are quite a few available, interesting that you can submit your test results to an online worldwide database, makes interesting reading comparing the performance of different decks, only one deck in the whole database managed W&F under 0.1%, not too surprising it's the most recent model Linn LP12, should be good for all that money.
    wouldn't take the database too seriously, as the results depend on how the measurement was taken, and that isn't stated. My deck had W&F of 0.2% with the phone placed off centre on the platter, 0.1% when carefully centered above the spindle.

  8. #8
    Join Date: May 2013

    Location: Rotherham

    Posts: 693
    I'm steve.

    Default Rega platter upgrade advice

    Quote Originally Posted by fiddlemaker View Post
    wouldn't take the database too seriously, as the results depend on how the measurement was taken, and that isn't stated. My deck had W&F of 0.2% with the phone placed off centre on the platter, 0.1% when carefully centered above the spindle.
    Granted, a bit of care is needed to get the phone as central as possible, I always repeat 3 or 4 times to get more consistent readings. I think most people who get particularly high readings would take more care with placement and repeat.


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  9. #9
    Join Date: Nov 2010

    Location: Chorley, Lancs

    Posts: 2,734
    I'm Mike.

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    I have a Planar 3 with an upgraded sub platter, twin belt pulley and an Acrylic platter, to be honest i can't say that the acrylic platter has had a massive effect but each of the upgrades has bit by bit improved the overall sound and speed stability. Honestly the biggest single improvement i've made was getting an SRM Tech silent base, that for me was like night and day difference and well worth the £125 i spent on it


    As the late Colonel Sanders once said
    "I'm too drunk to taste this chicken!!"

  10. #10
    Join Date: Jul 2015

    Location: essex; uk

    Posts: 260
    I'm richard.

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    Just to add to whats been said above. I had speed issues with my RP3 - confirmed by use of 2 appls on 2 different smartphones. Long story short, I installed a Edwards belt and speed dropped quite a bit. The appls aren't that accurate but the phones will give different results as accelerometers are different. That said I use RPM Speed&WOW. Also, the Rega NEO has not been mentioned - Dave, would that help ?

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