Rega QC

Might be best to post a picture to Rega directly - the answer to your dilemna lies in their response....

If something is wrong, Rega will make it right.

My experience with Rega is as follows:

Rega DAC - works great, no issues after 8 months.

Rega RS5 - worked great, no issues, moved to Naim Credo, but not because the RS5 were bad.

Rega RP1 - worked, no issues. Didn't check platter/deck parallel.

Rega turntable wall rack - worked, well-built, but you can't get it really level without using stuff under the feet of your deck.  Returned and got a Vulcan - Tiger Paw @ 4X the cost.

Rega RP3 - Wires connecting to cartridge were loose, caused intermittent problems.  I broke the stylus pinching the terminals so they'd grasp the cartridge plugs tightly.  Platter not level with deck. 

Note: Rega sent me a brand new Elys2 for my troubles, and the RP3 is fine now.  I'm sure if you buy into an RP8 and anything is not right with it; they will help you.  Rega watches these forums and want their customers to be happy, in support of their good name.

My goal is to move to the RP6/Exact, and I'm just writing off the RP3 issues as a bad batch.  All the other Rega stuff has been fine.  Given the way Rega operates I'm not concerned to move up again.

My RP9 is totally fine, perfectly built and spins records for many years now flawlessly

I think this is is something that should be addressed directly to Rega.  On a record player that's a rather serious problem but there may all kinds of reasons behind why it is that way.  For sure, if I were Rega I would want to know about it and rectify it.  I wouldn't want such a piece "out in the wild".  I'd want to know how it happened and how to prevent it happening again.  But sh*t happens.  Knowing some of the people of Rega, I'm sure that if you have a problem with one of their products then they will see you good.  That's quite apart from your rights as a consumer.  You should buy with confidence.

Note though that Rega don't have a right of reply here so I may well close this thread sooner rather than later.

Might be worth leaving it open for a bit Richard. I'm sure Paul Darwin will soon pick up on it to sort the problem with the OP. 

Rega like Naim are great to deal with and do their best to look after their reputations. 

I bought an RP8 late last year and experienced issues.

One of the plinth feet was loose in the box. I had to restore this in place. Luckily the adhesive was still tacky and it went back on.

The cueing lever would not raise the stylus at the end of a side. I took this up with the dealer who confirmed that this was ok in their shop. may be a case of rough handling in shipping fron the UK to Greece. I too have to lift the arm manually. This is ok as you have to get up and turn the LP over anyhow but may stress the cartridge in doing so manually. 

The glass plinth looked like it had just come off the machine. Needed a really good cleaning. Not a big issue but tells its own tale in terms of QC.

The felt may is decidedly flimsy. Not a QC issue but not impressive.

Overall, I was disappointed by the buying experience. Had I boughit the kit locally, I would have returned it. I could not bother with weeks more of shipping time so kept it. It works just fine. I'be no idea if it could be better with three secure feet and a better adjusted arm. 

 Dave

Seems to be glue.

I've had a RP6/Exact 2 now for a couple of years. No functional issues whatsoever. If I was to be really really nitpicky, I would say the lamination of the different layers of glass in the platter could have been a bit cleaner looking. But the deck has given great performances and surely trounced my previous Uniti and current NAC 172 digital sources.

I'm one those who own Rega gear - admittedly their reference gear (P9/Aphete/IOS, Isis) and have not had a problem or any issue with build quality issues. The only problem Rega themselves was the main bearing on the P9 that they measured wasn't perfectly round when tested with a machine that detects tiny tolerances. It wasn't audible to me or them but they weren't happy and replaced it free of charge.

Even the lid was changed as it was a used buy & didn't come with the proper (heavier) P9 lid. This was a few years ago when they released the Isis/Osiris and were doing Rega evenings at certain dealers. 

Met Paul Darwin and a few of the other senior guys from Rega and had a top night, finishing off with Curry! I suspect a few QC concerns might be to do with being victims of their own success and keeping up with demand on their TTs at the moment. 

If i had any concerns with any product i'd bought from them, i'm sure they'd get it sorted ASAP. 

Juddson,

I have an early manufactured RP6. I've heard of issues with platter wobble on the RP6, checked mine, and its not present. Still, wobble reports on the RP6 persist, even on replacement bearings sent from Rega. I've also had two Exacts. I've read of channel imbalance issues on these and other Rega carts. Both of mine sounded fine with regard to balance. I had both checked by a technician and they passed specs. Maybe I've been lucky?

I'm not sure any of this applies to the RP8, but I don't believe your concerns with recent Rega TT gear in general are unwarranted. If you like the RP8 enough, my advice would be to buy to buy from a dealer, as opposed to online. That way, you'll have more immediate, demanding, and ongoing recourse if anything doesn't satisfy you in the long term.

I find it a bit disquieting to have a Rega QC thread on a Naim forum. There are plenty of non brand affiliated Hifi fora out there, which would seem to be the logical area for such queries. 

I don't often recommend moderating, but if I wanted to query Naim QC it wouldn't be the Linn forum I'd be heading to. 

Do do the decent thing Richard. 

SJB

SJB, I agree, and not before time.  Thread closed.