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LP12 makes front cover of Stereophile

I wouldn't necessarily call it a "Disservice", if anything it's a "Service" for the audio purest. One needs to consider Regas P8/P10 clean sheet design in purposely choosing the Tancast 8 sandwich core material consisting of a very specific -type 8 density out of several other Tancast densities- polyurethane foam matrix placed between an upper and lower layer of a very thin, super-rigid, high-pressure laminate. These are two different materials that Rega ultimately choose to sandwich together, the P8/P10 plinth did not come this way, it's Regas mix of materials and the sides are purposely not finished so the top laminate does not touch the bottom therefor the interplay of materials can work together as they were designed to do, and adding anything to the sides to give it a better, more finished look would ultimately have effected the resulting Tune. - - There is a method to the madness here that comes down to Performance over Appearance, function over form. ...Personally, I don't really care what the deck looks like, and I long ago got past trying to impress my friends, and once the LP is playing and I'm sitting to listen to another full album side -usually with my eyes closed- the looks of my chosen deck hardly matters. I'm after the purest un-colored reproduction of what's on the vinyl as possible on a somewhat limited budget these days, and the P10 is Regas latest crack at it, and the result we see is simply what it wounded up looking like in their attempt to achieve that goal. ...Is it as pretty as an LP12, nope, but I've said that before.

I was under the impression from close up inspection the the RP8 & RP10 's inner "skeletal" plinths were made from Tancast 8 but with a glossy laminate on top and also an outer plinth supplied for the more traditional rectangular appearance. and the outer vertical edge is exposed as per the P8/P10. I've viewed both RP8 & RP10 "in the flesh, but not yet viewed the P8/10 likewise. I accept your preference from listening with closed eyes where the appearance of the TT adds nothing to the performance. But, I also like to sit listening to my TT's doing the business but also sit watching them where I'm amazed at how such an outwardly "simple" device can produce such an exhilarating performance from recorded music on vinyl.
Thankfully we have such a huge selection of quality tt's still available to such a variable bunch of enthusiastic owner-listeners.
 
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The plinth on the P10 and RP10 are the same stuff just the P10 is even smaller and you don't get the outer plinth. I would like to know how they fitted the hinge brackets to the RP10/8 as you ain't screwing much into that foam. They must have glued inserts in.
 
The plinth on the P10 and RP10 are the same stuff just the P10 is even smaller and you don't get the outer plinth. I would like to know how they fitted the hinge brackets to the RP10/8 as you ain't screwing much into that foam. They must have glued inserts in.

I don't think the outer dress frame is made from the foam.
 
Many people around here like dated though Bob. Looking at my RP10 every day I don’t think on it as dated, just purist for want of a better description.
 
A cover pic and subjective review by Herb Reichert of the full ‘Klimax’ (whoever thinks of these names at Linn please stop) spec LP12 in the June 22 issue of Stereophile. A really nice proper fluted wood plinth too, not sure of the finish, but it certainly looks great (seems lighter than afro or walnut).

Herb certainly seems to like it and I was pleased to see him refer to Fremer’s usual stuff as “1000lbs oligarch tables”, nit that this Linn is in any way a budget offering. Pictured on the cover with a what looks like a UK 1st press of Blue Nile’s ‘A Walk Across The Rooftops’, and that much I do have. I’m sure the review will be online at some point, I’m still a paper subscriber so the hard copy hit the doormat earlier.
The Linn most certainly isn’t a budget offering, but they are at least modular, so you can take incremental steps to the top deck. In fact I can’t see whole new “Full Klimax” decks flying off the shelves, mostly it will be existing decks receiving upgrades to the latest spec.

Aside from the sound and the modularity of the LP12, I love the looks… I hate the looks of the massive “Oligarch tables”, I just wouldn’t want one in my home, no matter how good it might sound.
 
I remember seeing the LP12 for the first time when I picked up a copy of "What Hi-Fi" in the early '80s. I thought it was pretty hideous to be honest - I expected the best turntables to look like the Pioneer/Marantz/Sony ones in the back of the Goodmans catalogue! Instead of sleek, shiny metallic plinths and slim platters all the best turntables seemed to have wood from an old radiogram and enormous thick platters (I recall that the Logic DM101 was the worst culprit).
 
Rega had some classic designs. The new range looked dated the moment it came out.

I don't think Rega decks look dated. The only ones which I don't think look great are the ones with the wood picture frame on them but they still don't look too out of place today. Form follows function never dates.
 
The plinth on the P10 and RP10 are the same stuff just the P10 is even smaller and you don't get the outer plinth. I would like to know how they fitted the hinge brackets to the RP10/8 as you ain't screwing much into that foam. They must have glued inserts in.

No. NOT the same...

The RP8/RP10 used the same "polyolefin" foam core plinth.

And the P8/P10 Use the same but very different plinth materials when compared to the "RP's".

"Out of the Naiad testbed the RP10 was born—it was intended to be close to the Naiad in performance but without the ultra-expensive handmade, resin bonded carbon fiber with aluminum oxide braces, and a few other details that were taken to extremes in the Naiad experiment.

The Rega P10 is a further refinement of the RP10. The chassis is made from a sandwich of Tancast 8, an exotic aerospace material with a high-pressure laminate. This reduces mass 30% from the older RP10 while being considerably stiffer."


Not my words Mr. Pig ..:https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2020/03/22/rega-p10-turntable-review/


I don't think the outer dress frame is made from the foam.

Yeah, it is. Same stuff. Good chance it's cut from the same piece.

Nope, No. ...It's not. Mr Pig. Wrong again..

"Good chance it's Cut from the Same Piece"?? -Where do you hallucinate this stuff from, do you imagine it? and then hope/wish it true? ...Show me one place on all the interwebz where it states "Tancast" in correlation with the "RP" 8 or 10? except from you, here on PF?
 
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All this talk of aesthetics between Rega and Linn is just daft as neither of them can hold a candle to a Gyrodec in that department. Timeless and classic in the true sense of the words.
 
Never liked it and I have heard one, plus it's Orbe sibling, neither could get me to reach for my wallet. Glad you like it though!

Indeed I do and as an ex-LP12 owner (had one for 3 decades) that's quite a surprise to me. I have a keen interest in industrial design so I will admit that the aesthetics and obvious quality of the engineering are some of the attraction as well as the sound. I do get why people prefer other turntables though as we all have different tastes.
 
My LP12 is in cheap-ass territory, €300 purchase many years ago, sold LV-V arm and K9 for €200 - non-circus 77, new motor (£50), first Sole prototype From John £200, (honestly don’t remember), DIY geddon a few quid, 774 arm another £100 (but sold 775 deck it came on for £75), 2 Asaka’s (one free, one £50). Afro plinth with black bottom and it looks ****ing lovely.

soon to swap out for a TD-124 :D
 
Rega turntable design is very much a development of form following function based on the engineering principle of light weight structures absorbing less energy. This is fairly unique in the audio game and from an engineering perspective it works.

The LP12 was basically a copy of an older design from 1961 - and everybody with an interest in this hobby also knows the Ariston / Castle Emgineering stories. It doesn’t make the LP12 a bad deck but I don’t see any real engineering philosophy from Linn in the design. I personally think it looks cool - has a nice retro vibe…..
 
I recently attended a Linn LP12 showcase event here in Glasgow and there was a certain omission concerning Ariston decks and Castle Engineering. The story we were presented with on the night was that Ivor wasn't satisfied with record players of the day and felt that he could do better... and then the LP12 was born. I decided not to bring this up, but it was quite an omission all the same.
 


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