Rega P8 vs RP8

[DimitryZ]

You have no idea. Drilling holes (in a proper way) can reduce weight without reducing the structural strength of any mechanical construction and also in some way control resonances.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightening_holes

I think I may actually have some idea...

From your citation:

This drive towards lightening was based on am isunderstanding of the component's mechanical behaviour. The assumption for an H-beam was that all of the resistance to bending stresses was carried in the two top and bottom flanges of the girder, with the central web only carrying out a spacing function. The central web could thus be drilled indiscriminately, supposedly without weakening the overall girder. This was based on two fallacies: firstly that the only forces on the beam were simple bending forces in the plane of the web. In practice, a more complicated force, such as an unexpected torsional twisting from a sudden suspension bump overloaded the now-weakened central web and the lightened beam failed immediately. Secondly, the assumption that the ideal forces were separated into the top and bottom flanges was increasingly unrealistic with the development of stressed skin and monocoque designs, where loads were more evenly shared. In these designs there was no "unloaded web" that could be safely drilled.

 

[DimitryZ]

I don't advocate (or otherwise) stripping paint from your Rega arm, but I did have an RB250 foam filled and that took the sound in the complete wrong direction to my ears; it became soft, bloated and heavy. Audiomods & Michell take the paint off of their Rega tubes and they drill them too. Certainly, my Audiomods is a lot livelier sounding than any of the lower price Rega arms that I have heard. I think that Rega paint them mostly because some of the castings can be a bit rough. As mentioned elsewhere, Audio Origami will strip the paint for you, but I haven't heard one of those tbh & I haven't heard one of the more expensive Rega arms either.

A perforated tube will have a much "livelier" modal response, hence the exciting sound.

 

[Paul Gravett]

Returning to the original question, the P8 is indeed superior to the RP8 though not, in my opinion, by a massive margin. I have owned most of Rega's top decks except the RP10 and would rank them thus: RP8, P8, P9, P10. I bought a nearly new P10 recently and combined with an Apheta 3 it sounds magnificent. Is that down to the bare RB3000 arm? Possibly..?

 

[RossB]

Returning to the original question, the P8 is indeed superior to the RP8 though not, in my opinion, by a massive margin. I have owned most of Rega's top decks except the RP10 and would rank them thus: RP8, P8, P9, P10. I bought a nearly new P10 recently and combined with an Apheta 3 it sounds magnificent. Is that down to the bare RB3000 arm? Possibly..?

I agree that the P8 is marginally better than the RP8. I've owned the P6, RP8, RP10, P8 and P10, as well as an RB2000 I currently use with my P8 on a separate armpod. I rate them P6 > RP10 > P10 > RP8 > P8. But that is because I don't like the sound of the ceramic platter turntables, and think the P8 is really a very good turntable competitive with some turntables costing many multiples of its price (some of which I have owned).

I didn't compare the RB2000 directly with the RB3000 but suspect that the difference is very minor, and it is a modest improvement over the RB880 arm on the P8.

Out of interest, I did compare the RB2000 with my Audio Origami PU7 on my PTP Solid 9 turntable, using the same cartridge, and although the RB2000 is good, the PU7 is clearly in a league above.

 

[Mr Pig]

I don't advocate (or otherwise) stripping paint from your Rega arm, but I did have an RB250 foam filled and that took the sound in the complete wrong direction to my ears..

Audio Origami don't fill the tube with foam, he puts two foam disks in the tube as he says filling it is too much. I elected not to even put the foam disks in, right or wrong I don't know.