Getting back to those Rega tour photos posted on the German blog that was linked to uptrend, I was rather intrigued by the following shot of Planar 6 assembly, particularly wrt the following excerpt regarding the plinth construction from Rega's web site.
'It is the first new Rega turntable to be constructed with an ultra lightweight Tancast 8 polyurethane foam core plinth (a material developed for the aerospace industry). This material is sandwiched between a new HPL (high pressure laminate). HPL is exceptionally thin whilst extremely rigid...'
It had occurred to me back when Planar 6 was released that despite being
'extremely rigid', an
'exceptionally thin' skin won't necessarily lend itself to having things fastened directly on, especially so, if there is some stress expected, as with the lid hinges, for example. Unlike with fibreboard core plinths, one can't simply fasten screws through an outer laminate and expect the foam core to help hold things firm, so one either need fit threaded inserts and/or get creative in other ways.
With respect the the above, and taking the dustcover hinges first, note the pairs of access holes into which some sort of embedded companion fasteners are inserted, to which the hinge plates screws can fasten. Then there is the interesting lower plinth brace shape that extends round the motor cavity and forms a frame to which both the 'Zero Vibration Circuit' PCB and motor cover can be fastened to (note the tiny pilot hole at the rear motor cover fastening point). And lastly, the tray of feet with integral mounting posts in the foreground, and the one visible small hole into which the rear foot is mounted, not to mention the hand press, appear to indicate that these are directly pressed in all round.
Thankfully, Planar 6 plinths don't require any wire routing channels, as Neo turns the deck on/off and plugs straight into the 'Zero Vibration Circuit' via access hole within the motor cover.
what a great idea, walnut must be choosed for marketing reasons.
