Rega Naia Reference Turntable

Rega Naia Reference Turntable

CONCLUSION 

"In recent years, the idea of ‘convenient high end’ has become more prevalent. Equipment that blows your socks off while requiring no suffering for your art have started to appear in most product categories. The Naia might be the first time this has genuinely been the case with a turntable though. Here is a genuinely high-end device; a piece of analogue replay equipment that trades blows with the best of them, but that is no more demanding in use than one at a tenth of the price.

The Rega is a tremendous achievement and an outstanding turntable"

Key Features

• Handbuilt in the UK
• ZTA Zirconium toughened alumina (ceramic) central bearing
• Ultra Smooth Cast Ceramic Hub Bearing
• Ceramic top and bottom braces
• Fully ceramic continuously varying thickness main platter
• Graphene-impregnated carbon fibre-wrapped Tancast 8 foam core plinth
• Low mass, low resonance milled aluminium feet
• Incredibly stiff titanium tonearm bearing
• Tungsten balanced weight shaft and weight
• Fully adjustable reference power supply
• Triple Reference drive belts for improved stability and drive characteristics
• Wall mount it with Rega's custom wall bracket
• Limited Lifetime Warranty

After years of anticipation, Rega Research has announced and released, perhaps their greatest achievement yet, the Naia. A multi-year project to create a production version of their no-expense-spared, industry-shaking R&D project, the Naiad. Distilling five decades of tireless research, modern design, new material science and countless listening sessions into a product designed to do one job and one job only, better than anything else.

A product developed directly from the handmade ‘Naiad’ test bed turntable (costing £30,000, of which parts for only fifty were ever ordered). The Naia takes the best of this technology and transfers it into a production-ready version without compromise. The Naia is packed with ground-breaking features, materials and technology developed by Rega over many years to deliver the ultimate in vinyl replay.

The Naia takes our pioneering low mass high rigidity plinth technology to the next level by using a graphene-impregnated carbon fibre skeletal plinth with Tancast 8 foam core. This ultra-rigid structure is then strengthened further using ceramic aluminium oxide braces, the same material used to create the redesigned, resonance-controlled ceramic platter with an improved flywheel effect and complex profile. Our unique 24V low-noise motor is driven by our reference power supply which provides ultimate control over speed and vibration.

In order to achieve the ultimate balance between low mass and extreme rigidity, Rega has pioneered the use of graphene-impregnated carbon and a Tancast 8 polyurethane foam core. Both materials are widely used in the aerospace industry and provide the perfect platform on which to assemble a turntable. The ultra-lightweight random structure of the foam core helps reduce vibration transmission whilst the stiffness of the skin ensures no microscopic movement of the plinth occurs during playback. The addition of graphene boosts the strength and stiffness of the carbon fibre even further to create the stiffest production plinth we have ever produced. 

The Naia uses a custom aluminium sub-platter with a spindle and central bearing manufactured from ZTA (zirconium-toughened alumina). ZTA was formerly developed for use in much larger machines used in the paper industry. The resistance against abrasion was much higher than alumina oxide which makes it the perfect material to construct a central bearing assembly from. Exceptionally complex to make, production is similar to other oxide ceramics. Starting life as a powder preparation with spray drying, the piece is formed in an isostatic press (which applies pressure in all directions to create even density). The piece is then turned in a green state (before firing) and then fired at 1600 °C for 3 days before grinding the bottom flange and bore before final honing to match the spindle diameter. The spindle and bearing are then kept together as a set to guarantee the perfect fit.

ZTA is better against abrasive wear and is exceptionally hard, with both the spindle and bearing being manufactured from identical materials. This reduces the risk of wear as they have identical hardness. The spindle will run on an ultra-thin layer of fully synthetic oil which reduces wear even further. The result of this complex engineering process is the hardest, most accurate and longest-lasting bearing assembly we have ever produced. 

“Mass absorbs energy - lost energy equals lost music”! A super lightweight plinth combined with a ceramic top and bottom brace mounted specifically where the increased rigidity is required between the tonearm mounting and the main hub bearing. This forms a structurally sound, “stressed beam,” assembly.

This rigid plinth design prevents energy absorption and unwanted resonances which will add unnatural distortions to the music. Equally, heavier mass can transfer more unwanted energy such as motor or bearing noise directly into the rotating record. The tonearm and cartridge must be able to read accurately, directly from the platter. This unique Rega double brace solution guarantees as much detail is retrieved as possible.

The use of braces instead of the complete skin allows increased thickness in these key areas whilst providing further weight reduction to the plinth which directly addresses the issue of mass absorption and unwanted energy transmission.

The motor drive is transferred via three Reference EBLT drive belts which rotate a custom aluminium sub-platter with a spindle made from ZTA Zirconium toughened alumina (ceramic), the exact same material as the central bearing itself. A world first. The RB Titanium tonearm is the most advanced and accurate production tonearm we have ever released. The entire tonearm structure is designed to have the minimum of mechanical joints whilst using the stiffest materials in all critical areas. The RB-Titanium achieves near frictionless movement horizontally and vertically whilst having no measurable free play in the bearing assemblies.

The RB-Titanium uses a new one-piece titanium vertical bearing and titanium vertical spindle assembly. The recommended Rega Aphelion 2 MC (optional) will be mounted upon our unique hand-polished aluminium single-piece arm tube to keep mass as low as possible. The design is completed with a Tungsten balance weight shaft and balance weight.

Who is Rega?

Rega is a specialist hifi manufacturer based in Essex, UK and is renowned for developing and constructing some of the most highly regarded turntables (as well as cartridges and tonearms), electronics and loudspeakers available on the hifi market today. Rega was founded in 1973 and has honed its craft over many years

While Rega is renowned for building some of the best turntable models on the market, the company have also developed an extensive and highly acclaimed reputation in the design and engineering of quality hifi separates. Rega's range of hifi amplifiers and CD players are designed and engineered around their different turntable, phono stage and loudspeaker models to form a complete family, staying true to the Rega sound signature and quality of the build. Rega components will work with systems and separate from other bands, but perform at their best when accompanied by other Rega products.