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The new Rega RB-1000 tonearm is highly polished and a major SOB to get good close up pictures of. I managed only a few good close up shots of the arm and this one above shows the unique plunger which is pushed in to set the arm's anti-skating force. The picture also gives a good look at one of the three mounting points for the arm. Spacers to adjust the RB-1000's height (and hence VTA) are small aluminum like washers which go between the plinth and the arm.  Bearing tolerances in this arm must be super, because it has a feel that is different from any other Rega arm I have used. The picture below gives a close up view of the RB-1000's headshell and connection cables. While the clips are the same old Rega fare, the wire and the way it is dressed is definitely different than what I have seen Rega use before.

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Rega is up to more cleverness with the use of their ubiquitous firm rubber support feet found on all their other Planar turntables. Here, they turn that foot upside down and have it fit into an aluminum cup mounted on to the bottom of the Planar 9's plinth. The pictures above and below give you a good look at this cleverness in action. Personally, I am not sure how using the foot this way helps, but it is a question I plan t ask Roy Gandy at Rega the next time we meet up!

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The Planar 9's motor drive power supply is a typical Rega exercise in simplicity and execution. Operation is very simple with a main power on/off switch on the left and two small buttons on the right to select either 33 RPM or 45 RPM turntable speed.

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Last, but not least, I had to show you this little saying (see picture above) silk screened onto the circuit board of the Planar 9's power supply which helps sum up what Rega Planar turntables are all about!

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The Picture above shows a close up view of the Planar 9's ceramic platter and felt mat. What is interesting here is that the felt mat which comes with the Planar 9 (besides being white in color) is definitely thinner than the black felt mat that comes with the other Rega tables. Felt mats still drive me nuts with the amount of junk the deposit on my LPs, so I've already put my old trusty Ringmat on the table . . . however, the problem with the Ringmat is that given its thickness/height, I will most likely have to go to taller spacers on the RB-1000 to get the VTA to my liking. Below, you can get a good look at the twin belt drive arrangement and the machined sub-platter that the Planar 9's ceramic platter sits on.

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The picture above gives you a good look at the 24V Twin Phase Synchronous motor used in the Planar 9. What is important to note in this picture is the number scribbled in marker on the motor. This number matches the serial number on the Planar 9's motor drive power supply (see the picture below) which shows that Rega specifically calibrates each turntable (motor) and power supply as a unique pair. This ensures the phasing of the motor is properly tuned to eliminate vibration and that the turntable speed is very accurate.

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If you absolutely have to, you can screw around with the P-9's motor speed settings, but they are hidden behind the front faceplate of the Planar 9's power supply as shown in the picture above. Rest assured though, no adjustment is necessary. The calibration of the power supply to the particular motor/table used in every Planar 9 means that the turntable speed out of the box is very accurate. This particular demo table's speed, which I checked with my trusty KAB stroboscope, is pretty much dead nuts (independent of whether the table was just turned on or after several hours of use).