About The Rega RB3000 Tonearm
The RB3000 is Rega's top of the range tonearm as featured on their Planar 10 turntable. The RB3000 uses advanced design & precision engineering to achieve zero play in the bearings and is the ideal tonearm for top quality Moving Coil Cartridges like Rega's Aphelion & Apheta models.
The RB3000 tonearm is packed with new features pushing the boundaries of tonearm design. As with all Rega tonearms, each one is meticulously hand-built by a team of highly skilled technicians. The R3000 uses improved bearings with each one being hand selected to be an interference fit with the paired spindle matching both the inside and outside diameters. This is a Rega developed method of increasing the amount of detail retrieved from the record surface, designed specifically to maximise performance of the tonearm and cartridge (cartridge sold separately).
The entire tonearm structure is designed to have the minimum of mechanical joints whilst using the stiffest materials in all critical areas. The tolerance of the RB3000 tonearm is so tight that no adhesive is used at any point throughout the construction. A brand new, low mass, precision engineered, vertical bearing assembly has been manufactured to further complement the inherent design philosophy of the Planar 10 turntable.
The RB3000 uses the latest award-winning Rega arm tube. Each one which is meticulously hand polished (keeping mass to an absolute minimum) and has been completely redesigned to redistribute mass and further reduce stresses and resonances. This advanced design tube increases the stiffness and rigidity of the overall assembly whilst reducing stress on the bearings even further.
Rega is renowned for the quality of its tonearm bearing assemblies. In particular the accurate manufacturing of the bearing housing and bearing spindles. Technical characteristics such as "roundness" and "parallelity" (the condition of being parallel) are critical. Over the past few years Rega has found a new manufacturing process which improves on all these characteristics resulting in a micron perfect bearing fit. The RB3000 is the first Rega arm to benefit from these improvements. The entire tonearm structure is designed to have the minimum of mechanical joints while using the stiffest materials in all critical areas. One unique characteristic of this design is the achievement of near frictionless movement horizontally and vertically whilst having no measurable free play in the bearing assemblies. So, why has Rega dedicated so much time and invested so heavily in this area of tonearm design where the removal of even microns of movement has been pursued?
The answer is on the record. Look at a stereo vinyl LP under an electron microscope and you will see microscopic ridges and bumps that the diamond stylus of the pick-up cartridge tracks and reads. The length of a ridge depends on its frequency. The height is its amplitude. Towards the centre of an LP, a 10 KHz signal is just 26 microns long and if it's very quiet it may be less than 10 microns high. If your tonearm has 10 microns of movement within the bearing assemblies (and even very expensive tonearms usually have much more play and movement), reading the bumps will be difficult and musical vibration will be lost in arm movement. It is impossible to quantify exactly the musical distortion or loss of measured information. This is due to the random nature of pivot or bearing movement. However, it is easy to see that accurate measurement or tracking of a 10 micron bump is not possible if the tracking stylus can move randomly at least the same distance that it is trying to measure. Thus the importance of zero play in the bearings of a Hi-fi tonearm.
RB3000 Set Up Instructions
Arm Balancing & Setup: With the cartridge correctly mounted and with the stylus guard removed, ensure that the tracking force dial and bias adjustment are set to zero. Adjust the balance weight until the arm is "floating", with the stylus approximately 1mm clear of the record.
Note: It is normal for the arm to swing back towards the arm clip position even with the bias set at zero. Therefore, it is advisable to gently hold the arm bearing carrier (just below the tracking dial) thus preventing horizontal movement during the balancing procedure.
Applying Tracking Pressure: Once the arm is balanced, rotate the tracking force adjustment dial to the required tracking force. Numbers '0' to '3' are marked on the dial. If in doubt, it is usually advisable to use a tracking force that corresponds with the upper limits of the cartridge manufacturer's range.
Applying Anti-Skating (Bias) Adjustment: Set the bias adjustment slider location to the same figure as the cartridge tracking force pressure quoted by your cartridge manufacturer. Note: This is not critical and a figure between 1.5 & 2.0 will normally be suitable for most cartridges.
Fitting Your Tonearm
The RB3000 will directly replace any other Rega tonearm that currently uses the 3 point mounting, without any modification. If fitting to another manufacturer's product or an older Rega turntable (with the single point nut fixing), the supplied template should be used as a guide to ensure correct position and alignment. With so many variants in turntable models, it is important to contact your turntable manufacturer if in any doubt before making any holes in plinths or arm boards. Before attempting to fit the RB3000 arm to the turntable, it is important to ensure that there is sufficient clearance beneath the turntable and that the arm does not hit the lid, top or sides. Having checked that there is sufficient clearance in all directions (including the maximum potential arm movement horizontal and vertical), the next step is to find the position of the centre of the arm mounting hole. The easiest way to do this will be to use the arm mounting template and the detailed mounting instructions supplied with the tonearm.
Wes' Take On The Rega RB3000 Tonearm
I'm sure there are people who buy this tonearm purely because of how beautiful it is. I have a gloss red Rega turntable and I would love to put an RB3000 on it just because of how wonderful it would look. Fortunately the beauty of the RB3000 is way more than skin deep.
The last time I was at the Rega factory there were only two people who were qualified/sensitive enough to assemble an RB3000. I spotted a couple of RB3000's off to the side and on enquiring about them was told that the bearings weren't up to snuff and were due to be changed out for ones that met Rega's incredibly high standards (apparently not all top rated bearings are created exactly equal). I was invited to pick up a tonearm and feel for the bearing play. I did exactly that and it felt completely smooth in operation with zero play that I could detect. Naturally they did not invite me to become the third authorised RB3000 technician.
Whether used on a Rega turntable or on something iconic from a bygone era the RB3000 is a thing of rare beauty that will give you joy every time you use it. Start saving now.
Main Features & Specifications
- Design: 9" Tonearm as used on the Rega Planar 10 turntable
- Meticulously hand built by specialised Rega technicians
- Hand selected bearings to be an interference fit with the paired spindle
- Near frictionless movement horizontally and vertically
- Designed for maximum performance
- Effective Mass: Low / 11g
- Mounting Distance (platter centre to arm hole centre): 222mm
- Effective length: 236.5mm
- Offset Angle: 21.55°
- Overhang: 14.5mm
- Manufacturer's Warranty: Three Year Warranty covering full parts & labour and a lifetime warranty against manufactured defect
Note: Features & Specifications Subject To Change Without Notice. E&OE