Rega - Planar 6 RS Edition Turntable

Planar 8 engineering in the Planar 6 body: the RB880 tonearm, a twin-belt drive, and a dustcover the Planar 8 cannot really accommodate.

Launched in March 2026 after a preview at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show, the Planar 6 RS Edition is arguably the most interesting proposition in the range. Rega’s own framing is that it brings key Planar 8 engineering into the classic Planar 6 form factor — including, usefully, a dustcover, which the skeletal Planar 8 does not really accommodate.

The headline change is the tonearm. The RB880 from the Planar 8 replaces the RB330, factory-fitted and, in Rega’s words, expertly aligned. Its preloaded zero-tolerance bearing assembly is adjusted to less than one thousandth of a millimetre, with a redesigned aluminium vertical bearing housing, stainless steel sleeve and shaft, and an arm tube using multiple varying tapers to redistribute mass and suppress resonance.

The drive system is uprated well beyond the standard deck too: a CNC twin drive machined aluminium pulley running two Reference EBLT belts rather than one. The plinth keeps the Tancast 8 foam core and HPL construction but gains the RS brushed aluminium metal skin with matching edging, and the 16mm dual layer Optiwhite platter carries over.

The custom-matched Neo MK2 PSU is included and hand-tuned to the motor. Cartridge choice is the Nd9 moving magnet or the Ania moving coil, both factory-fitted. As with the Planar 3 RS, Rega does not describe this as a limited edition and states no production quantity.

Features

• RB880 tonearm from the Planar 8, factory-fitted and expertly aligned
• Twin-belt drive — two Reference EBLT belts on a CNC twin drive machined aluminium pulley
• Tancast 8 foam core plinth with RS brushed aluminium metal skin and matching edging
• 16mm dual layer Optiwhite float glass platter
• Neo MK2 PSU included, custom-matched and hand-tuned to the motor
• Electronic speed change with 0.01 RPM fine adjustment
• Cartridge factory-fitted — Nd9 moving magnet or Ania moving coil
• Smoked dustcover supplied as standard
• Double brace technology

Specifications

• Type: Belt-drive turntable with tonearm, cartridge and matched power supply
• RS: Rega Special
• Launched: Announced 19 March 2026, previewed at the 2026 Bristol Hi-Fi Show
• Plinth: Tancast 8 foam core with high pressure laminate phenolic resin skin plus RS brushed metal aluminium skin and matching edging, with double brace technology
• Platter: 16mm dual layer Optiwhite clear float glass
• Motor: 24V low-noise synchronous precision motor with CNC twin drive machined aluminium pulley, hand-tuned to its Neo MK2 PSU
• Drive Belt: Two Rega Reference EBLT belts — twin-belt drive, where the standard Planar 6 uses a single belt
• Speed Change: Electronic, via the supplied Neo MK2 PSU
• Power Supply: Neo MK2 included and custom-matched, with user-controllable fine speed adjustment at 0.01 RPM steps, 24V protected by a resettable fuse, 7.2W consumption. A Rega PS1 wall supply is also supplied. PSU dimensions 180 x 50 x 155 mm — see the note below
• Tonearm: RB880, normally the Planar 8 arm. Custom stainless balance weight, aluminium vertical bearing housing, stainless steel sleeve and bearing shaft, low-capacitance phono cable with high-spec plugs
• Tonearm Geometry: Effective mass 11g; effective length 236.5mm; mounting distance 222mm from platter centre to arm hole centre; offset angle 21.55°; overhang 14.5mm. These figures are shared across the RB220, RB330, RB880 and RB3000
• Arm Height / VTA: Not adjustable. This is deliberate on Rega’s part rather than an omission, and the company states its reasoning plainly: it believes the integrity of the arm fixing to the arm board matters more than the questionable facility of arm height adjustment. Rega’s guidance is that the arm should sit reasonably parallel to the record surface or slightly lower at the mounting, and that its optional 2mm spacers are only needed if the rear of a cartridge fouls the record while playing
• Cartridge: Factory-fitted and, in Rega’s wording, expertly aligned. Nd9 moving magnet (fine line nude diamond on a boron rod cantilever) or Ania moving coil
• Dimensions: 447 x 117 x 360 mm (W x H x D), lid closed
• Weight: 5.4kg, turntable
• Finish: Brushed metallic aluminium, with smoked dustcover as standard
• In the Box: Turntable with RB880 tonearm; factory-fitted Nd9 or Ania cartridge; smoked dustcover; Neo MK2 PSU; Rega PS1 wall power supply
• Edition: Rega does not describe this as a limited edition and publishes no production quantity
• Origin: Rega Research Ltd, Southend-on-Sea, Essex. Rega’s own wording is that every product is designed and assembled in the UK — assembled rather than wholly manufactured, which is the phrasing we use rather than claiming complete UK component sourcing
• Warranty: Lifetime Limited Warranty against confirmed manufacturing defects. It does not cover wear and tear or parts considered consumable, and unauthorised modification may invalidate it. Rega states cover is contingent on parts remaining available, is not transferable, and is valid only in the country of purchase
• Not Published: Wow and flutter; rumble; speed accuracy
• Note: Rega’s Planar 6 RS page lists the Neo PSU as 180 x 150 x 50 mm, while every other Rega page gives 180 x 50 x 155 mm. The RS page figures appear transposed and we have used the consistent ones. Rega publishes no wow and flutter, rumble or speed accuracy figure for any turntable in the Planar range. We checked every product page and five downloadable Rega manuals — Rega’s manuals are setup guides rather than datasheets, and contain no measurement section at all. Any such number you see quoted against a Rega deck comes from a third-party magazine test, not from Rega