THE REGA ULTIMATE UPGRADE KIT
The Rega Ultimate Upgrade Kit comprises:
1. Deluxe Acrylic Platter. Manufactured from 20mm clear extruded Acrylic, this is machined out in the centre, so it hides the motor / belt / sub-platter when viewed from the front. Acrylic is more neutral sounding than glass, with a lovely 'see-through' midrange. The latest production platters are now better than ever with a beautiful polished edge.
2. Platter Damping Ring (PDR). 19mm deep to fit the Acrylic platter perfectly. This acts as a Peripheral Wave Trap, absorbing vibrations / resonances in the platter and improving rotational stability.
3. Silicone Platter Mat. 2mm thick, so you won't need to adjust the tracking angle, this provides more damping than a felt mat and is a natural partner to the Acrylic platter.
4. Brand new Rega drive belt. Drive belts need replacing every couple of years - if your belt is even slightly worn the deck may still run perfectly to speed, but dynamic information will be smeared. It will sound 'tired' and lacklustre. This is a genuine Rega belt - BEWARE of non-original belts – SRM/TECH has not found one yet that does not degrade performance...
5. Ultimate Turntable Bearing Oil. If your turntable has not had a service for a few years it needs an oil change! This is the best bearing oil available - known to Audiophiles as 'Black Oil' it contains Molybdenum Disulfide and Graphite. Makes the turntable bearing quieter, more efficient and drastically reduces wear.
6. Twin Motor Vibration Absorbers (MVA). These fit tightly around the motor casing effectively reducing the vibration generated by the motor, which would otherwise be transmitted to the plinth or (via the belt) to the platter.
7. Adjustable Motor Thrust Bearing (MTB). This attaches to the bottom of the motor, allowing the motor spindle to run on a hardened 4mm stainless steel ball instead of the sleeve bearing in the motor. Result - less motor noise, lower noise floor, more information.
8. Main Bearing Spindle Support Pad. PTFE pad that sits in the main bearing housing providing a friction free, non resonant support for the ball upon which the spindle rides. Result - less bearing resonance, lower noise floor, more information.
9. Main Bearing Damping Ring (BDR). This fits tightly around the base of the main bearing housing, effectively damping resonances generated within the bearing.
10. Counterweight Resonance Controller (CRC). This fits around the counterweight of the Rega RB250 or RB300 tonearms (two sizes supplied), effectively controlling resonance and vibration.
11. Hi-Fi News Cartridge Alignment Protractor. Accurate and hard wearing, this will allow you to align the cartridge perfectly in the headshell to achieve the minimum possible tracking error over the entire surface of the disc. An incorrectly positioned cartridge causes tracking distortion and will irretrievably damage your vinyl.
12. Pro Cartridge Mounting Kit. Very high quality non-magnetic stainless steel socket head fixings, so you can mount the cartridge securely in the headshell. Cartridges mounted with poor quality fixings (such as those bundled with the cartridge) will cause audible loss of information. This is our latest and most comprehensive kit which comes complete with: 6, 8, 10, 12, 16 and 20mm bolts, 8 nuts, 8 washers, allen wrench & a quality miniature combination spanner. This kit allows you to properly mount any cartridge on the market.
13. Pro Stylus Cleaning Fluid with applicator brush. Effectively cleans the muck off the stylus (and behind it, where it builds up). Use this regularly for best results. This fluid should also be used to clean the belt, motor pulley & driving surfaces.
14. Contact-Z Contact Cleaner. This superb aerospace quality fluid effectively cleans all electrical connections - improvements are especially noticeable following cleaning of cartridge / tonearm connections, as we are talking about very low level signals here and any contaminantes on these surfaces seriously degrade sound quality.
Any one of these 14 items will improve your deck - together they will make an absolutely massive improvement. The kit comes with a brochure including detailed instructions, and we guarantee you will be amazed at the transformation.
Hi- Fi World Review
'I have heard from other users, who have changed over to an acrylic platter, that the musical strands just seemed to fall into place. With the stock glass platter / felt mat music was held in a vice, unable to truly break free and a little 'mushy' sounding. With the SRM/TECH platter et al in place the music was far more transparent and organic, the 'balance' of the sound feeling correct on an instinctive level.'
'The lack of surface noise from my upgraded Rega came as a pleasant shock! Daring to turn the volume up high on the lead-in to indicate any nasties, I could only discern the faintest hint of hiss, and hardly any rumble at all! At realistic listening levels surface noise was all but inaudible, leaving only the quality of the pressing itself to dictate the resulting sound quality. Speed stability was vastly improved compared to the stock unit. Music had real pace and an almost CD-like clarity to it, but with all the sonic attributes of a first class vinyl set-up. Impressive!'
'The fact that I am still ploughing through my favourite LP's as I write this should speak for itself. That addictive urge to rediscover your entire record collection will certainly be re-kindled after installing these goodies - be prepared for some late night listening sessions!'
Verdict ****
'Great value upgrade kits that offer a genuine taste of high-end vinyl replay at a real-world price.'
Hi-Fi Choice Review
'In the October 2004 issue, Hi-Fi Choice reviewed our Rega Enhancement Kit - this kit contains a Platter Damping Ring, Motor Vibration Absorber and Adjustable Motor Thrust Bearing. This is what they said: Remember LP player tweaking? It was once all the rage, and now it's back with this neat little kit. Details vary slightly depending on turntable (kits are available for Linn, Rega, Thorens and Dual) but basically you get damping rings to fit the platter and motor and a 'thrust bearing' assembly which is glued to the motor's underside. The idea is to lift the spindle slightly and thus reduce motor noise, which with the standard Philips motor used by most manufacturers was always a problem. Assembly is pretty simple and the results amply justify the cost and trouble: a sample Rega gained an impressive amount of extra detail, easily equivalent to a major cartridge upgrade. Highly Recommended.'
Price: $379.95 ( includes GST and shipping within Australia )
