Rega Planar 6 RS Event — Martins Hi-Fi 1st & 2nd May
We are hosting a two-day Rega drop-in event on 1st and 2nd May, giving you the chance to hear some of Rega’s most exciting recent releases in our Norwich showroom. No booking needed — just come in, bring your records, and have a listen.
The focus of the event is the newly launched Rega Planar 6 RS and the Rega AOS MC phonostage — two significant additions to the Rega range that deserve proper attention in a proper listening environment. We will have two complete systems running across the shop so you can hear both products in different contexts, driven by different amplification and loudspeakers.
Downstairs in the Shop
The downstairs system is built around Rega’s own electronics — a combination that demonstrates what the brand’s engineering philosophy sounds like when applied consistently across the whole signal chain. The Planar 8, with Ania Pro cartridge fitted, feeds the AOC MC phonostage before reaching Rega’s own pre and power amplifiers, with the Fyne Audio 701SP loudspeakers completing the system.
The Rega Planar 8 is a substantial step into the upper tier of the Planar range. Its phenolic resin and aluminium sandwich plinth construction, RB880 tonearm, and 18mm triple-layer glass platter represent a meaningful refinement over the Planar 6 — the result is a turntable at which the deck itself ceases to be the limiting factor in most systems. The RB880 is Rega’s reference-tier tonearm, sitting just below the flagship RB3000, and its bearing quality and arm tube construction genuinely reward a quality cartridge fitted above it.
The Ania Pro moving coil cartridge is Rega’s own design — hand-wound, with a vital profile nude diamond stylus and a more powerful neodymium magnet than the standard Ania. It is noticeably more refined in terms of high-frequency detail and soundstage precision, and is the cartridge we’d recommend to anyone stepping up from the Planar 6 to the Planar 8. Together, the Planar 8 and Ania Pro form a genuinely serious analogue front end.
The Fyne Audio 701SP loudspeakers bring something rather different to the downstairs room. Fyne Audio was founded in Strathaven, Scotland — the same town that was home to Tannoy for many of its celebrated years — and their IsoFlare coincident driver technology delivers the point-source imaging and tonal coherence that Scottish loudspeaker engineering has long been known for. The 701SP is part of Fyne’s F700 SP series, produced in custom RAL finishes in the UK. In this room it gives a revealing picture of what an all-Rega source and amplification chain actually sounds like — precise, rhythmically coherent, and musically direct.
In Our Dedicated Demo Room
The Planar 6 RS takes centre stage in the dedicated listening room, partnered with a carefully chosen system designed to let the turntable perform at its best. The Rega Aethos integrated amplifier drives the OePhi Ascendance 2.0 loudspeakers, with the Gold Note PH-10 phonostage handling the signal from the Planar 6 RS.
The Rega Aethos is Rega’s flagship integrated amplifier — a serious piece of British engineering that reflects the same philosophy as their turntables: direct signal paths, minimal interference, and an uncompromising focus on what matters musically. It is the amplifier we reach for when we want to hear what a source component can genuinely do. The Aethos is handbuilt in Southend-on-Sea alongside Rega’s turntables, and its musical character is consistent with the brand identity — fast, detailed, and free of unnecessary weight.
The Gold Note PH-10 is a reference-level phonostage from the Florence-based manufacturer Gold Note, a brand with deep expertise in analogue source components. With extensive gain and loading adjustment and the highest-specification components Gold Note deploy in their phonostage range, the PH-10 is designed for serious analogue systems where the phono stage should not be the limiting factor. Using a non-Rega phonostage here is a deliberate choice: it allows the character of the Planar 6 RS itself to be assessed clearly, rather than filtering everything through the Rega house sound at every point in the chain.
This room is where we will be spending most of our time with the Planar 6 RS — it is a system that lets the turntable breathe.
About the Rega Planar 6 RS
The Planar 6 RS is the latest evolution of Rega’s acclaimed Planar 6, and the RS designation means something specific: this is not a cosmetic exercise, but a substantive engineering refinement informed by what Rega learned developing the Planar 10 and the flagship Naia. The technologies and insights from those reference products have been applied with care at a more accessible price point.
The standard Planar 6 is already a formidable machine. Its Tancast 8 polyurethane foam plinth — lighter than MDF, stiffer than MDF, and considerably better at managing resonances — combined with the Neo precision power supply and 16mm dual-layer glass platter, represents a significant step beyond the Planar 3 that is clearly audible in ambience retrieval, low-level detail, and the three-dimensional quality of the soundstage. The RS designation builds on these foundations with further component-level upgrades that will be immediately apparent to anyone who knows the standard model.
The Planar 6 RS sits at a point in the range where serious vinyl playback becomes genuinely accessible without requiring an equipment budget that excludes most music lovers. It is a turntable that rewards long-term investment — one that will reveal the quality of records and the rest of the system around it as that system develops.
Come and hear it for yourself. This is exactly the kind of turntable that rewards a proper listening session far more than a specification comparison ever could.
About the Rega AOS MC Phonostage
The AOS is one of Rega’s most significant recent launches. At £1,500, it occupies a position in the Rega phonostage range that was previously unfilled — sitting above the Fono MC MK4 and below the reference Aura, but drawing its circuit directly from the Aura design rather than representing a simple halfway point.
That distinction matters. The AOS circuit is based directly on Rega’s reference Aura topology, providing reference-level MC amplification at a far more accessible price. Gain and loading are adjustable, the unit ships pre-set for Rega MC cartridges, and an automatic standby function reflects careful practical thinking. It is compatible with all typical low-output moving coil cartridges — not just Rega’s own — making it a compelling option for anyone with a quality MC cartridge regardless of which turntable it sits on.
If you own a Planar 8, a Planar 10, or any turntable with an Ania Pro or Apheta 3 fitted, the AOS is very likely the phonostage your system needs. It will not limit your investment. You can also explore the Rega Fono MC MK4 if you are considering MC phonostage options at a lower price point — a capable and keenly priced design, and the natural entry point for Ania owners.
Hearing the AOS in the context of the Planar 6 RS system this weekend will give you a clear sense of what it brings to a serious analogue front end. We encourage you to spend time with it.
Bring Your Records
We strongly encourage you to bring your own vinyl. There is no better way to assess a piece of equipment than with a record you already know well — one where you understand what it should sound like, where you know the texture of the bass, the space around the piano, the placement of the voices.
Comparisons made on familiar music are meaningful. Comparisons made on demonstration discs you have never heard before tell you considerably less. Bring records you love, and bring records that challenge equipment — complex orchestral passages, bass-heavy jazz, anything that has tested systems you have heard before. If a record has always sounded slightly wrong somewhere, bring that too.
Our team will be on hand throughout both days to answer questions, talk through the equipment, and help you understand where each product fits in the range. If you are considering an upgrade — from a Planar 3, from a Planar 6, from a turntable by another manufacturer — this weekend is an ideal opportunity to make a properly informed decision rather than one based on specifications and forum posts.
Practical Details
The event runs across both days — Thursday 1st May and Friday 2nd May — with no set session times. Drop in whenever suits you during normal shop hours.
No booking is required.
If you have any questions ahead of the event, contact us at info@martinshifi.co.uk, call 01603 627010, or WhatsApp us on 07554 687137.
We look forward to seeing you. Browse the full Rega range online.
—
Martins Hi-Fi
85-91 Ber Street, Norwich NR1 3EY
01603 627010
info@martinshifi.co.uk
