A friend who currently has a Uniti Nova is planning to buy a Rega Planar 6 (phonostage will depend whether he gets an Exact MM or an Ania MC……).
For owners who have the P6, what can you say about it?
Cartridge being equal, is the uplift from the P3 really better as compared to the uplift from the P6 to the P8 (law of diminishing returns)?
There are topics in the net about sagging Tancast 8 plinths. How is yours doing?
My friend is coming from an old VPI HW19 turntable.
Hi, this thread wouldn’t have shown up on search since I used “P6”…
I honestly didn’t even compare to the P3 or P8…I didn’t want the skeletor look, and wanted to move upriver after the P25.
I think it’s a terrific TT, under the radar.
I dunno relative to the VPI - never listened to one.
P6 with Ania and Fonomc owner here. Great combo for the money. The combo is matched well by Rega and is in the league of your amp. The p3 is great but the external power supply, and plinth on the p6 are a big jump in my opinion. The p8 is better but double the price and definitely diminishing returns. In my opinion you also need to go much higher on the cartridge and pre to get the benefits of the p8. Dollar for dollar at the mid-fi range I believe the p6 with mc is a sweet spot.
I haven’t listened to the Ania, but I have an AT ART9xi on my LP12 and so do love a good MC…I’m been super impressed by the Exact. I believe some of that is down to the stylus, which is some form of Fineline. Previously I had a 2m black on the LP12, and while on a different deck I think it’s possible the Exact is better…
Anyway, definitely curious about the Anias, but I wouldn’t count the Exact out either.
Elliptical stylus with a price tag where you can get more sophisticated stylus tip with less or no IGD.
OTOH I believe Rega reduce price if you buy the deck together.
P3 is a nice deck, P6 is miles better in my experience.
Never experienced sagging myself.
I bought a P6 (not a Rega Planar 6) a couple of years ago , but before I doing so, I thought I’d make some interesting comparisons in the the listening room at the HiFi shop and share my thoughts with you. Whilst I believe there is nothing wrong with my hearing I always take one of my sons (in his 20’s) to give an honest opinion (they have their uses you know!) 
All my listening appraisals used the same amp and speakers (Naim SN3+ Spendor A3):
First up: Rega P3 (with Exact Cartridge): Nice open sound with good bass. This is a great turntable which not only sounds good but also looks the part!..no wonder it is so popular!
We then tried the P6 with the same Exact cartridge: The sound characteristics (to us at any rate) sounded the same. Possibly a little bit better …but not by much!
Next up we tried the P6 with the Ania cartridge. This gave more improvement - more control and definition with a warmth that drew you in. I would say that this change was more pronounced, I think the external power supply and Fono MC really contribute to the uplift here.
Curiosity got the better of me at that point. We just had to try the P8 with the Ania cartridge. After a few minutes of playing a couple of songs we thought there was very little difference between the P6 and the P8 using the Ania (and Fono MC). Both excellent in our opinion but nothing to call in overall SQ . I realise that this statement might incite lots of controversy on this forum, but I’m just reporting my own subjective opinion!
At this point I really wanted to test the P8 with the Alpheta cartridge and then test it back on the P6, but there wasn’t one available to try.
As a quick break from Rega turntables I then turned my attention to a Clearaudio Concept turntable. This was a nice turntable and you are almost reassured by the weight. The sound was very good also, and comparable to the P6 Ania combination. But I wasn’t a fan of the magnetic bearing on the pivot and whilst it worked perfectly I had reservations about it’s reliability in years to come.
In the end I came away with the P6 with Ania (and Fono MC stage). For some, the P8 may be worth the extra but the difference to me using the same cartridge was too close to call. I also was not a fan of the exposed cross section of the skeletal plinth . I liked the shape, but it looked unfinished to me with that exposed foam edge. I didn’t like the minimalist dust cover very much either!
Over 2 years in now, my P6 has performed flawlessly. Not a hint of any sag in the plinth and the rotation speed is very accurate ( I do check these things!). Having a full sized dust cover that completely covers the deck is a big plus for me. In a few years, I’ll probably upgrade to the Ania Pro (wasn’t available when I bought mine) or might even try an Alpheta with an Aria phono stage with an upgraded tonearm, but until then I am very pleased with the P6/Ania combination (you get the Ania. at a reduced price if you buy ready fitted to the turntable btw) Whilst a a good turntable is essential for great sound, I believe that the cartridge / phono stage probably gives the biggest contribution to overall SQ
I went from P6/Exact to a Clearaudio Concept Black MC - which is the (quite rare) version with the Satisfy Kardan arm (i.e. the new Linn Krane) and the Concept MC cart (which sells for about £800 on its own). Big improvement. However I’ve subsequently bought the P3 50th for my 2nd system, which is very nearly at the performance level of the P6.
The biggest jump in sound is the Rp8 and P8 vs Rp6 and P6, for me.
As Rega has quite a life guarantee, I would personally go for the Rp8 second hand. It’s a real bargain for the price. ( around 1500 euros on the second hand market).
I have a Rega P8 with Ania MC my Naim Uniti Nova … I really enjoy this set-up and while there are opportunities to improve (more expensive cartridges of phono pre-amps) I’m more than happy with this combination.
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