Rega Naia - The little brother of Rega Naiad
The name already suggests that the new Rega Naia has a particularly close relationship to the Rega Naiad, in fact one could almost say that the Rega Naia is the production model of the reference model Rega Naiad, which is only very, very slightly quantity is manufactured.
- It is a very special running gear that Rega Research Limited is presenting with the new Rega Naia, as it offers many a feature of the outstanding Rega Naiad.
The new Rega Naia turntable from the English hi-fi manufacturer Rega Research Limited is a very special turntable, as is shown by the fact that the usual naming has been dispensed with. The Rega Naia is almost at the top of Rega Research Limited’s broad product portfolio in the record player sector, below the Rega Naiad system.
The Rega Naiad should not be placed in the same category as the Rega Planar 1, Rega Planar 3, Rega Planar 6, Rega Planar 8 or Rega Planar 10, as its name also reveals that the new Rega Naia is designed as the little brother of the Rega Naiad, so one could also speak of the series model.
Rega Naia – The series model of the Rega Naiad
The Rega Naiad is such an outstanding turntable because Roy Gandy, founder of Rega Research Limited and still chief developer of the English company, has been using this record player to realise his very special ideas about the conception of the perfect system for years – see the sempre-audio.at report on Rega Research Limited.
Yes, one can probably speak of a kind of reference for the company itself, because here, for years, technologies were tinkered with, solutions were worked on, without taking into account any constraints due to production possibilities in series as well as costs.
But of course, gradually the most diverse technologies and approaches found their way into the series models, the Rega Naiad itself could even be purchased from 2017 onwards, although no more than a few pieces were handmade each year, making it a really very, very exclusive record player.
With the Rega Naia, this will now change at least insofar as the series model of the aforementioned Rega Naiad is to be launched on the market, even if it is not possible to push the manufacturing to the extreme in all respects, but at least certain concessions had to be made.
Many exclusive design features
The new Rega Naia, however, is a turntable that introduces many new technologies, most notably in the chassis. Of course, the usual lightweight construction is used here, even taken to the extreme. Maximum stiffness with minimum weight is the manufacturer’s credo, which relies on a skeleton-like base construction in the proven manner, but here relies on the combination of carbon fibre and graphene foam. Between the platter bearing and the motor, an additional ceramic strut provides even greater rigidity.
The Rega RB Titan tonearm is a new development based on the Rega RB 3000, with a titanium bearing housing and spindle, a tungsten weight and suspension, and a one-piece polished aluminium arm tube.
The platter’s bearing is made of zirconium-hardened ZTA aluminium oxide, in principle a special ceramic and thus the same material used in the Rega Naiad.
The platter is of course also made of ceramic and has been manufactured with the highest precision to guarantee optimal synchronisation. This is also ensured by a special sub-platter.
The platter is driven by a triple drive belt for maximum speed accuracy.
The entire turntable rests on feet that are made of aluminium and designed to be as small as possible.
The turntable comes with a separate power supply, the same model used on the Rega Planar 10. The Rega Naia will probably be offered “naked” as well as with a pick-up system, whereby the reference pick-up system Rega Aphelion 2 Moving Coil of the English is used.
Prices and availability
The new Rega Naia will, according to information currently available around the High End 2023, probably come onto the market in the course of autumn 2023. At that time, it will be possible to give reliable price information about this new record player. But one thing is certain: it will have its price. The 10,000 mark is certainly within the realm of possibility…
Getting to the point
The absolute reference turntable from Rega Research Limited, the Rega Naiad, has so far been clearly beyond the means of even ambitious vinyl enthusiasts. Even if one had the necessary small change of around € 40.000,- at hand, the fact that only very few units are handmade each year meant that it was not easy to actually get hold of a Rega Naiad. With the new Rega Naia, on the other hand, some people could at least get their hands on the Rega Naiad, because this is defacto the series model of the Rega Naiad and is by all means almost as exquisite, at least when it comes to the technologies that Rega Research Limited offers here.
| PRODUCT | REGA NAIA TURNTABLE |
|---|---|
| Price | N/A |
| Brand | REGA |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Rega Research Limited |
| Distribution Austria | Audiovertrieb by HZ Electronics |
| Distribution Germany | TAD-Audiovertrieb GmbH |
| More about this manufacturer at HIFI BLOG |
