The Silent Base will fit the following Rega manufactured decks: Planar 2, Planar 3, P1, P2, P3, NAD 533 / C555, Goldring GR1 and Moth Alamo. If your model is not listed email us with details.
The Silent Base has been designed to give the deck a sprung suspension system providing better isolation from external disturbance, such as footfall and acoustic feedback. It also provides far better isolation from motor noise by housing the motor on the base as opposed to the turntable plinth. The rubber feet are removed from the original plinth, but the plinth itself is retained and rests on the suspension domes of the Silent Base.
The Silent Base is made from rigid 10mm extruded Acrylic and uses the same adjustable spikes as our Silent Stage platforms. Acrylic is inherently non-resonant and is a superb material for a solid base. The Rega plinth is sprung from the base by three Sorbothane 'squidgy' suspension domes and the motor is attached to the base via a Motor Vibration Absorber (MVA). The spikes prevent unwanted energy getting through to the base and any that does get through is filtered out by the suspension domes. Motor noise and vibration can now only get into the plinth via the MVA and the suspension domes, as the motor has no physical contact at all with the plinth. The MVA and the Sorbothane suspension domes filter out motor noise exceptionally well - as can be verified by use of a stethoscope. The motor can be adjusted for height and angle and there is a hole directly under the centre of the motor, so if you have our Motor Thrust Bearing fitted (you should!) this can be adjusted easily. The tonearm cut-out in the base is oversized in case you have a VTA adjuster fitted and has a machined hole for the tonearm lead retainer.
Improvements you will experience are dramatic: Solid tuneful bass, pin-point soundstaging, increased dynamics, more low-level detail and a clarity over the whole frequency range that has to be heard to be believed. When we were designing this product, the first samples did not allow for the motor to be mounted on to the base. Even without the 'motor drop mod' the base made a very worthwhile improvement, but once we worked out an easy way to drop the motor - with no soldering or gluing required - then the improvement was phenomenal!
Apart from the sound quality gains, the Silent Base also allows easy levelling of the deck and it really does look good. This is a nicely made product. Ok it's under the deck so you don't see it, but all the same - the edges are all polished and the spike bases are recessed into the Acrylic. The Silent Base is available in crystal clear or jet black finish with Black Chrome spikes. Fitting the Silent Base will not take more than half an hour and full step-by-step instructions are provided. There is no soldering or gluing involved. Overall height of the deck is increased by approximately 21mm or 27mm if using the spike holders. This can be further increased by around 15mm by adjusting the spikes, so if you're using an arm which requires extra clearance under the plinth then the base is ideal for you.
