Rega"s new RP1 turntable was designed and engineered to achieve outstanding performance way beyond the expectations of a product at this price point. Excellent build quality, reliability and ease of use combine to make a product, which will offer a lifetime of musical enjoyment. Omitting all the usual gimmicks allowed Rega to concentrate the manufacturing costs on the high quality parts necessary to reproduce records accurately. "Rega"s new RP-1 turntable might just be the perfect source for Stereophile"s new monthly column, "The Entry Level"," reports Stephen Mejias in his Stereophile blog for July 30, 2010. "All the cool kids are going to want one of these." The RP1 uses a highly accurate manual speed change rather than an automatic mechanism. This approach eliminates speed inconsistencies and also reduces wear of the drive belt. It has a huge added benefit, too. The money which Rega saved is spent across the design, including a new hand assembled RB101 tonearm, precision main bearing, phenolic resin flywheel effect platter, and a high quality low vibration motor which would normally be used on a turntable costing two or three times the amount. The RP1 also comes ready-fitted with a great sounding Rega Carbon moving magnet cartridge. The minimalist design of the Rega RP1 and the use of extremely high quality components ensure that this turntable will last for many years - just like every product that Rega manufactures. The RP1 is the first in a new generation of Rega turntables offering far greater performance than their predecessors. The performance of this amazing new product will knock you out. The only thing entry level about the RP1 is the unexpectedly low price!