Тонармы — Rega RB 303

The Rega RB303 is a gimbal bearing tonearm from the British company Rega. It arrived in 2012 with the RP3 turntable, replaced the RB301 used on the P3-24, and uses a completely redesigned arm tube that redistributes mass to raise rigidity at the bearing housing, arm carrier and headshell while keeping the moving system light and reducing stress on the bearings.

Key specs that matter

Effective mass is 11 g, which suits low and medium mass cartridges with moderate to high compliance. The recommended cartridge weight range is 4 to 11 g. Overhang is 17.2 mm and the mounting distance from spindle centre to arm pivot is 222 mm. The complete arm weighs 436 g. The tracking force dial is calibrated from 0 to 3, and bias is adjusted with a separate control, where Rega suggests 1.0 to 1.5 for moving magnet and 1.5 to 2.0 for moving coil cartridges.

Engineering and use context

The tube is a tapered cast aluminium alloy part, shaped for greater stiffness and better control of resonance than the earlier design. An improved vertical bearing housing adds rigidity to the mounting of the arm. The counterweight and its axle are stainless steel. Signal leaves the arm through low capacitance tonearm cable terminated with Neutrik connectors. Rega bases the design on more than 30 years of its own tonearm work, and each arm is assembled by hand with the aim of low bearing friction and minimum moving mass. Installation needs a 25 mm hole in the plinth, with at least 250 mm of clearance between the hole centre and the inside front edge of the turntable. The RB303 uses the Rega three-point fixing system, so it directly replaces other Rega arms that share this mounting without modification. A mounting template that also works as a cartridge alignment protractor is supplied with the arm, together with the fixing hardware.

Pairing

Rega fitted the RB303 to the RP3 until the 2016 Planar 3 moved to a newer arm, and the company also supplies it separately as a replacement or upgrade arm for decks drilled for the Rega geometry. On a third-party plinth the mounting distance and hole size must be matched exactly for correct alignment. Moving magnet and moving coil cartridges within the recommended weight range are the natural partners, and the Neutrik termination lets the owner choose the phono cable to the preamplifier.

Alternatives

Rega also makes the RB330, positioned above this arm.