Rega RB220 Tonearm

The Rega RB220 — Rega's Bearing Philosophy at Its Lowest Price

A hand-assembled 9-inch pivoted tonearm built around a custom one-piece aluminum tube and Rega's own low-friction bearings. It is the arm fitted to the Planar 1 and Planar 2, sold here on its own for a rebuild or an upgrade.

Rega's argument about tonearms is a narrow one: friction and play in the bearings decide how much of the groove the cartridge can read, and everything else follows from that. The RB220 is the least expensive expression of it.

Design and Engineering

The Arm Tube and the Bearings

The tube is a custom one-piece aluminum extrusion. Rega's reason for one piece is that a joint is a place for energy to gather and reflect, so the fewer transitions between the cartridge and the bearing housing, the less the arm adds to what the stylus is reading.

The bearings are Rega's patented ultra-low-friction polymer design. Each arm is assembled by hand using Rega's own tools and torque settings, which is how a company reaches this level of consistency at this price rather than by machine-selecting parts.

Bias That Tracks With the Arm

The current RB220 has adjustable bias, which the earlier version did not. That widens the range of cartridges it will suit. Rega's anti-skate system varies the bias as the arm travels across the record, rather than applying one fixed figure from lead-in to run-out.

Geometry and Fit

The Numbers

Effective mass is 11 g, which Rega classes as low and which suits the medium-to-high compliance cartridges most people pair with an arm at this price. Mounting distance is 222 mm from platter center to arm hole center, effective length 236.5 mm, offset angle 21.55°, and overhang 14.5 mm.

The mounting is Rega's three-point system. That is the thing to check before you order: the armboard has to be drilled for a Rega, and a single-hole board built for another maker's arm will not take it without a new board or an adapter.

Who Is the Rega RB220 Best For?

• You are rebuilding a Planar 1 or Planar 2 — this is the arm those turntables carry
• Your turntable has a Rega three-point armboard — the mounting is already correct
• Your cartridge is medium to high compliance — 11 g of effective mass is matched to those
• You want an arm that stays set — hand assembly to fixed torque settings is what Rega sells here
• Your armboard is drilled for a single-bolt arm — a Rega three-point arm needs its own board; see tonearms for arms with other mountings

How Do You Install It?

Bolt the arm to a three-point Rega armboard, fit the cartridge to the headshell slots, and set overhang using the 14.5 mm figure or a protractor. Then balance the arm, set tracking force for your cartridge, and set bias to match. Rega's own manual is the authority on the order of those steps.

Pairs Well With

What most owners fit alongside a new arm.

• Phono cartridges — the arm sets the range of cartridge that will work
• Cartridge alignment tools — for setting the cartridge up once the arm is mounted
• Stylus force gauges — set tracking force once the arm is back in service
• Tonearm cables — the run from arm to phono stage

Frequently Asked Questions

Will it fit my turntable?

It needs a Rega three-point mounting and 222 mm from platter center to arm hole center. Rega turntables and the many third-party plinths built for Rega arms are drilled for it; other decks generally need a new armboard.

What cartridges suit it?

An 11 g effective mass sits in the low-to-medium band, which pairs with medium and higher compliance cartridges — the great majority of moving magnets and many moving coils.

Does it have adjustable bias?

The current version does, and Rega describes that as what gives it compatibility with a wider range of cartridges. The bias also varies as the arm tracks rather than staying fixed.

How does it differ from the arm above it in the range?

The geometry is identical, so the difference is in execution: bearing housings, the bias assembly, the balance weight, the cable and the arm clip. If you want those, the RB330 is the step up.

Do I need a special cable?

The arm terminates in a captive lead. If you are replacing a run between arm and phono stage, keep capacitance low — a moving magnet cartridge is sensitive to it.

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