On the hottest day of the year, I made the long 6 hour trip down to Southend-on-Sea to visit Rega’s UK HQ, the temperature hit an almighty high of 36c while driving South but it was well worth it (for what was to follow).

I was super excited to spend time with Rega’s Roy Gandy and tour the facilities to gain a ‘better insight’ of how their award-winning products are:

  • Researched
  • Designed
  • QC Tested
  • Manufactured
  • Shipped Out To Retailers

I was invited to stay at Roy’s home the night before with two other UK dealers. Both Roy and his partner Pa are very talented cooks and alongside Paul (Rega’s Chef) they together created an amazing 8 course meal that we all enjoyed, partnered with a few glasses of wine too. After plenty of interesting discussion we headed to Roy’s main listening room as this is where Roy and his fellow band members normally rehearse/practice most Monday evenings and we were treated to a wonderful 30 min set.

After breakfast the next morning we headed to the factory to start our full-day tour. It was fantastic to meet many members of the team, I was staggered to hear that Rega actually employ 150 people across all departments to help bring their amazing products to market. The first of many take-away’s on the day was even though the Rega workforce is large, they really operate as one happy family. The friendly welcoming vibe was genuine and it was an absolute pleasure meeting many long-standing valued Rega employees.

Another huge take-away was how big the quality control (QC) department was compared to how small the service department is (about a quarter of the size). This clearly demonstrated two things, by getting QC right sets such high standards resulting in products being very reliable and providing years-upon-years of musical enjoyment.

Interesting VGA fact – since opening 4 years ago we have serviced some customers Rega turntables that are 30+ years old, highlighting why investing in such well-engineered products can pay dividends in the long term. It is great hearing customer stories where sometimes turntables are passed down 3 family generations for the ‘new owner’ to experience and enjoy vinyl for the first time, starting their own musical journey.

Another huge highlight was spending time with the Product Design team, who were also keen to hear feedback from appointed Rega dealers out on the frontline. The important role of an appointed dealer is that we are the shop window for Rega products. Therefore, Rega choose their retail partners very carefully to ensure that all products can be demonstrated and installed in the correct way, for the best overall customer experience.

We had the chance to see prototype models for the new Brio integrated, plus the recently announced Mercury pre-amp/dac and Solis power amplifier (due to be launched later on this year). We are in discussions to hold another music evening with Rega later this year to showcase these exciting new products. Watch this space….. and if you do not already subscribe to our newsletter, you can do so HERE.

Further Facts & Insights

  • Rega celebrated their 50th Anniversary in 2023.
  • Rega invest in people and currently employ over 150 skilled personnel.
  • There are now 6 factory/office sites across the same business park.
  • Rega products are sold right around the globe via their distribution partners and dealers.
  • The welcome reception area proudly displays many industry/media product awards, received from around the world.
  • The UK market is their single largest market and Rega HQ supply all appointed UK dealers direct.
  • Rega at any one time hold enough components/parts to ensure they can continue building products for 6 months (to prevent any production delays). This actually equates to a staggering 6 million parts, yes you did read that number correctly!
  • During the recent pandemic when everyone was stuck at home the demand for Rega products was bigger than ever. Rega nearly doubled their sales turnover from the previous year but company profits were wisely reinvested back into the business to provide new machines, tooling and more production space.
  • It was fascinating watching some automated machines in action but also great to see manned departments making interconnects and building motor assemblies for Planar turntables etc.
  • It was interesting to visit the pre-production workshops too, where skilled craftsmen/women produce parts for prototype models to help aid the research & development teams, those creating exciting Rega products for the future.
  • All MM and MC cartridges are built/assembled in-house, watching the coils being wound was super impressive indeed.
  • The new range of ND moving magnet cartridges all use the same body (Nd3, Nd5, Nd7) with neodymium magnets the only difference between each cartridge is the diamond stylus profile. Each can be identified by it’s unique colour window.
  • We had lunch in the open/light Rega canteen area, all meals are prepared daily for all staff and these delicious meals were provided by the talented Rega chef and his team of assistants. There is even few Pool tables in the canteen to enjoy a game or two after eating.

 

In summary, after this enjoyable factory visit, I now have an even ‘greater understanding’ of what is involved in the background to bring such amazing sounding Hi-Fi products to market. The sheer ‘attention to detail’ speaks volumes why Rega is one of the most well respected Hi-Fi brands within the industry.

If you would like to experience/hear any Rega product, please contact our Preston showroom to arrange a 1-2-1 demonstration. You can book a demonstration HERE.

Amplifiers Cartridges Featured Loudspeakers Phono Stages Rega Turntables