Vibrations are transferred from speakers are either by air or through stand on which TT is sitting. Also if platter bearing is solidly attached to plinth, then any noise from it is also transferred to tonearm. . .
Or possibly not. Fremer's review of the older RP8 included using a stethoscope to listen for motor vibration, and while there was "significant high frequency motor hum" with the stethoscope on the plinth, there was "nearly complete motor noise attenuation" with the stethoscope on the double brace that runs from the hub bearing to the tonearm mount, which seems to corroborate Rega's claim that "this design prevents energy absorption and unwanted resonances."
Well, I think my Planar 3 sounds pretty good. It is not my best turntable, but I have never found it to be noisy and speed is right on. Success always invites criticism. Which modern turntables in its class are demonstrably better (that is, sound significantly better)?
My RP3 is my best turntable--it's also my only turntable. While I couldn't say the same for its predecessor, the P3-24, when I auditioned it, I've found the RP3 to offer sound quality at a high enough level that I've had no regrets selling my aging LP12/Ittok and using the proceeds to buy the humble Rega. After a few years, now, I continue to be thrilled with its performance, listening to several lp's each day, thoroughly enjoying them and always wishing I had time to listen to more. I can't ask more of a turntable than that, and, given my age, this may well be my last turntable.
I've never had my particular sample tested for speed accuracy, but the lab report for the review at HiFi News found their sample to be just 0.01% off. I'm not sure how much credence to give to Fremer's iPhone app speed check, but even if his finding of 0.8% fast for the RP8 was accurate, it wouldn't bother me. The DIN standards for turntable speed accuracy was anywhere between 1% slow to 1.5% fast, and Gramophone Magazine's critique of the DIN standards, while finding some standards too lax, found this particular one to be stringent enough, saying that differences that small "would not be detectable by ordinary ears." My ordinary ears have never heard a hint of a problem with either speed accuracy or wow and flutter with my RP3.