Vinyl Frontier: behind the scenes at Rega Research

For most manufacturers, unprecedented spiralling demand for products is the stuff of dreams. But Roy Gandy – owner and founder of celebrated UK turntable manufacturer Rega – isn’t most manufacturers.

In recent years vinyl has been making a surprising comeback. Last year 2.1 million LPs were sold in the UK, marking a 21-year high for the format, while sales in the US now contribute more to the music industry than digital streaming.

Against this backdrop, Rega has enjoyed unprecedented growth: tripling its turnover in the past five years, expanding its Southend production facility, and cementing its status as the UK’s largest manufacturer of high-end turntables.

But for Gandy – a revered figure among audiophiles – all this commercial success has become something of a distraction from the business of making better and better turntables for people who appreciate high-quality audio. “We wanted it to be 10 people all enjoying themselves,” he told The Engineer. “It just grew because of demand and you have to meet demand – although we tried not to for a few years.”