Rega Planar 3 Exact

Rega Planar 3 - The most acclaimed record player just got better

The new Rega Planar 3 is a turntable packed with all the technological innovations that Rega has developed over the past 40 years. This makes the Planar 3 a state-of-the-art turntable, which is set to be the reference for the next several years when it comes to which turntable can reproduce the LP record most accurately at a price that many can afford.

One of the first things you notice about the Planar 3 is the beautiful plinth in high glass white or black. If you move closer, however, you see that there are more innovations in the form of the new RB-330 tonearm, new center bearing with new subplate, new record plate and new decoupling feet. The only thing left over from its critically acclaimed predecessor is actually the engine and the lid itself - everything else has been replaced with new and improved elements. When you replace everything on one of the most praised record players of all time, you can of course get nervous about the result. But you don't have to be, because the result speaks for itself. Planar 3 is back and better than ever!

HIGHLIGHTS:

• What Hi-Fi's Product of the year 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
• 12" glass plate for rigidity and precise gait stability in Opto-white finish
• New underplate with improved rigidity
• Short round polished belt with precise speed
• Double-mounted Phenolic rails with center bearing and arm base for optimal rigidity
• New rega RB-330 tonearm with Rega Exaxt pickup
• Very nice that protects the vinyl records from dust when you play
• 24V low-vibration motor, which can be expanded with the separate motor control Rega Neo-PSU
• Light and rigid plinth for minimal distortion. Available in tall glass white, black and red.

Better than its predecessor in all respects

Rega has just launched their brand new Advanced EBLT drive belt, which provides a significant sonic improvement. This drive belt reduces the small irregularities in the speed, wow and flutter by up to 70%, and it can not only be measured - it can even be heard. Here, the improved clarity means that the music is presented in such a way that you get closer to the artist than ever before. The sound image becomes much clearer, and the bass becomes more lively and "tight", and the top gets more air under it, so that the instruments do not sound compressed.

The new RB330 tonearm is also a significant improvement over its predecessor, featuring an all-new vertical bearing housing, a new quarter housing for the needle pressure adjustment, and a new counterweight with a smaller diameter. Rega has, so to speak, fine-tuned the horizontal and vertical bearing, so that the pick-up gets the optimal working conditions down in the groove.

The plinth has also been improved and consists of an acrylic laminated LDF with low weight, high stiffness and beautiful finishes. The Phenol rails themselves are made stronger than the RP-3, and this has meant that the coupling between the arm and the center bearing is held in a tighter grip. In addition, improvements have also been made to the bottom plate, which has been redesigned for higher precision and rigidity, and at the same time it rests on a newly designed center bearing, which is designed to minimize stress in the bearing. The turntable has also been improved, and its 12mm floated glass is both dynamically balanced and hard, so that the loss from the engine revolutions to the vinyl record is minimised. As the icing on the cake, the feet have been optimized so that they provide better vibration isolation and a more stable setup.

Reviews:

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AVforums - click here

Tone Audio - click here .