Description
Rega Planar 3 – The most acclaimed turntable just got better
The new Rega Planar 3 is a turntable packed with all the technological innovations Rega has developed over the last 40 years. This makes Planar 3 a state-of-the-art turntable that’s set to be the benchmark for years to come when it comes to which turntable can most accurately reproduce the LP-meat at a price that many can afford.
One of the first things you notice about Planar 3 is the beautiful high glass white or black plinth. Moving closer, however, you see that there are several innovations in the form of the new RB-330 tonearm, new centre bearing with new lower plate, new platter and new decoupling feet. In fact, the only thing that remains from its critically acclaimed predecessor is the engine and the lid itself – everything else has been replaced with new and improved elements. When you change everything on one of the most acclaimed turntables of all time, of course you can get nervous about the result. But you don’t have to be, because the results speak for themselves. Planar 3 is back, and it’s better than ever!
HIGHLIGHTS:
- What Hi-Fi’s Product of the year 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
- 12″ glass shelf for rigidity and precise gait in Opto-white finish
- New saucer with improved rigidity
- Short round polished belt with precise speed
- Double-mounted phenolic rails with centre bearing and arm base for optimum rigidity
- New rega RB-330 tonearm with Rega Exaxt pickup
- Nice looking to protect vinyl records from dust when playing
- 24V low-vibration mount, which can be expanded with the separate motor controller Rega Neo-PSU
- Light and rigid plinth for minimal distortion. Available in tall glass white, black and red.
Better than its predecessor on all counts
Rega has just launched their brand new Advanced EBLT drive belt, which offers a significant sonic improvement. This drive belt reduces small irregularities in speed, wow and flutter by up to 70%, and it can’t just be measured – it can be heard. Here, enhanced clarity means the music is presented in a way that brings you closer to the artist than ever before. The soundstage is much clearer, the bass is more lifelike and “tight”, and the top end has more air under it so instruments don’t sound compressed.
The new RB330 tonearm is also a significant improvement over its predecessor, featuring an all-new vertical bearing housing, a new fourth housing for the needle pressure setting and a new, smaller-diameter counter-root. Rega has fine-tuned the horizontal and vertical bearings, so to speak, 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 rigidity and great finishes. The phenolic skins themselves have been made stronger than the RP-3, and this has kept the coupling between the arm and the centre bearing in a tighter grip. In addition, improvements have also been made to the lower plate, which has been redesigned for greater precision and rigidity, while resting on a newly designed centre bearing, which is designed to minimise stress in the bearing. The turntable has also been improved, and its 12mm floated glass is both dynamically balanced and hard, minimising the loss from motor revolutions to the vinyl record. To top it off, the feet have been optimised to provide better vibration isolation and more stable setup.
Reviews:
What Hi-Fi – click here.
The Ear – click here.
Hi-Fi Choice – click here.
AVforums – click here
Tone Audio – click here.
