Rega Planar 3 Turntable with RB330 Tonearm

Description

MY TAKE:

When choosing a turntable, it's hard to go wrong with a Rega branded product. The company has been around forever and has a well-earned reputation for reliability, performance and value. - Galen Carol

The Rega Planar 3 Turntable -

Replacing the multi award winning and five times What Hi-Fi? Product of the Year (RP3) was never going to be an easy task. It took our team of designers headed up by Rega's Roy Gandy, two years to develop the all new 'Planar 3' following the biggest re-design of the iconic 'Three' model ever seen.

The Rega team have worked tirelessly to improve every aspect of this turntable offering improved ergonomics, usability and first and foremost, sonic performance. The new ‘Planar 3’ is truly a new turntable for 2016 carrying over just two components from the previous model.

RB330 Tonearm –

Designed using the latest 3D CAD & CAM technology, the new RB330 is the culmination of more than 35 years of tonearm design experience.  Featuring a brand-new bearing housing, and our latest tonearm tube designed using intelligent redistribution of mass ensure this arm will exhibit fewer points of possible resonance. Extreme stability with almost friction free movement from the new high precision bearing assemblies guarantees to gather more information from your vinyl than ever before.

Improvements Include:

• New bias assembly, re-designed stiffer vertical bearing housing, integrated arm clip and an improved spring housing with easier to read numbers.
• Rega made, new low capacitance phono cable with Neutrik plugs, improved lower friction, precision horizontal and vertical bearings.
• New design 100g mild steel balance weight.

Turntable -

Rega has pioneered the use of lightweight rigid plinths. Clever use of lightweight particulate core with a highly rigid phenolic resin skin became the foundations of the high level of performance achieved by the now iconic original Planar range.

The new Planar 3 takes this design philosophy to the next level. A lightweight acrylic laminated plinth strengthened using a new improved double brace system mounted specifically where the increased rigidity is required (between the tonearm mounting and the main hub bearing) which forms a structurally sound "stressed beam" assembly. This rigid plinth design prevents energy absorption and unwanted resonance, which will add unnatural distortions to the music.

Equally, heavier mass can transfer more unwanted energy, such as motor or bearing noise directly into the rotating record. The use of braces instead of the complete skin allows double thickness phenolic resin in these key areas while providing further weight reduction to the plinth which directly addresses the issue of mass absorption and unwanted energy transmission.

Improvements Include:

• Plinth - High gloss acrylic, laminated plinth, stiffer and vastly improved appearance, ergonomically positioned power switch. Two plinth finishes at launch: gloss black & gloss white
• Double braces - Improved thicker 3mm phenolic bottom brace and new metalised skin phenolic top brace.
• Bearing housing – Re-designed brass main hub central bearing, improved fit and construction reducing stress on the bearing itself.
• Sub platter - Re-designed sub platter, improved accuracy and improved stiffness.
• Platter - New float glass ‘Optiwhite’ polished rim 12mm – Improved accuracy in manufacture and stunning looks.
• Re-designed isolation footers - New improved foot to increase stability and reduce vibration transfer.
• 24V motor - Improved new motor control PCB with integration for the addition of TT-PSU for electronic speed change and improved advanced anti-vibration circuit (sold separately).
• Motor cover tray with integrated cooling.
• DB Technology (Double Brace Technology)

Features -

• Hand assembled RB330 tonearm.
• 24v low noise motor
• 12mm float glass platter.
• Lightweight double braced plinth.
• Precision main bearing.
• Factory fitted Elys2 MM cartridge (optional).
• Compatible with the TT-PSU electronic speed change and power supply box (optional).

REVIEWS:

WHAT HI-FI: "Rega has been developing the Planar 3 for decades and there’s no doubt the product has steadily improved over the years.

"We think this new version is the best RP3 yet, adding extra servings of clarity, precision and insight to an already musical sound. Want the best value on the market? This is it." FIVE STARS

THE EAR: "Earlier Planar 3s and their successors could do the timing bit but they lacked sophistication, in the past a Pro-Ject usually sounded more refined than a Rega at the same price. Not as engaging but easier to listen to lively music with, that is no longer the case, the P3 has drive, energy and finesse to a degree that was once the preserve of turntables at twice the price and more. Apparently many of the changes brought to the P3 trickled down from the RP8 and (mighty) RP10 which share its shiny finish, the new turntable doesn’t sound as good as those models but it approaches their effortless ability to reveal just what was being played in the studio or on stage. It makes sense of the music in a way that only the best turntables and very few digital systems do.

No quibble
"In a nutshell the new Rega Planar 3 lives up to its name and then some, if you want to hear just why vinyl is the format that will not die you cannot do better for the money, and you’ll be hard pressed to beat it unless you spend a lot more. But don’t take my word for it, take your vinyl to your nearest audio emporium and let them prove the point." - Jason Kennedy

CNET: "I also spent time listening to the Planar 3 with my Hifiman Edition X headphones, and even with 30-year-old LPs I've played many times, the sound was remarkably free of clicks, pops and other types of surface noise. I've always taken good care of my LPs, and while not every one was super quiet, the best of them were.

"Most of the time I listened with the Planar 3 plugged into the optional Rega TT-PSU ($395, £198, AU$399) power supply, but when I replaced it with the Planar 3's standard wall wart the main thing I noticed was a loss of dynamics, so the music was a little less lively. You can either buy the Planar 3 with the TT-PSU, or upgrade to it whenever you like.

"As I mentioned at the top of this review when I worked as a salesman I sold lots of original Rega 3s in the early 1980s, when the price was $600, which converts to around $1,300 in today's money. But the current Planar 3 price is $945, so in real dollars it's actually less expensive now than it was in the '80s, and the new one is vastly better made. Those savings didn't occur because Rega now makes the 'tables in China, no, Rega still makes the Planar 3 in its UK factory, with UK sourced parts. Rega even builds its phono cartridges in the UK.

"If you already have a decent audio system, a Rega Planar 3 would be a wise investment that will provide decades of listening pleasure." - Steve Guttenberg

Specifications -

Dimensions (lid closed):  H 11.7 x W 44.7 x D 36 cm

Weight:  6kg