Rega Planar 3 Turntable

While other brands of record player suffered mass extinction through the asteroidal impact of Compact Disc in the early eighties Rega sales never faltered. 

During the long dark years of Compact Disc we always kept a Planar 3 on readiness in the store to play an old Pink Floyd record and show people how much better vinyl could sound.

Like a crocodile hunkering down in the swamp the Planar 3 just kept on with the job of pleasing music lovers and occasionally consuming careless newly evolved Digital Mammals ...

"Hi Fi Choice" have some wonderful things to say about the Planar 3:

"It has a powerful and impressively deep bass that never loses texture and detail"

"Where the differences start to show is in the way that the Planar 3 presents the complex and highly congested material of the track. It opens up the material, never making it sound disjointed or confused, but instead manageing to create a sense of space and soundstage where many similiarly priced rivals may struggle"

"It is completely unfazed by any genre of music that is thrown at it"

"represents the driving force for affordable vinyl playback"

"more than any other affordable turntable I have listened to in recent times , it doesn't require the caveat that it is good at the price"

Wikipedia on the Planar 3. 

"Trusted Reviews" on the Planar 3. 

"What Hi Fi?"loves the Planar 3. 

Official page from Rega

We really like it too ...

(Note this is a picture with the discontinued Rega cartridge on the Planar 3)

According to Rega it has been upgraded thus with only two parts in common with 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.

•  Featuring a 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.
   

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 foot - 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.