Sources, Turntables
Rega Planar 3 turntable with Elys 2 MM cartridge.
Rega Planar 3 turntable
The Rega Planar 3 marks the start of their serious hi-fi range of turntables. It moves away from the slightly more plug and play nature of the Planar 1 and Planar 2. As a result it can achieve a significantly higher level of performance at a very competitive price point. Rega have demonstrated a masterclass in precision engineering on a product that is sold in surprisingly high volumes.
I cannot think of another product that can get close to the performance of the Rega Planar 3 at anywhere near the price. A recent, ground-up redesign of this iconic turntable has led to a stiffer lower mass plinth, improved arm and many other changes. The result is a turntable that is lauded by the critics due to great detail, rhythm and dynamism. It gets out of the way and lets you enjoy the music.
The Planar 3 is upgradable with the addition of an Neo external power supply. This boosts the performance of the deck significantly closer to that of the Planar 6. The obvious cartridge choice is the Rega MM range such as the Elys 2 and Exact 2. The Planar 3 is so good that you shouldn’t rule out more expensive options such as the Ania.
The Planar 3 is available in three colours (Black, White and Red), each one of which shows off the classic lines of this record player. We would recommend the Elys 2 cartridge with the Planar 3. If this is bought with the deck there is a package price which offers a good saving over buying the items individually.
Read our guide to turntable set-up here https://dnaaudio.co.uk/how-to-guide/how-to-optimise-your-rega-turntable/