Description
There are models that simply sell for years. And then there is the Planar 3 - a player that has been awarded the title of "Product of the Year" by What Hi-Fi? five times in a row and has long become a benchmark in its price segment. The latest generation of the Planar 3 is not a cosmetic update, but the most profound redesign in the entire history of the model: a team led by the legendary Roy Gandhi spent two years rethinking almost every component, leaving only two components from its predecessor.
Product information
The base is a lightweight acrylic laminated plinth, reinforced with Rega's proprietary double-beam system. The beams are positioned where rigidity is critical - between the tonearm mount and the main bearing - creating a "stressed beam" construction. This approach prevents energy absorption and unwanted plinth resonance that would otherwise distort the finest musical details. It's a philosophy that Rega has embraced for decades: less excess mass, more rigidity where it really matters.
The hand-assembled RB330 tonearm is designed using the latest 3D CAD/CAM modelling and embodies over three and a half decades of Rega's engineering expertise in tonearm design. A new bearing seat and a tonearm tube with a well-balanced mass distribution minimize possible resonance points, while high-precision bearings ensure virtually frictionless movement - the tonearm reads more information from the groove than ever before.
The factor-mounted Nd5 cartridge is not just an addition, but the result of ten years of development and critical listening. It is the world's first MM cartridge with super-powerful neodymium magnets, with miniature parallel coils, hand-wound with 38 micron wire for a total of 1275 turns - a solution that gives outstanding high-frequency transmission and extremely low noise. The aluminum cantilever and perfect elliptical unpolished diamond stylus provide impressive tracking, rich detail and a precise, "integrating" stage. The cartridge body is made of injection-molded polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), reinforced with glass - a light and rigid material borrowed from Rega MC models, which does not create unnecessary stress on the tonearm.
A low-voltage 24-volt synchronous motor with its own control board works in tandem with the company's EBLT drive belt - for maximum rotation accuracy. A glass platform adds stability to the rotation, and a transparent dust cover is included. For those who strive for the maximum, the Planar 3 is compatible with the company's Neo power supply, which provides electronic speed switching and precise rotation adjustment.
The Planar 3 Nd5 is a player for those who appreciate a lively, rhythmic, "dancing" character of the sound without excessive theatricality. This is the choice of the music lover who wants to hear the music, not just evaluate the technical characteristics of the system - and at the same time get a lifetime warranty and British build quality.
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