The Planar 3 has traditionally been the sweet spot of Rega’s turntables. Iconic by name and reputation – and the recipient of more What Hi-Fi? Award wins than we can count over the decades – this deck has recently impressed us all over again thanks to a new fitted moving magnet cartridge (Nd3) improving the performance even further than before.

 

There are ways to upgrade the Planar 3’s performance – add an outboard power supply and/or upgrade to a step-up cartridge, for instance – but there is quite a gap to the next rung up the ladder, which is the premium Planar 6 deck (£1215 / $1875 / AU$2499 without cartridge).

This is where the Rega Planar 3 RS Edition comes in. The ‘RS’ stands for ‘Rega Special’, but don’t be fooled by the name as this isn’t a limited edition model. It’s a full production package that is imbued with a whole set of upgrades that elevates the standard Planar 3 package, while keeping the overall price competitive.

 
 

Rega’s long-standing turntable design principles can be summed up in four words: low mass, high rigidity. The brand believes that adding mass to the structure of a turntable absorbs energy from the music and increases the transmission of unwanted resonances to distort the sound, so the aim is to avoid adding on structural mass wherever possible. The materials used and design choices throughout their turntable range reflect this principle, and we encounter more sophisticated materials, clever engineering and improved sound quality as you go higher up the range.

 

Full review on the website https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/rega-planar-3-rs-edition