Company & Product Overview
Like many audio companies that sprang up in the golden days of audio, Rega has a pretty interesting history. Their founder, Roy Gandy had a deep-seeded love of music along with a passion for tinkering with audio gear to produce better sound.
As a hobby, he enjoyed helping his friends put together budget systems. However, he found that most of his time was spent messing around with and modifying their turntables, in order to make them sound good. When it came to producing quality sound, most people back then thought only about the speakers and not as much about the turntable itself. Roy understood what any true audio enthusiast understands — that every aspect affects the sound, from the source to the speakers.
By 1973, Roy was building turntables at home in his spare time. In 1975 he produced the Planar 2, followed in 1977 by the Planar 3. Move ahead over 40 years and over 2,000 Rega turntables come off their line every month, thanks to the booming vinyl revival.
Today, their team of engineers is focused on advancing the art of turntables, while sticking to their roots. They are interested in one thing — making sure the sound is true to the music and lets through the emotional qualities and rhythm and pacing characteristics that good turntables are known for.
Today we will be reviewing Rega’s entry-level Planar 1 turntable. This is a complete overhaul of the Rega RP1 which came before it. Due to its great quality build and sound, as well as it’s sub $500 price, the Planar 1 has quickly become one of the most popular entry-level turntables in the world.
Design & Build Quality
The Planar 1 (which we will refer to interchangeably as the P1 as well throughout this review) is a manual, belt-drive turntable, like many of the best high-performance turntables in the world.
There are several reasons why these types of turntables are so popular.
When it comes to the way the platter is spun, there are three different types of turntables — idler wheel, direct-drive, and belt-drive. The very first turntables were idler wheel. With this type of a table, a motor with a rubber outer ring contacts the inside of the turntable platter, using friction to spin the platter. This is a very noisy type of design that is not really found much these days, for obvious reasons.
Direct drive is popular due to the fact it starts up instantly and is safe for spinning the platter backwards for DJ type use. However, with direct-drive the platter becomes part of the motor and can pick up motor noise. Direct drive is also constantly correcting the speed, so it’s less pure.
Belt drive gives you the advantage of isolating the platter from the motor as little to no noise passes through the belt. Once the platter gets up to speed, the speed is usually very consistent.
For over 40 years, Rega has opted for belt-drive designs, and the P1 (even at a great beginner price) is no exception. In addition, the motor is suspended on an isolation system that reduces noise even further.
The Planar 1 is also a manual turntable. This means that you have to lower and raise the tonearm manually in order for the stylus (or needle) to make contact with the record.
Doing this manually as opposed to automatically eliminates the need for all of the gears and other mechanisms required to lift the tonearm, again minimizing noise. All of Rega’s turntables are manual turntables for this reason.
We really like the look of the Rega turntables and the Planar 1 is no exception. It’s simple and elegant, available in gloss black or white. It also comes with a dust cover in order to protect it and give it a nice finished look.
Every Rega turntable is manufactured in their UK factory and the build quality is impeccable all the way up and down the line. From a construction quality standpoint, it’s really difficult to tell when you move from the entry-level P1 to a P3 or P6. They’re all just so well-made.
