One of the world’s most iconic turntables just got an audiophile upgrade
- New turntable has the stiffest Planar 3 base ever made
- It also has an upgraded PSU and a moving magnet cartridge
- It is cheaper than configuring the equivalent Planar specification
The Rega Planar 3 turntable is an audio legend and has been delighting listeners since the 1970s. It’s been updated a few times since then to take advantage of technological and technical advances, and now there’s a brand new version of the bestseller.
The new Rega Planar 3 RS Edition is not just the same turntable that has been given a lick of paint. There are some major upgrades to what was already a winning formula.
The new RS Edition, also known as the Rega Special, is made with a brand new plinth that uses HPL laminate with aluminum metal skin, usually reserved for the Planar 6, 8 and 10, to create what Rega claims is the stiffest Planar 3-plinth is the one he once made.
The dark, brushed metallic finish and high-gloss black bezels certainly look beautiful, but there’s both substance and style here.
What’s so special about the Rega Special?
The RS Edition comes with a custom Neo MK2 PSU, with each motor vibration circuit tailored to each individual motor, and that motor drives the sub-dish via Rega’s Reference EBLT drive belt.
The renowned RB330 tonearm now comes with an award-winning Nd5 moving magnet cartridge. Specifying an existing Planar 3 with the same cartridge and PSU would be significantly more expensive than the RS Edition.
The changes promise to further reduce unwanted distortion and noise to deliver even more accurate sonic performance, and Rega goes into detail about the technical performance and design decisions of its product page .
The short version is that this is the Planar 3, but even better. You can buy the Rega Planar 3 RS Edition now for $1,795 / £999 (about AU$1,900).
