Rega Planar 2 Turntable $775 With Rega Carbon Cartridge

Rega Planar 2 Turntable $1014 With Ortofon Blue MM Cartridge

{Available in Black, White, Red}

Rega of England is a family owned company that still makes its turntables in the UK. There are distinct advantages to giving a rip about how you make mechanical devices. That… is what separates Rega from the other guys at reasonable price points.

A record is comprised of thousands of undulations cut into vinyl. To hear your music clearly, you want to hear only those undulations, and not ADDITIONAL vibrations, distortion or electro/mechanical noise.

The goal is to spin the disc at an accurate speed while adding NO vibration or noise in the process. It is physically impossible to do this 100% effectively. Rega uses every trick in the book that they can at this price point, to make Planar 2 the best sounding sub $1k table out there.

To have a fighting chance to attain sound good, your turntable has to isolate the outside world well and CONTRIBUTE little vibration of its own, while spinning your vinyl.

Planar 2 is a wonderful happy medium price wise, in giving you serious performance at an affordable price. To appreciate the value of Planar 2, we’ll have to compare to some other turntables, including its cheaper little brother, Planar 1.

First of all, Regas are built with TLC. You get a reliable performance from them that you DON’T with brands like Project and the Asian imports. Rega motors are quiet and don’t thump against their plinths. It’s rare to experience peculiar buzzing or humming noises with Rega. Rega tables have very good resistance to foot fall (people walking around the room) and acoustic feedback. The other guys…even some very expensive other guys- DON’T!

This is an important point. You can buy a $10k Linn that will jiggle like jelly as your 20 pound dog runs around the room. Heaven forbid you have kids!! Planar 2 has very good resistance to foot fall. As long as you don’t physically bump into it, it likely won’t jiggle, bounce or skip.

P2 is a belt drive table like all Regas. Belts isolate motor noise better than direct drive tables. P2 has its own, dedicated RB220 tonearm. It has precision ground bearings within a sturdy housing. RB220 has auto bias built in. The plinth is acrylic laminate. The platter is made of 10mm thick float glass which is flatter and less resonant than MDF or metal. P2 has a new central bearing for low friction and a hand tuned 24v motor. Even the feet on P2 aren’t an after thought. They are substantial for gaining good isolation.

Planar 2’s sound is BIGGER and more uptempo than P1. The extra dynamics and bold sound are well worth the modest step up in price. P2 comes with Rega’s Carbon MM cartridge. It’s respectable and sells for $75 on its own. Yet there is no doubt that P2 is better than the Carbon level of cartridge performance. I’d love to twist your arm to get an Ortofon MM Blue, for $239. You’re all in for about a grand. It’s a wonderful combo, a true step above mediocrity for a manageable price tag.