When Rega Planar 3 was launched back in 1977, it was a revolutionary different turntables from most the competitors of the time. Flat, and with three UFOs as a table. Planar eventually changed name to P3, and then to RP3. And durng almost 40 years with a steady evolution RP3 has evolved to become a sort of legend, one of the most popular vinyl players on the market. And philosophy has been retained throughout, a kind of "keep it simple" formula. For Rega has continually vowed to robust structures with one-piece arms and few moving parts that can mess up the sound.
These days Rega is Introducing a new upgrade, and then they use at the same time the opportunity to return to the starting point - the new player will be named Rega Planar 3. If this is due to nostalgic reasons is unknown, but it is reasonable to assume that one of several reasons may be that they want potential customers to focus on the origins and the long historic lines of this model
But it's definitely more than a name change that characterizes the new Rega model. We start wth tonearm, which is New, and has been given the name RB330. It replaces RB303, and will have a completely new mechanism for adjusting the anti skating. The AR also improved suspension, and a new integrated clip for the resting position. There are also new cabling with Neutric plugs. And finally there is also a New Balance weight.
Plinth has a new finish, and it makes appearance now is much closer to P6. Not a silly move - high gloss finsh is giving this turntable a real visual boost. Plinth should also be stiffer, and has a new position of power switch.
The glass platter is also new and has both new finish and precision. And finally, we mention that the legs are new, with better stability and cushioning.
We do not know the Norwegian price yet. The Norwegian distributor reports that it is unclear how large the price increase will be compared to the existing model RP3. What is clear is that production will start in April, and that it will be available in black and white high gloss finish.
Rega is imported to Norway by Mono AS
