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Rega Planar 3/Elys2

£685

In last year’s Awards issue, we said that “Rega’s Planar 3/Elys 2 combination wins our Product of the Year title yet again. Though we said the same thing last year, and years before that, once again no rival we tested this time round even came close to knocking this excellent package off the top spot.” Well, let’s add one more year to that really rather remarkable record.

This Planar doesn’t look very different from the original, dating back to the late 1970s; yet every part of this deck has been carefully developed, leading to regular hikes in performance.

The changes between this generation and the last are significant. The glossy plinth is far smarter and more rigid than before, with braces on the top and bottom that strengthen the area between the tonearm and brass main bearing.

The all-important main bearing has been redesigned to improve fit, while there are also upgrades to the subplatter, platter, motor printed circuit board (PCB) and feet. Most of these aim to improve sound, but the plinth’s gloss finish and the polished ‘Optiwhite’ edge on the glass platter simply add a touch of visual class.

That familiar-looking Rega arm, now called the RB330, improves on past efforts through having a new