Rega Planar 3 Turntable
Hear more expression in a voice and more shape in a bass line, from a turntable that fits your living room.
When a busy record becomes hard to follow
On a busy recording, bass notes can blur together and the singer can become harder to follow. A better turntable should help you hear those parts clearly without taking the drive out of the music. It also needs a sensible place to sit, not a complete rearrangement of the room.
A clear starting point for better vinyl playback
We chose the Rega Planar 3 because its RB330 tonearm, rigid plinth and glass platter give a good cartridge the support it needs. That helps voices and instruments stay separate without losing the beat when a recording gets busy.
You can order it with an Nd3 or Nd5 moving-magnet cartridge, or without a cartridge if you already have one you want to use. The turntable itself is the same across those options. The cartridge choice is about how much information you want to retrieve from the groove and what the rest of your system can reveal.
The Planar 3 has no built-in phono stage. With an Nd3 or Nd5 fitted, connect it to a suitable moving-magnet phono input on your amplifier, or use an external MM phono stage between the turntable and a line input. If you are keeping an existing cartridge, we will check its fit and phono-stage requirements rather than assume they are the same.
What the Specs Won't Tell You
Follow the music when the arrangement gets busy
Listen to a record with a bass guitar, drums and a voice playing together. You should be able to follow the bass line without losing the words or the changes in the drummer's playing. The RB330's low-friction bearings and the bracing between the arm and main bearing are there to help the cartridge read the groove without adding movement of their own.
Choose the cartridge around the system
The Nd3 is a sensible starting point when you are building a system around the turntable. The Nd5 uses a nude elliptical diamond rather than the Nd3's bonded elliptical stylus, and it is the option we would compare when the amplifier, speakers and phono stage can show the extra detail. Listen to a familiar voice and to how clearly instruments stay separate as the arrangement gets fuller. That tells you more than choosing by the cartridge name alone.
Keep footfalls out of the music
The Planar 3 can sit on a sideboard, but it should not share that surface with your speakers. Use a level, rigid support away from the speakers, and allow room for the lid to open and the cables to leave the rear. If a suspended floor moves when someone walks past, a suitable wall bracket may be a better starting point than a heavier piece of furniture.
What the current Nd3 review tells us
What Hi-Fi? found that the Planar 3/Nd3 combination improved vocal texture, bass definition, dynamics and stereo focus over the earlier Elys 2 package. Its review also makes two useful ownership points: placement matters, and changing speed is manual unless you add the optional Neo power supply.
The Audio Two Verdict
We would start with the Planar 3 when you want to hear more from your records without replacing the amplifier and speakers you already like. The Nd3 gives you a straightforward package to build around; the Nd5 deserves a comparison when the rest of the system is already capable of showing finer detail. We would also look at the phono stage and where the turntable will sit before spending the whole budget on the cartridge. If electronic speed switching is important, compare the Planar 3 RS before adding a Neo supply separately. The standard Planar 3 does not include one.
Tech You Can Hear
| What You Hear | Why It Happens |
|---|---|
| Voices and instruments remain easier to follow | RB330 tonearm with low-friction, high-precision bearings |
| Notes sound cleaner, with less added coloration | Lightweight plinth with bracing between the tonearm and main bearing |
| Sustained notes keep their shape as the record turns | 24 V motor, Advanced EBLT belt and 12 mm glass platter |
| Change speed without lifting the platter, with the optional upgrade | Optional Neo power supply adds electronic speed selection; sold separately |
Technical Highlights
- Drive and speeds: Fully manual belt drive; 33⅓ and 45 rpm, with manual belt repositioning as standard.
- Tonearm: Hand-assembled Rega RB330 with RCA phono output.
- Cartridge options: No cartridge, Nd3 bonded elliptical MM, or Nd5 nude elliptical MM; both Nd cartridges have 5–6 mV nominal output and 1.75 g recommended tracking force.
- Motor and belt: 24 V low-noise motor and Advanced EBLT drive belt; compatible with the optional Neo power supply.
- Platter and cover: 12 mm polished-edge Opti-White glass platter; clear dust cover included.
- Finishes: Gloss Black, Gloss White, Gloss Red and Light Oak Effect.
- Size and weight: 447 mm W × 117 mm H × 360 mm D with the lid closed; 6.0 kg.
Why Choose Audio Two
Audio Two ships across Canada. If you don't have access to a proper high-end dealer in your city, this is your way in: real expertise from people who've heard the system, matched the electronics, and can guide you through a decision this size.