I must admit to having a big soft spot for the Rega Planar 3 turntable having purchased one myself back in 1983 when the RB300 tonearm had just been added to it and had significantly raised the performance level. It joined my A&R Cambridge A60 amplifier and Rogers LS7 loudspeakers to make a wonderful sound. Now to help Rega celebrate their fiftieth anniversary they have released the Planar 3 50th Walnut and I am here to tell you why it is rather special!

The Sticker on the box doesn’t give much away!

This Is What’s In The Box

In case you hadn’t realised, I am also a bit passionate about vinyl and have loved the Rega Planar 3 in all of its different guises and editions over the years but the new P3 50th Anniversary has to be right up there at the top. Everything about it is just that little bit special. It comes supplied with the upgraded EBLT Reference belt, which normally comes with the much more expensive decks. And it also boasts the 24 volt low noise motor fitted with the beautifully CNC machined belt drive pulley that is normally found on the Planar 6.

close up of the reference belt and upgraded drive pulley.

Custom Tuned PSU

The power supply, which gives you the option to change speed from 33 to 45 RPM, is specifically custom tuned to match each individual deck. That normally doesn’t happen until you go up to the Planar 6.

The P3 50th Anniversary deck also comes fitted with the Exact which is the top tier of Rega’s handmade moving magnet range of cartridges. Built to the tightest achievable tolerances and using an advanced ‘Vital’ stylus profile, (a complex fine line micro-ground from a rectangular diamond billet). This advanced profile is guaranteed to extract more music from your vinyl by tracking the grooves with greater accuracy.

Close up of the factory fitted Exact cartridge.

The Plinth comes in the hugely popular new walnut wood effect finish, and is badged with exclusive aluminium plinth and lid badges for the finishing touch.

anniversary plinth badge completes the look

Let’s Play Some Music

Apart from my soft spot for Rega turntables I also have a serious fetish for great Prog Rock (as if you didn’t know already) and chose to check out the new Rega 50th Anniversary deck with a couple of proggy classics!

First on the P3 platter was “The Ghosts Of Pripyat” by Steve Rothery. Just so you know… Pripyat is an abandoned city in northern Ukraine, located near the border with Belarus. It was founded to serve the nearby Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The city with a population of almost 50,000 was evacuated on the afternoon of 27 April 1986, one day after the Chernobyl nuclear reactor went into meltdown and has stood empty ever since and has now become a tourist attraction!

If any of you reading this have even only half an interest in good Progressive Rock then this album by Marillion guitar genius Steve Rothery has to be listened to! I chose the 12 minute long track Old Man Of The Sea. Steve is joined on this track by both Steve Hackett (from Genesis) and Steven Wilson (from Porcupine Tree) and listened to on the new P3 I am immediately struck by how big and open the soundstage is. Bass depth and rhythmic propulsion is rock solid. Detail and background sounds are so easy to follow, and when all three guitar players unleash their guitar pyrotechnics towards the end of the song it is truly goosebump inducing! Sound quality on this album is top notch too!

Down By The Riverside

Next I chose another classic in the shape of the very first album by Polish Prog greats Riverside. The album is called Out Of Myself and the first track on side one is the rather amazing song that goes by the title of The Same River. This one is a real slow burner gradually building up to a crescendo of real rhythmic power and passion. The Rega P3 once again doing a wonderful job of keeping everything under tight control and portaying the whole thing within a huge stereo image….just amazing! It was so good I just had to play the whole album just to make sure!

SUMMARY OF THOSE KEY FEATURES

Walnut Effect plinth with custom aluminium badge.
RB330 Precision tonearm.
Exact MM cartridge factory fitted
Custom tuned Neo turntable PSU MK2 included.
24 V low noise, low vibration motor, hand tuned to the custom Neo PSU Mk2.
Double brace technology.
12 mm float glass opti-white polished platter.
CNC machined Planar 6 drive pulley for use with the Neo PSU.
Supplied with a smoked dust cover as standard.
Reference EBLT drive belt fitted as standard.
Anniversary Special Edition only available to buy during 2023.
Lifetime warranty against manufacture defects.

The Bit At The End

If your interest has been piqued and you would like a listen to the new Rega 50th Anniversary turntable for yourself then please feel free to contact us at Audio T Cheltenham. The kettle is always on and we always have biscuits too!