When Philip Atkinson walked into the Portsmouth shop carrying a yellowed Rega box we assumed it contained another much-used Planar deck in need of some TLC…

We get quite a few customers in the Audio T Portsmouth store looking to buy a turntable because they sold their old deck many years ago, and in some cases all their vinyl too, in the belief that CDs were the only future for hi-fi.

Others come in with old decks they haven’t listened to in a few years and want us to give them a service to get them sounding as good as they did when new.

And then there are the dedicated vinyl enthusiasts who bring their treasured and well-used turntables in for regular servicing.

But, as far as we can remember, no-one has ever come in with a 33-year-old turntable that not only have they never played but they have not even unboxed since they bought it!

Until now.

When Philip told us he’d never unpacked the deck since buying it in 1991 we did a collective double take.

Looking at the yellowed Rega box, he explained: “I bought it from Chichester High Fidelity and I didn’t open it because we were moving house.

“When we moved I put it in a spare room and I just never got round to opening it and setting it up. I just moved onto CDs.

“Fortunately I kept all my old records. Some date back to the 1960s. So, I thought it was probably about time I finally got the turntable up and running. But I did think that Audio T better check everything was in working order first.”

Philip kindly shared the original receipt from Chichester High Fidelity with us. Those of you who recently bought new hi-fi may want to look away now. The total cost was £271, including a Linn K5 cartridge, 10 metres of QED cable (terminated with banana plugs) and only 15% VAT!

The bargain of the century in today’s prices! But remember that the average full-time salary in the UK in 1991 was around £12,000 a-year. And, just for reference, it’s worth bearing in mind that in 1991 John Major was Prime Minister, Freddie Mercury died and Nirvana released their landmark album Nevermind. In other words, it’s quite a long time ago!

The first-time unboxing of a time capsule Planar 3 a third of a century after its purchase is not something we get to do every day. So we proceeded carefully, joking that like an ancient Egyptian mummy the whole thing might crumble to dust on contact with the air.

Everything was neatly packed and wrapped as it would have been the day it left the former Chichester High Fidelity shop. There was even the old Rega hints and tips sheet in the box that they used to send with every turntable. Rega tell us that they stopped issuing hints and tips sheets in the early 2000s!

Longterm Rega customers may remember these sheets

The chaps at the former Chichester High Fidelity had already set the deck up which is exactly what we do at Audio T with modern Planar 3s. This involves checking that the cartridge is properly fitted, including setting the correct tracking weight.

The first thing we did after setting it up was give it a spin, eager to hear what a 33-year-old, but effectively new, turntable sounded like.

Remarkably, it sounded very good indeed. Testament to Rega build quality, not to mention the Linn cartridge.

Nonetheless we carried out a service. The drive belt had gone egg-shaped after three decades in one position and the compound was also slightly degraded, so we replaced it. We checked the turntable speed which was pretty accurate. However we also cleaned the sub-platter bearing assembly. The oil had become yellowed and tacky over the years which along with the old drive belt was affecting the speed slightly. We then checked and adjusted the tracking weight.

So after 33 years in its box Philip’s Planar 3 is again in tiptop condition and ready for him to finally give his records their first spin on his new(ish) deck.