There has never been a better time to get serious about vinyl. Modern turntables have become remarkably sophisticated, yet you don’t have to spend a fortune to enjoy genuinely engaging performance. Two models sitting firmly in that sweet spot are the Rega Planar 2 with the new Nd3 cartridge and the Pro-Ject Debut EVO 2. Both are beautifully engineered, both are designed to extract plenty of music from your records, and both take a slightly different approach to achieving it.

So, who are Rega and Pro-Ject?

Rega was founded in 1973, and its very first product was a turntable. While the company remains particularly well known for its record players, it now produces a complete range of Hi-Fi equipment, including tonearms, cartridges, phono stages, amplifiers, CD players, loudspeakers and more. Rega’s products are designed and assembled at its facility in Essex.

Pro-Ject was founded in Austria in 1991 and, like Rega, began with a turntable. Their turntables are manufactured in Europe, and the company has since developed an extensive range of Hi-Fi electronics and accessories, including amplifiers, phono stages, CD players, streamers and loudspeakers.

Both companies have decades of turntable-building experience behind them, but their approaches to designing one are quite different. That becomes obvious as soon as you place these two decks side by side.

Design and set-up

Up CLose: The Rega Planar 2 with Silkscreen Logo

The Rega has the cleaner lines of the two and exudes a certain understated elegance, while the Pro-Ject has a more solid and slightly chunkier appearance. Neither approach is right or wrong, but they will appeal to different tastes.

Neither deck is difficult to set up, with only a small amount of final assembly required. Setting the tracking weight on the Rega requires the user to know how many turns of the counterweight are needed, although this is explained clearly in the manual. Setting the anti-skating is a doddle, thanks to the marked slider attached to the arm assembly.

The Pro-Ject has a graduated scale attached to the counterweight, making the tracking weight a straightforward matter. Its anti-skating is achieved by hanging a small weight from a fine thread. At my age, this is definitely a reading-glasses job!

The new Debut EVO 2 features the a 8,6‘‘ one piece carbon tonearm design.

Of course, if you would rather not worry about any of this, we will be happy to set either turntable up for you. Both are supplied with moving-magnet cartridges, but neither has a phono stage built in, so you will need an amplifier with a suitable phono input or a separate phono stage.

What do you get for your money?

The Rega Planar 2 has been around for some time, but the addition of the company’s new Nd3 moving-magnet cartridge gives the current version a significant boost.

Rega has concentrated heavily on keeping the Planar 2 light, rigid and mechanically simple. Its RB220 tonearm uses low-friction bearings and a lightweight aluminium arm tube, while a 24V low-noise motor drives the 10mm glass platter through Rega’s Advanced EBLT.

More than ten years in development, the Nd3 uses a powerful neodymium magnet and a bonded elliptical stylus. It is factory-fitted using Rega’s three-point mounting system, which also removes much of the potential guesswork from cartridge alignment. The Planar 2 is available in Gloss White, Gloss Black and Walnut finishes.

The Pro-Ject Debut EVO 2 takes a somewhat different route. It is a substantial-looking turntable with a 1.7kg damped aluminium platter and an 8.6-inch one-piece carbon-fibre tonearm. The heavy platter uses a thermoplastic elastomer damping ring to help control unwanted resonances, while the tonearm is both light and extremely rigid.

Pro-Ject Debut EVO 2 is available in eleven different finishes including satin steel blue

A switch underneath the plinth provides electronic selection between 33 and 45rpm, so there is no need to move the drive belt when changing speed. The cartridge is Pro-Ject’s new Pick it MM EVO, developed in collaboration with Ortofon, and there is a wide selection of plinth finishes available.

In simple terms, the Rega strips the design back to the essentials, whereas the Pro-Ject gives you a heavier construction and a little more day-to-day convenience.

How do they sound?

I gathered a handful of records and a mug of hot tea. It’s a hard job evaluating Hi-Fi, but someone has to do it!

First, the Rega. The Planar 2 is all about musical communication. It has that classic Rega ability to make records sound lively and involving, with a strong sense of rhythm and momentum. The bass is tight and agile, guitars have bite, drums have snap and vocals sit clearly within the soundstage.

It is an energetic presentation, but not a fatiguing one. The Planar 2 has a knack for getting straight to the heart of a recording and encouraging you to play another album. Changing speed involves removing the platter and moving the belt onto a different section of the pulley. It sounds like a faff, but in reality it only takes a few seconds.

The Rega PLanar 2 is available in Black, White, Red and Walnut

The Pro-Ject has a different character. It feels confident and composed, with a greater sense of solidity to the performance. It sounds clean and controlled, the midrange is excellent, and instruments are placed precisely within the soundstage. Its presentation is smooth, but not soft, and there is enough detail and rhythmic ability to keep the music interesting.

The Pro-Ject’s electronic speed control will also be useful if you have a large collection of 45rpm records or regularly move between the two speeds.

If I were to sum them up using musicians as an analogy, the Rega would be Jeff Beck and the Pro-Ject would be John Williams. Both are supremely talented, but their approaches are very different.

So, which one should you choose?

If push comes to shove, I would say the Rega has the edge with rock and pop. Its lively, rhythmically driven presentation gives electric guitars, drums and bass plenty of energy. The Pro-Ject scores particularly highly with jazz and acoustic music, where its composure, spaciousness and excellent midrange come into their own.

That doesn’t mean either turntable is restricted to certain types of music. The Rega can sound wonderfully expressive with an acoustic recording, while the Pro-Ject certainly won’t fall apart when asked to play something heavier. This is simply where I felt each model’s particular strengths were most apparent.

The Rega will appeal if you value simplicity, energy and a direct connection with the music. The Pro-Ject offers a more measured presentation, a substantial build and the convenience of electronic speed selection.

Ultimately, the best choice will come down to your records, the rest of your Hi-Fi system and your personal taste. The only proper way to decide is to hear them for yourself, preferably side by side and with music you know well.

If you would like to compare the Rega Planar 2 with Nd3 and Pro-Ject Debut EVO 2, bring a couple of your favourite records along and we will be happy to arrange a demonstration.

Thanks for reading, and we look forward to welcoming you in-store soon.

Jon and Andy, Audio T Swindon

If you have any questions about any of the equipment featured in this article, or any other Hi-Fi or home cinema enquiries, be sure to contact us.

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