thebigbeat90
New Member
Hey friends - I have recently come across a vintage Rega Planar 3 with rb300 tonearm for $500. Does not include cartridge which im fine with as i have an ortofon blue. Would you guys say this is a good/fair deal?
Rega Planar 3 - advice?
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MisterDK
Addicted Member
They retail for more than that now but that was their retail price, more or less, in 1988. Decent and reliable table, not really exciting though.
thebigbeat90
New Member
Thank you for your input. Im currently working with a technics sl-3200 and was hoping the rega would be a nice upgrade. What would you consider "exciting" for a table?
MisterDK
Addicted Member
I bought a new Planar 3 in ‘88 - but what I wanted was a new Sota Sapphire. Couldn’t afford the Sota then but I have one now. It’s sounding better to me than the Rega ever did - with almost any cartridge I put on it. It’s also highly resistant to footfall and external vibration which the Rega didn’t handle quite as well. The Rega was a decent, reliable table. When I first bought it, I was excited. For the $500, if in good shape, the Rega isn’t bad. Other used tables in that price range that excite me more are either of my Empires (298 and 598) or my Systemdek IIX. They all sound just as good or better than the Rega but I perceive them as being more substantial. I have to admit though, the Systemdek, while sounding very good and looking nice, is worse off with footfall than the Rega was.
thebigbeat90
New Member
Thanks for your response. Im thinking if i decide to go with a Rega it might be better to just go for a newer version of the p3, as theyve upgraded it a good bit
doctor fuse
Super Member
I was given a 90s Planar 3, and I liked it's sound and spunk, but it couldn't keep speed accuracy or stability to save its life. I ended up cannibalizing the excellent RB300 arm and mounting it on a Mission 775S. Not sure what I am going to do with my Rega carcass.
I would suggest getting one no older than the RP3 introduced in 2011. It was, to my ears, a significant improvement over the previous model, the P3-24 (which came out in 2007). I had been looking for something to possibly replace my aging LP12, but a home audition of the P3-24 told me it just wasn't good enough; when I later heard the RP3, I wrote out a check. Jason Kennedy, writing for HiFi Choice, compared the RP3 to the P3-24 and said, "Its predecessor had similar timing skills, but was nowhere near as revealing nor dynamic – clearly the arm refinements and that double brace have had a dramatic effect."
I've noticed it can get confusing searching for the "RP3" of 2011 because so many places are using RP3 as a shortened form for the current Rega Planar 3 that was introduced in 2016.
maxhifi
Addicted Member
The 2016 version was what sold me on Rega. It really looks similar to the older ones but the incremental improvements add up.
Max: That is exactly right, and perfectly stated, regarding Rega:
"It really looks similar to the older ones but the incremental improvements add up."
They had that price range for a good sounding 'table mostly to themselves for many years. Now, it is very competitive, and that is great for us ; )
"It really looks similar to the older ones but the incremental improvements add up."
They had that price range for a good sounding 'table mostly to themselves for many years. Now, it is very competitive, and that is great for us ; )