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TURNTABLES
Whether you’re buying new records or dusting off old ones, these great players will do your vinyl justice
The change of cartridge to the Nd3 has earned the P3 this Award
Image credit: Sony
■ Rega Planar 3/Nd3 £799
Rega’s Planar 3 was introduced in 1976, the same year What Hi-Fi? was born. Since then, it has remained one of our go-to recommendations for sensibly priced record players. While the deck hasn’t changed much in appearance since then, just about every part of it has been refined at some point.
As far as this latest iteration goes, its performance remains class-leading, its build is impressive, as is the quality of the engineering – especially of the fitted RB330 tonearm; but it’s the change of cartridge from the Elys 2 to the new Nd3 moving magnet that earns it this Award.
The Nd3 is the entry-level model in a three-strong range that Rega believes is the first to use neodymium in a movingmagnet cartridge. All the cartridges in the range have a recommended tracking weight of 1.75g and produce a healthy output of 5-6mV. No partnering phono stage should take issue with that.
The main point of differentiation in the range comes down to the choice of stylus tip. The Nd3 uses the most basic type, which is elliptical in profile and made of a man-made polycrystalline diamond.
As the Planar 3 deck is unchanged, any difference in sound is down to the cartridge. As we work our way through Michael Jackson’s Bad set and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, it becomes clear that the Nd3 cartridge is better in just about every area. There is an obvious similarity in sonic character, with both the Nd3 and Elys 2 delivering similar energy and drive. They are both pretty well-balanced tonally, too.