Great video, I had ro2 years ago , I now have planner 3 , second hand only 4 mouths old with brand new Elyis 2 cartridge, they do planar 1 plus with great upgrades and in walnut plinth sand now fir the 2 and 3 . Regards mark
I'm running a planner 2 with a Grado blue3 cartridge at the moment. It's a great set-up most of the time, and the Grado is certainly brighter (in a good way), more musical, and a bit more dynamic. I do notice that the Grado Cartridge is a lot less forgiving on worn or imperfect vinyl than the Rega Carbon even after re-balancing the arm. I'm actually pretty impressed with how good the Rega Carbon is at the price, but may consider a stylus upgrade for the Grado, or trying an ortofon 2m blue or Goldring E3
Platter material I believe makes a huge difference. Being more rigid and unforgiving the glass seems to give more detail and less "softness". Things like the arm are also a game changer in that the RB220 is one piece aluminum from head to bearing, no segments, no differing materials. With any turntable keep in mind your buying a ton of R&D which Rega has been at for over 40 years
A very good, thorough review. Thumbs up. I like the Rega Planar 2 for a couple of reasons, even though this fine, accurate turntable is more expensive in Canada. I have seen, and heard that the platter on the Rega P1 tends to wobble a bit. To me, the most important components of a record playing system is the phono cartridge, and the tonearm; therefore the glass platter, and the upgraded, beefier is a better choice - on the Planar 2. Furthermore as an eventual upgrade for a phono cartridge on the Planar 2 from my research, and from a famous, high end hi fi store here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, I would choose an Ortofon 2M Blue, or maybe the 2M Bronze - which is a wee bit expensive! Therefore, the choice of a finer, more accurate phono cartridge could be the Ortofon 2M Bronze; here in Canada this cartridge is $499.00! Anyway, I'd like to know why there is this mysterious, slight wobble of the platter in the Rega Planar 1. Thank you for your consideration, and any answer you can provide.
Thank you for your kind words George. We have sold many Planar 1 and have yet to have one "wobble". Since Planar 2 was released in 2016 the number of Planar 1 we sell has dropped since the difference is so worth it.
Any specific cartridges you would recommend for a P2 upgrade? Or any characteristics to pay attention to when looking for a cart that works with the RB220 tonearm?
Or nagarkar mp110 or mp150 better moving iron. the atvm95ml is good cartridge or a the stylus replacement if you have a 95 microline $150 both the same price
Got given a planar 1 , about 6 months ago, & was reasonably pleased with it but have added a few upgrades to it. First off i upgraded the phenolic platter to the rega glass one, costing around £50, also got upgraded white belt,wool mat , & elys 2 cartridge & i have it sitting on a bamboo soundstage. Got to say, i am happy with sound at the moment & yes i do realise i have spent more money on upgrades now, than i would have spent on a new p2 or mabye even p3. Does it make any sense, or is it possible to fit a rb220 tonearm to my p1 , sometime in the future ?
Does an upgrade really matter depending on how good your system is I have had a rega p1 for a few years now have had no trouble with it My Amp is a Cambridge Audio Cd player Marantz tape deck denon and speakers Tannoys original ones from UK My thinking is it's not exactly worth as much as high end systems so will I notice much more difference on the set up I have just wondering any imput be great
A step up in cartridge will probably be your best bang for the buck over a higher model table. Planar 1 is no slouch and with a better cartridge can be even better.
Gd day sir, I plan to replace elys 2 to carbon on my RP3, do I have to raise the tone arm assembly? I think the carbon is taller than th Elys2, if I need to put spacers (3 pcs) by how much sir? Thank you sir.
Well I did it I bought a Rega Turntable not to bad but there is a few things they need to change first is the hinges not really hinges that come on Rega also a better stylus a AT 3600 is a cheep stylus they come on Audio Technica cheepest turntable LP 60x also I wish you could change the anti skate feet needs to be adjustable
If purchasing the 1 means you will likely want to upgrade it in the future I'd highly suggest go with the 2 off the bat. The platter alone is half the price difference. Swapping from the RB110 arm to the RB220 would not be an economical option so buying the 2 makes more sense. If your a beginner and the Planar 1 price is a stretch then you will be happy with it for a long time. No bad choice between the two.
@@HudsonValleyHiFI Thanks, so when does the Rega 3 come into the picture? Heck, may as well just go all the way (among the three, there are higher levels I know). Some have said that the 3 is the true entry point into audio-philedom. Is this true?
That is a pretty good assessment. The Planar 3 is like the benchmark. Take features away to create 1 and 2 price points. The Planar 6 is like a 3 totally decked out. The beauty of Rega tables is any model you buy can last a lifetime.
Hi William, not at all. I have mounted many different cartridges on the Planar 2 both that we sold and customers brought in, from several different brands, and have never had an issue with bias. The table has anti-skate which is fixed and is fine for the majority of cartridges. The absence of a fine adjustment I do see as much of an issue at this level.
HudsonValleyHiFI Awesome! Thanks for the reply, definitely thinking about picking one of these up. Excited to venture into a higher performance level deck.
Next time clean YER FACE! Edit: im sorry. Not sure what that was even supposed to mean. It sounded so cool in my mind, but then i typed it out and now, not so much.
@@Nccr3-ht8gm yer FACE is a "musical joy". Edit: im sorry. It seems ive done it again. Couldnt help myself. 😒 Hope you can forgive this lapse in control.
I’ll go for Technics SL1500c instead. There is more to pay? Sure I’ll do that. I don’t give a damn about micro vibration shit. We had a Kenwood L 07D when I was a 15 and that turntable sound amazing. I’m not an audiophile, I just want to listen some music. As long as it’s sounds great who cares who made it ? Nicely explained video though. Thanks. Subscribed 👍🏽
500 -700 dollar with no anti-skate adjustment along with a 20 dollar re-branded AT cartridge? In the 500-700 price range I would expect a fully adjustable tone arm (adj anti-skate), at least a 100 dollar cartridge and decent rca hook-ups for the cable. I just don't see what people see in these rega's.
Quite staggering that Project can sell its T1 (£199) with a glass platter, Ortofon OM5e cartridge and a better lid for HALF the price of the Rega P2. Is there a huge sound difference? Very little. Rega is overpriced in my view. Even the Rega P1 has a plastic shell platter and the awful £24 Carbon cartridge. If Pro-Ject can do it there’s something wrong here...
I do not sell Pro-Ject and see way more of them for issues like early motor failure then any of the Rega models. How does Pro-Ject do it, cheap assembly labor with poor quality control, that's how. Things like bearing quality and tolerance are the difference between a 5-7 year lifespan and a lifetime of ownership.
HudsonValleyHiFI Rega has its own share of quality control issues. The P1 plastic platter is a regular offender (wobbles, out of shape) and how they can justify a £24 cartridge on the P1 and especially on the P2 is unbelievable. I’ve got both a P2 and the Pro-Ject T1 and frankly there is no way that the P2 should ever be double the price. Fixed and very average RCA cables also don’t compare with say a Pro-ject Debut Carbon. I do like Rega but severely overpriced.
It is a rebranded useless stylus. The problem with turntable reviews is calling a £300 deck ‘entry level’. Pay ten times the price and get the same sound. It’s all in the cartridge. All of it. Not Ortofon but a decent Goldring will give you high end.
So your implying a table like the Planar 1 and a Planar 6 with the same cartridge will sound the same? I strongly disagree and have had first hand experience to the contrary. The Carbon is a rebranded cartridge but out of the gate is far better then what most brands give you to start on a turntable. Speed accuracy, vibration control, resonance, dampening, wow/flutter, all these things do not matter?
@@HudsonValleyHiFI They do. I have a Gyrodec Se with a Hana moving coil in my living room. It sounds great, but I have Planer 2 in my kitchen with a Goldring E3 and it blows it away in all departments. The ‘audiophile’ bullshit is boring and always wrong. Always. Doesn’t need to be expensive. Just be smart. I use the same Rotel amps because I like the sound! Crazy!
Completely subjective and quite a broad statement. There are definitely products that perform above their price points. Perhaps the Planar 2 outperforms the Mitchell with that cart combo. This is the same senseless discussion about cables. Your right and wrong all at the same time. But happy triggering 🤣
@@HudsonValleyHiFI Don’t get me started on cables! Utterly ridiculous. I tested out a couple of hundred pound Bluetooth speakers I got for my kid and they sound better than my trusty Dynaudios. It is subjective but people are being ripped off.
Who told you tracking at 3g was a problem. Very high end MC carts track around 3g. If the stylus is fine enough there is absolutely no harm. Would you really think Audio Technica would make a cart that destroys albums?!?
@@HudsonValleyHiFI thank you, it's just I'm a baby boomer and when i had SME, Thorens & AR players the cartridges tracked at about one gram like the Stanton eee. , and higher models from B&O, Shure. Empire and so on.How could triple the weight not create more wear. Even my present day cartridge track 1.65 grams. thanks
Other way around John. Rega makes OEM arms for several suppliers Moth being one of them. Rega has the machining to make them to anyone else's spec. Check out the Analog Planet video tour of Rega's factory and you can see the tonearm production area. It's quite impressive. Thank you for commenting.
@@HudsonValleyHiFI well that would make no sense making it for moth they don't need unknown manufacturer. When Rega bought out the first table they were made by moth! I can guarantee you that! maybe manufacturers their own tonearm now! some of the moth arms do look very similar. More than likely Rega bought the moulds patterns. I'll let you know I have to contact them and see why that was changed.
Not sure why it makes no sense, Rega makes their arms and creates oem for other brands. Very common in the speaker world, many companies make oem drivers for other speaker brands. Pro-ject makes arms for dozens of other brands as well, just look at Music Hall turntables. Rega arms are top quality and many other companies want the arm with differing wiring and such to use on tables even much higher end then Rega's tables. It is wonderful for the hobby as it brings new ideas and concepts to improve sound quality.
@@HudsonValleyHiFI no I'm not saying that yes companies make products for other companys but they wouldn't make it for moth because they are an established manufacturer in the field of expertise only if Rega have some shares in the company maybe the case
Rega Planar 2 with no anti-skate adjustment ? 33 Speed to 45 manually ? Right at the beginning you have to change the cheapest phono cartridge because that is the basis of good sound ! Bad, bad .............. Sad Rega .
RB220 post 2020 has AS adjustment. 33/45 manually makes sense if it eliminates a mechanical failure point. The Rega Carbon is a better cart then standard on most sub $1k tables. So...what's a better value in your opinion?
What a lovely voice this bloke has got it was a pleasure listening to him!
Great video, I had ro2 years ago , I now have planner 3 , second hand only 4 mouths old with brand new Elyis 2 cartridge, they do planar 1 plus with great upgrades and in walnut plinth sand now fir the 2 and 3 . Regards mark
Thanks. Great video. You convinced me to go with the p2.
I have an early 80’s Rega planar 3 back when they had the curved tone arm. I’d love to get one of these newer models one day to compare :)
Thanks. Planar 1,2,3 are my favorite TT's
Thanks, very clear and helpful
Thanks for watching Kevin!
I'm running a planner 2 with a Grado blue3 cartridge at the moment. It's a great set-up most of the time, and the Grado is certainly brighter (in a good way), more musical, and a bit more dynamic. I do notice that the Grado Cartridge is a lot less forgiving on worn or imperfect vinyl than the Rega Carbon even after re-balancing the arm. I'm actually pretty impressed with how good the Rega Carbon is at the price, but may consider a stylus upgrade for the Grado, or trying an ortofon 2m blue or Goldring E3
I was able to demo both at the same time. The sound quite different. So much for the cartridge being responsible for 90 percent of the sound theory.
Different how?
Platter material I believe makes a huge difference. Being more rigid and unforgiving the glass seems to give more detail and less "softness". Things like the arm are also a game changer in that the RB220 is one piece aluminum from head to bearing, no segments, no differing materials. With any turntable keep in mind your buying a ton of R&D which Rega has been at for over 40 years
I just sold a turntable 2 times the price
Of the p2 that just to buy a p2
Thats how much i love the
P2 have had 2 versions of the
P2 in the past
Interesting, my P2, purchased Jan. 2021 has bias/anti-skate adjustment.
A very good, thorough review. Thumbs up. I like the Rega Planar 2 for a couple of reasons, even though this fine, accurate turntable is more expensive in Canada. I have seen, and heard that the platter on the Rega P1 tends to wobble a bit. To me, the most important components of a record playing system is the phono cartridge, and the tonearm; therefore the glass platter, and the upgraded, beefier is a better choice - on the Planar 2.
Furthermore as an eventual upgrade for a phono cartridge on the Planar 2 from my research, and from a famous, high end hi fi store here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, I would choose an Ortofon 2M Blue, or maybe the 2M Bronze - which is a wee bit expensive! Therefore, the choice of a finer, more accurate phono cartridge could be the Ortofon 2M Bronze; here in Canada this cartridge is $499.00! Anyway, I'd like to know why there is this mysterious, slight wobble of the platter in the Rega Planar 1. Thank you for your consideration, and any answer you can provide.
Thank you for your kind words George. We have sold many Planar 1 and have yet to have one "wobble". Since Planar 2 was released in 2016 the number of Planar 1 we sell has dropped since the difference is so worth it.
@@HudsonValleyHiFI Thank you for your reply, HudsonValleyHiFI. Maybe this "wobble" issue is from older Rega P1 turntables.
Possible. I also thought perhaps a table with sun exposure from a window that warps the composite.
@@HudsonValleyHiFI Yes, I understand. Thumbs up. Thanks.
Hello, my friend. What do you recommend purchasing in 2014?
what rega do you recommend for first time buyer? Rega p1or p2? can i upgrade arm on a p1 or p2?
Is there a way to upgrade the stylus on the P1? Can you recommend some carts? Thanks for the informative vid.
vm95/E etc ortofon red/blue straight on no shims, or bias change ,
Any specific cartridges you would recommend for a P2 upgrade? Or any characteristics to pay attention to when looking for a cart that works with the RB220 tonearm?
Ive enjoyed Ortofon 2m Red or Blue, along with Denon 103r, Grado Prestige.
Or nagarkar mp110 or mp150 better moving iron. the atvm95ml is good cartridge or a the stylus replacement if you have a 95 microline $150 both the same price
is the auto bias functioning well with these non Rega cartridges?
Got given a planar 1 , about 6 months ago, & was reasonably pleased with it but have added a few upgrades to it. First off i upgraded the phenolic platter to the rega glass one, costing around £50, also got upgraded white belt,wool mat , & elys 2 cartridge & i have it sitting on a bamboo soundstage.
Got to say, i am happy with sound at the moment & yes i do realise i have spent more money on upgrades now, than i would have spent on a new p2 or mabye even p3.
Does it make any sense, or is it possible to fit a rb220 tonearm to my p1 , sometime in the future ?
Damn, wish I could get the glass platter for that price here in Australia :-(
@@saltech3444 good luck getting your freedom in Australia.
The politicians seem hellbent on turning it into a shithouse.
Please can i fit the glass platter of planar 2 directly to my planar1;;;They dont have the same high..is that not a problem;;;Sorry for my english...
Do they sound better than a technics 1210 mk2?
Does an upgrade really matter depending on how good your system is
I have had a rega p1 for a few years now have had no trouble with it
My Amp is a Cambridge Audio
Cd player Marantz tape deck denon and speakers Tannoys original ones from UK
My thinking is it's not exactly worth as much as high end systems so will I notice much more difference on the set up I have just wondering any imput be great
A step up in cartridge will probably be your best bang for the buck over a higher model table. Planar 1 is no slouch and with a better cartridge can be even better.
Do any vendors sell new Planar 2 turntables but with other/custom cartridges pre-attached (i.e., Nagaoka MP-110)?
Not from the manufacturer, however we often sell them with an upgraded cartridge
Gd day sir, I plan to replace elys 2 to carbon on my RP3, do I have to raise the tone arm assembly? I think the carbon is taller than th Elys2, if I need to put spacers (3 pcs) by how much sir? Thank you sir.
Hi Felipe, if staying in the Rega family of cartridges, no spacers are ever needed
Can the P1 or P1 plus stop at the end of the vinyl or does it continue to spin unless stopped?
Continues to spin, there is no auto mechanisms on Rega tables. You can add an aftermarket Qup to lift the arm off the album at the end of the record.
I think the p2 is the best quality turntable under $1000
Well I did it I bought a Rega Turntable not to bad but there is a few things they need to change first is the hinges not really hinges that come on Rega also a better stylus a AT 3600 is a cheep stylus they come on Audio Technica cheepest turntable LP 60x also I wish you could change the anti skate feet needs to be adjustable
Can you use a glass platter on the planar 1
Yes, Planar 2's glass platter
for the rega planar 1 does it need a 7 inch or 12 inch vinyal record
You can play any size record 33 1/3 or 45 speed.
So which one is a better value, is it worth getting the 2?
If purchasing the 1 means you will likely want to upgrade it in the future I'd highly suggest go with the 2 off the bat. The platter alone is half the price difference. Swapping from the RB110 arm to the RB220 would not be an economical option so buying the 2 makes more sense. If your a beginner and the Planar 1 price is a stretch then you will be happy with it for a long time. No bad choice between the two.
@@HudsonValleyHiFI Thanks, so when does the Rega 3 come into the picture? Heck, may as well just go all the way (among the three, there are higher levels I know). Some have said that the 3 is the true entry point into audio-philedom. Is this true?
That is a pretty good assessment. The Planar 3 is like the benchmark. Take features away to create 1 and 2 price points. The Planar 6 is like a 3 totally decked out. The beauty of Rega tables is any model you buy can last a lifetime.
Really interested in the Planar 2, but would you consider the the absence of the anti-skate adjustment to be a type of deal breaker?
Hi William, not at all. I have mounted many different cartridges on the Planar 2 both that we sold and customers brought in, from several different brands, and have never had an issue with bias. The table has anti-skate which is fixed and is fine for the majority of cartridges. The absence of a fine adjustment I do see as much of an issue at this level.
HudsonValleyHiFI Awesome! Thanks for the reply, definitely thinking about picking one of these up. Excited to venture into a higher performance level deck.
What's the difference between the p2 & p3. I presume a p2 owner will say nothing but I would like someone who has tested both.
See our other video 👍
next time clean the lense. i hate that filter lol
Next time clean YER FACE!
Edit: im sorry. Not sure what that was even supposed to mean. It sounded so cool in my mind, but then i typed it out and now, not so much.
That carbon cartridge shows
Just how good a budget cartridge
Can sound when used on a
High quality turntable
@@Nccr3-ht8gm yer FACE is a "musical joy".
Edit: im sorry. It seems ive done it again.
Couldnt help myself. 😒
Hope you can forgive this lapse in control.
I’ll go for Technics SL1500c instead. There is more to pay? Sure I’ll do that. I don’t give a damn about micro vibration shit. We had a Kenwood L 07D when I was a 15 and that turntable sound amazing. I’m not an audiophile, I just want to listen some music. As long as it’s sounds great who cares who made it ? Nicely explained video though. Thanks. Subscribed 👍🏽
Some people like to know that their equipment has been manufactured 'in house' and not by little Chinese children.
500 -700 dollar with no anti-skate adjustment along with a 20 dollar re-branded AT cartridge? In the 500-700 price range I would expect a fully adjustable tone arm (adj anti-skate), at least a 100 dollar cartridge and decent rca hook-ups for the cable. I just don't see what people see in these rega's.
I've been thinking the same. Which TT do you think is really worth the 500-700$?
Quite staggering that Project can sell its T1 (£199) with a glass platter, Ortofon OM5e cartridge and a better lid for HALF the price of the Rega P2. Is there a huge sound difference? Very little. Rega is overpriced in my view. Even the Rega P1 has a plastic shell platter and the awful £24 Carbon cartridge. If Pro-Ject can do it there’s something wrong here...
I do not sell Pro-Ject and see way more of them for issues like early motor failure then any of the Rega models. How does Pro-Ject do it, cheap assembly labor with poor quality control, that's how. Things like bearing quality and tolerance are the difference between a 5-7 year lifespan and a lifetime of ownership.
I second, what TT in this range is so superior?
HudsonValleyHiFI Rega has its own share of quality control issues. The P1 plastic platter is a regular offender (wobbles, out of shape) and how they can justify a £24 cartridge on the P1 and especially on the P2 is unbelievable. I’ve got both a P2 and the Pro-Ject T1 and frankly there is no way that the P2 should ever be double the price. Fixed and very average RCA cables also don’t compare with say a Pro-ject Debut Carbon. I do like Rega but severely overpriced.
It is a rebranded useless stylus.
The problem with turntable reviews is calling a £300 deck ‘entry level’.
Pay ten times the price and get the same sound.
It’s all in the cartridge. All of it. Not Ortofon but a decent Goldring will give you high end.
So your implying a table like the Planar 1 and a Planar 6 with the same cartridge will sound the same? I strongly disagree and have had first hand experience to the contrary. The Carbon is a rebranded cartridge but out of the gate is far better then what most brands give you to start on a turntable. Speed accuracy, vibration control, resonance, dampening, wow/flutter, all these things do not matter?
@@HudsonValleyHiFI They do. I have a Gyrodec Se with a Hana moving coil in my living room. It sounds great, but I have Planer 2 in my kitchen with a Goldring E3 and it blows it away in all departments. The ‘audiophile’ bullshit is boring and always wrong. Always.
Doesn’t need to be expensive. Just be smart.
I use the same Rotel amps because I like the sound! Crazy!
Completely subjective and quite a broad statement. There are definitely products that perform above their price points. Perhaps the Planar 2 outperforms the Mitchell with that cart combo. This is the same senseless discussion about cables. Your right and wrong all at the same time. But happy triggering 🤣
@@HudsonValleyHiFI Don’t get me started on cables! Utterly ridiculous.
I tested out a couple of hundred pound Bluetooth speakers I got for my kid and they sound better than my trusty Dynaudios.
It is subjective but people are being ripped off.
@@nickmoranis2865 🤣🤣 ok...
I would be all over the P2 if it came with a cartridge that wouldn't wear my records out.
According to Rega 2-3g. You remove the cartridge and put another on, not sure what you mean there?
Wear your records out? Who told you that?
@@HudsonValleyHiFI it tracks at 3 grams!
Who told you tracking at 3g was a problem. Very high end MC carts track around 3g. If the stylus is fine enough there is absolutely no harm. Would you really think Audio Technica would make a cart that destroys albums?!?
@@HudsonValleyHiFI thank you, it's just I'm a baby boomer and when i had SME, Thorens & AR players the cartridges tracked at about one gram like the Stanton eee. , and higher models from B&O, Shure. Empire and so on.How could triple the weight not create more wear. Even my present day cartridge track 1.65 grams. thanks
It's 21 senctuary and you need change from 33 speed to 45 manually , that's a shame rega.
They're not actually make the arm the arm is made by moth
Other way around John. Rega makes OEM arms for several suppliers Moth being one of them. Rega has the machining to make them to anyone else's spec. Check out the Analog Planet video tour of Rega's factory and you can see the tonearm production area. It's quite impressive. Thank you for commenting.
@@HudsonValleyHiFI well that would make no sense making it for moth they don't need unknown manufacturer. When Rega bought out the first table they were made by moth! I can guarantee you that! maybe manufacturers their own tonearm now! some of the moth arms do look very similar. More than likely Rega bought the moulds patterns.
I'll let you know I have to contact them and see why that was changed.
Not sure why it makes no sense, Rega makes their arms and creates oem for other brands. Very common in the speaker world, many companies make oem drivers for other speaker brands. Pro-ject makes arms for dozens of other brands as well, just look at Music Hall turntables. Rega arms are top quality and many other companies want the arm with differing wiring and such to use on tables even much higher end then Rega's tables. It is wonderful for the hobby as it brings new ideas and concepts to improve sound quality.
@@HudsonValleyHiFI no I'm not saying that yes companies make products for other companys but they wouldn't make it for moth because they are an established manufacturer in the field of expertise only if Rega have some shares in the company maybe the case
@@johnsweda2999 That's not the case at all. The first Rega turntables used an Acos S shaped arm.
Rega Planar 2 with no anti-skate adjustment ? 33 Speed to 45 manually ? Right at the beginning you have to change the cheapest phono cartridge because that is the basis of good sound ! Bad, bad .............. Sad Rega .
RB220 post 2020 has AS adjustment. 33/45 manually makes sense if it eliminates a mechanical failure point. The Rega Carbon is a better cart then standard on most sub $1k tables. So...what's a better value in your opinion?