← The components

Rega Planar 3 + RB330

Turntable

Relative price

below typical

Among the 40 turntables in the catalogue, this one is below typical.

A band places a component against its peers and carries no price. It is deliberately the only price indicator on this page: a second one, measured against a different set, would narrow the two together far enough to give the figure away.

Competition record

Assessed against 7 rivals across the sixty systems: it takes the slot in none of its 55 head-to-heads.

Where it gives ground

The dimension the engine names as the weakest link, counted across every head-to-head it lost.

  • mechanical hush ×47
  • speed stability ×3

Who it comes up against

Vertere DG-X Sabre Lite Pack

17 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Silent Path

Against the Anchored brief, the Vertere DG-X Sabre Lite Pack keeps the slot decisively.

With the Vertere Groove Runner X, the pairing gives up most on mechanical hush.

On its own merits the Rega Planar 3 + RB330 is the weaker record deck for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the record deck position.

the sound of the vibrating motor was shockingly loudStereophile (Reichert), 2017

Technics SL-1200G

17 lost · Anchored, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Silent Path, Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the Technics SL-1200G keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Rega Planar 3 + RB330 is the weaker record deck for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the record deck position.

the sound of the vibrating motor was shockingly loudStereophile (Reichert), 2017

Pro-Ject Debut Pro (with cart)

10 lost · Anchored, Artisan, BBC Sound, Cavity-Native, Characterful, Intimate, PRaT, Reference, Romantic, Vocals-First

Against the Anchored brief, the Pro-Ject Debut Pro (with cart) keeps the slot decisively.

With the ProJect Tonearm 8.6 Carbon (Debut PRO), the pairing gives up most on mechanical hush.

On its own merits the Rega Planar 3 + RB330 is the weaker record deck for that brief.

the sound of the vibrating motor was shockingly loudStereophile (Reichert), 2017

Michell Gyro 2025

7 lost · Anchored, Artisan, Cavity-Native, PRaT, Reference, Silent Path

Against the Silent Path brief, the Michell Gyro 2025 keeps the slot by a whisker.

With the Michell TecnoArm 2, the pairing gives up most on mechanical hush.

On its own merits the Rega Planar 3 + RB330 is the weaker record deck for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the record deck position.

the sound of the vibrating motor was shockingly loudStereophile (Reichert), 2017

Technics SL-1500CS (with cart)

2 lost · Silent Path, Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the Technics SL-1500CS (with cart) keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Rega Planar 3 + RB330 is the weaker record deck for that brief.

the sound of the vibrating motor was shockingly loudStereophile (Reichert), 2017

AVID Volvere SP (no arm)

1 lost · Vocals-First

Against the Vocals-First brief, the AVID Volvere SP (no arm) keeps the slot by a whisker.

On its own merits the Rega Planar 3 + RB330 is the weaker record deck for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the record deck position.

Origin Live Sovereign Mk5 (no arm)

1 lost · Silent Path

Against the Silent Path brief, the Origin Live Sovereign Mk5 (no arm) keeps the slot by a whisker.

With the Origin Live Encounter Mk5, the pairing gives up most on mechanical hush.

On its own merits the Rega Planar 3 + RB330 is the weaker record deck for that brief.

It sits well below the share of the budget this brief aims at the record deck position.

the sound of the vibrating motor was shockingly loudStereophile (Reichert), 2017

What the reviewers said

pace-rhythm-and-timing machines Stereophile (Reichert), 2017· Timing precision
the sound of the vibrating motor was shockingly loud Stereophile (Reichert), 2017· Mechanical noise floor
class pace-rhythm-timing PROXY: Rega Planar house· Timing precision
decent scale PROXY: Rega Planar house· Spatial naturalness
unsuspended PROXY: Rega house· Acoustic isolation

How it scores

Clarity

  • Mechanical noise floor 64 from listening evidence

Voice

  • Spatial naturalness 70 from listening evidence

Rhythm

  • Timing precision 76 from listening evidence

LowerVolume

  • Acoustic isolation 70 from listening evidence

Specifications

drive typebelt
speeds rpm33.33/45
plinth materiallightweight phenolic resin
suspension typerigid
supplied tonearmRega RB330
weight kg6.0
psu typeinternal
notes