Rega livens up the timeless aesthetic of their Planar 3 turntable with a special gloss red finish

Rega have always done things a little differently. The turntables that made a name for the British hi-fi company originally stood out as peculiar given their single, solid plinth – quite a departure from the suspended-chassis approach of comparably-priced turntables in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. While many turntable manufacturers have now embraced Rega’s use of a simple plinth as a foundation, Rega still stands out from the crowd with their emphasis on light-weight, minimalist construction across their range.

Rega’s best-known and most-influential turntable is undoubtedly the Planar 3. First released in 1977, the Planar 3 gained renown for performing well above its price point in terms of quality of construction and sonics. 40 years on, with a number of iterations and variations in design, the Rega Planar 3 remains relatively unchanged – visually, anyway. In terms of performance, the Planar 3 has come leaps and bounds.

Released in 2016, the most recent iteration of the Planar 3 shares only two components with its predecessor. There have been drastic changes to the turntable in its lifespan, including the introduction of dual braces for stability, the shift to an acrylic plinth for minimal resonance and loss of energy, and the inclusion of a 24V motor for stable playing speed and compatibility with the external TT-PSU power supply.

Listing off technical changes and tweaks doesn’t meant too much in itself – more important is that those changes make improvements to the unit’s functionality. Each of Rega’s alterations to the Planar 3 work to eliminate resonance and imperfections in the sound, sustain accuracy of speed and reproduction, and cause less damage to a Rega owner’s vinyl collection.

If that’s not enough to convince you, the Planar 3 has just gotten prettier. In honour of the 40th anniversary of the first Planar 3 turntable, Rega have released a stunning gloss red finish. We’re pretty confident that news just started your heart racing a little faster, so make your way to a Stereophonic shopfront to have a look at this remarkable turntable in the flesh.