Rega Planar1 - am I missing something here?
Discussion
So, like many others, I dropped out of the vinyl game after the heady days of the 90s on Technics 1200s and got sucked into digital music. Now, like many others, I've got the vinyl out of the loft and my fiancee decided to get me a turntable for Christmas. She did her research and - fair play to her - decided on a Rega Planar 1. I was impressed - I remember Rega having a great "audiophile" reputation back in the day and getting glowing reviews as well as being a solid British made brand, plus the reviews of this product online are glowing with praise. However now I've unboxed it and hooked it up to my amp I'm distinctly unimpressed. For one - it has no earth terminal - and there is a distinct earth hum on the output. Apparently a common problem with them. Second - a 200 quid plus record deck that you literally have to dismantle and play around with a rubber band to alter the RPM? How on earth is that considered audiophile? Third- it just feels cheap - from the plastic lid that comes out of the hinges every time you lift it, to the cheap plastic platter, to the naff as hell cheap rubber band driving the platter. It's 200 quid - I know that isn't full audiophile territory - but I can't for the life of me see why this cheap piece of s
t gets such good reviews.
t gets such good reviews. Have you got it running into a proper riaa level input and not just into line level?
Turntables need the equalization to sound as they should, and if you're running into line level you'll have the volume so high you would hear the him. Can't answer about the earth as my arm has one but I never use it.
And not £200 isn't audiophile, in fact the rp1 wasn't considered that when it first came out in the 70s.
Fwiw my cartridge cost double that.
Turntables need the equalization to sound as they should, and if you're running into line level you'll have the volume so high you would hear the him. Can't answer about the earth as my arm has one but I never use it.
And not £200 isn't audiophile, in fact the rp1 wasn't considered that when it first came out in the 70s.
Fwiw my cartridge cost double that.
Yes - I absolutely understand that 200 quid for a record deck isn't anywhere close to "audiophile" levels. However I might expect that a unit sold by a supposed "audiophile" brand that is constantly wked over by reviewers, and generally pitched as an "entry level" turntable to the joys of quality vinyl sound is a bit more than what appears to be a badly earthed plece of stty plastic driven by a cheap rubber band.
ked over by reviewers, and generally pitched as an "entry level" turntable to the joys of quality vinyl sound is a bit more than what appears to be a badly earthed plece of stty plastic driven by a cheap rubber band. I agree that when I took my RP1 out of the box it felt a bit flimsy. But it’s not meant to be fondled - it’s meant to play records. Check out the rivals and they’re similarly sparse - unless you go for something like an Audio Technica. It’s the same approach as you go higher up in the range, with the design being pretty much the same.
Rega’s approach is to build the best sounding turntable for the money. Electronic speed switching would cost money to include. So they would either need to charge more for their products or compromise elsewhere - and it would have to be sound.
Open the lid with both hands and it won’t fall off! Lots of people prefer using it with the lid removed (I don’t).
There’s also no earth on the RP1. No hum through my Marantz amp - just the sound of the platter being driven by the rubber band! Is there a different amp you can try it with?
Hope you get it sorted and learn to love it. Buying mine was the best money I’ve spent in a long time, as it’s made me fall in love with music again.
Rega’s approach is to build the best sounding turntable for the money. Electronic speed switching would cost money to include. So they would either need to charge more for their products or compromise elsewhere - and it would have to be sound.
Open the lid with both hands and it won’t fall off! Lots of people prefer using it with the lid removed (I don’t).
There’s also no earth on the RP1. No hum through my Marantz amp - just the sound of the platter being driven by the rubber band! Is there a different amp you can try it with?
Hope you get it sorted and learn to love it. Buying mine was the best money I’ve spent in a long time, as it’s made me fall in love with music again.
I'm not going to learn to love a piece of audio equipment with a patently obvious fault. I could live with the nonsense of having to lift off the cheap plastic platter and dick around with a rubber band in order to change RPM, but the fact it is clearly not properly earthed is a dealbreaker. I need to go back to my roots and just buy a 1200 again, A proper turntable. Not a British brand trading on a wky "audiophile" image to sell cheap garbage.
ky "audiophile" image to sell cheap garbage. krunchkin said:
I'm not going to learn to love a piece of audio equipment with a patently obvious fault. I could live with the nonsense of having to lift off the cheap plastic platter and dick around with a rubber band in order to change RPM, but the fact it is clearly not properly earthed is a dealbreaker. I need to go back to my roots and just buy a 1200 again, A proper turntable. Not a British brand trading on a wky "audiophile" image to sell cheap garbage.
One thought - are all four connecting tags to the cartridge snugly on the pins of the cartridge? (I use nail tweezers to put them in place.)ky "audiophile" image to sell cheap garbage. or try one of these - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pyramid-NS21-20-Amp-In-...
Edited by psi310398 on Monday 29th January 20:56
Rega run the earth through one of the 4 wires, I forget which one.
I have absolutely no hum from my Planar 3 - running either direct into the mm phono input of an Arcam amp or through a rega mc pre-amp.
As others have said, rega turntables can feel flimsy because of their somewhat unique philosophy. The more expensive the model, the lighter the plinth for example. The RP10 plinth weights almost nothing and barely exists! It’s very stiff though. The platters get heavier though, or at least heavier at the edges to improve rotational stability.
It’s a very different idea from a heavy, quartz controlled direct drive 1200.
The main issue with the planar 1 is the arm lacks any useful form of adjustment to anything other than the stock, mediocre, cartridge (IMHO).
But in its price range it’s almost unbeatable. Just not very upgradeable.
I have absolutely no hum from my Planar 3 - running either direct into the mm phono input of an Arcam amp or through a rega mc pre-amp.
As others have said, rega turntables can feel flimsy because of their somewhat unique philosophy. The more expensive the model, the lighter the plinth for example. The RP10 plinth weights almost nothing and barely exists! It’s very stiff though. The platters get heavier though, or at least heavier at the edges to improve rotational stability.
It’s a very different idea from a heavy, quartz controlled direct drive 1200.
The main issue with the planar 1 is the arm lacks any useful form of adjustment to anything other than the stock, mediocre, cartridge (IMHO).
But in its price range it’s almost unbeatable. Just not very upgradeable.
I think somebody wants Porsche build for Hyundai i10 money.
Also, lightweight is not a sign of cutting corners. It's a design philosophy for some manufacturers that reduces stored energy, thus improving sound.
The biggest mistake in this thread, however, is having a piece of hifi without trying it in the shop or at home first. That often ends badly.
You need to calm down though. If I'd been given a cheap Korean car I wouldn't go off on one about thin plastics. I'd make the most of the situation. Somehow.
Also, lightweight is not a sign of cutting corners. It's a design philosophy for some manufacturers that reduces stored energy, thus improving sound.
The biggest mistake in this thread, however, is having a piece of hifi without trying it in the shop or at home first. That often ends badly.
You need to calm down though. If I'd been given a cheap Korean car I wouldn't go off on one about thin plastics. I'd make the most of the situation. Somehow.
If it's not right for you, or it's got a fault, take it back and swap it for something else.
I don't have a Planar 1, so can't comment on that model - I do have a Planar 2 though, which has given pretty good service for nearly 30 years and still looks like new. I like the minimalist build - changing the speed isn't something I need to do very often anyway - but I can appreciate it must be odd to use one after using decks with automated everything. Regas are generally bought by people who want the best bang for their buck and are happy to sacrifice convenience for sound quality.
I don't have a Planar 1, so can't comment on that model - I do have a Planar 2 though, which has given pretty good service for nearly 30 years and still looks like new. I like the minimalist build - changing the speed isn't something I need to do very often anyway - but I can appreciate it must be odd to use one after using decks with automated everything. Regas are generally bought by people who want the best bang for their buck and are happy to sacrifice convenience for sound quality.
I bought an RP1 3 years ago and I've spent a lot upgrading it in that time to make it better and better
http://www.rega.co.uk/rp1-performance-pack-1.html this helped with audio quality especially as I'd probably already worn out the needle (Played music for a few hours every single day for a year)
http://www.rega.co.uk/24v-motor-upgrade-kit.html This got rid of a lot of hum and made it work again after the motor gave up (Does need a soldering iron but it's not very difficult & comes with instructions)
http://www.rega.co.uk/tt-psu.html once you've got the 24v motor upgrade, you can get this and just press a button to change the speed
It's a basic turntable that sounds great in the perfect conditions through a great amp but it does need help (Money) to be fantastic
You will not get a better new turntable for the money, the only option is to spend the same amount on a second hand item but then you don't really know the condition of what you're buying. Is the motor going to be worn out? Is the needle going to need replacing?
http://www.rega.co.uk/rp1-performance-pack-1.html this helped with audio quality especially as I'd probably already worn out the needle (Played music for a few hours every single day for a year)
http://www.rega.co.uk/24v-motor-upgrade-kit.html This got rid of a lot of hum and made it work again after the motor gave up (Does need a soldering iron but it's not very difficult & comes with instructions)
http://www.rega.co.uk/tt-psu.html once you've got the 24v motor upgrade, you can get this and just press a button to change the speed
It's a basic turntable that sounds great in the perfect conditions through a great amp but it does need help (Money) to be fantastic
You will not get a better new turntable for the money, the only option is to spend the same amount on a second hand item but then you don't really know the condition of what you're buying. Is the motor going to be worn out? Is the needle going to need replacing?
Edited by J8 SVG on Tuesday 30th January 07:53
The Planar 1 is earthed via the left channel screening.
Some potential sources/cures here:
http://www.shure.com/americas/support/find-an-answ...
Some potential sources/cures here:
http://www.shure.com/americas/support/find-an-answ...
My RP1 doesn't hum either, just cranked up my amp to max (old Denon PMA-350) with nothing playing to check and its absolutely silent. If you had Technics back in the day, that was a completely different philosophy (very Japanese, performance through "tech"). Rega's have always been focussed on the basics and hats off to them to surviving and now thriving on that philosophy. All the reviews are about bang for buck and there simply isn't anything of that output quality at the price point. That isn't an audiophile price by any stretch of the imagination. Speed change has alway been manual with Rega (and on a whole host of much more expensive turntables). 1st world problem.
I suggest you throw your disgusting present back at your OH and tell her to spend £1000+ on you.
I suggest you throw your disgusting present back at your OH and tell her to spend £1000+ on you.
There seems to be a good deal of the usual patronising head-patting as you expect from PH on here. I suppose I could live with the other aspects of its "cheap as hell - but hey! These are actually features!! It's Audiophile!! Honest!!" if it wasn't for the massively obvious earth hum.
Edited by krunchkin on Tuesday 30th January 12:22
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