Rega Planar 1 £275
This is the sixth year in a row that Rega’s remarkable Planar 1 turntable has picked up a What Hi-fi? Award. Much like its bigger brother, the Planar 3, the Planar 1 package has seen major changes over the years, despite outwardly showing little sign of the progress made.
Pretty much everything you see on this deck has undergone some form of modification, and there are also hand-me-downs from higher up the range. The Rega Carbon MM cartridge is now fitted as standard, and this is the first of Rega’s entry-level turntables to house a 24V synchronous AC motor with an aluminium pulley, offering low noise and better speed stability.
It takes just a few moments’ listening to realise the Planar 1 has no real peers at this price. We’ve long admired Rega’s sprightly presentation and it welcomes us like an old friend.
This is not an entry-level amount of detail: the acoustic guitar in The Tallest Man On Earth’s Dark Bird Is Home is complemented by the reverb in the first line; the distinction in treatment of each part is clearly audible, setting the vocal apart. Some manufacturers have a tendency to turn up the analogue warmth, but not Rega, so you needn’t worry about being left wanting for body.
There is energy in the Planar 1’s rendering of more animated numbers and a solidity that supports the subtler ones, while often its combination of precise timing and broad dynamic reach makes its rivals’ performances sound like half-hearted rehearsals.
No other record player at this price can better the 1’s depth of engineering or its ability to bring records to life. It’s a smart-looking device too.
In these times of uncertainty, you could do far worse than to close the curtains, settle in your favourite armchair and spin a few records on the Rega Planar 1.