Rega Planar 2
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If an item doesn't meet your expectations, you may return or exchange it in its original condition and packaging within 30 days for a full refund, minus shipping fees. Items shipped back in like new condition through standard shipping carriers will only incur a flat fee of $15 to return. If the items were initially shipped through free scheduled delivery via motor freight (commonly referred to as LTL), returning them will result in return shipping fees starting at $150. These items include but are not limited to, oversized items such as TVs, certain subwoofers, floorstanding speakers, furniture, and most items weighing over 75 pounds. Return fees will also apply for exchanges. We want to treat your system as if it is our own and want you to be completely satisfied with your purchase.
Please see the instructions below. We only accept returns for any product purchased directly from our website. If merchandise is not returned in its original condition or is missing packaging, manuals, accessories or other parts, or the resale value of the product has been impaired, a partial refund will be given and calculated on a case-by-case basis.
Non-Returnable Items
The following items cannot be returned or cancelled:
- Special/Custom Order Items
- Open Box Products
- Gift Cards
- In-ear headphones cannot be returned once the packaging has been opened due to personal hygiene reasons. Please contact our customer care team if you'd like help choosing.
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Turntables With a Broken Stylus: All turntables ship out with the stylus intact. If you return a turntable or phono cartridge with a broken or missing stylus you will be subject to a return fee. Please be careful when setting up your turntable and contact us with any questions.
Is It Easy To Return An Item?
Yes, simply give us a call at 888.899.8776 or you can email our support team at support@audioadvice.com. Many times our team of experts can help figure out why the product might not be working like you expected and get things fixed over the phone, so don’t be surprised if we ask a few questions, we love troubleshooting!
If our tech help can not make you happy, we will email over a return shipping label with a Return Number.
Hopefully, you saved all of the original item’s box and packaging inserts. You will want to pack back up your return or exchange in the same way it came out of the original box. Once you have everything packaged correctly, tape the box on the top and bottom to assure it stays together. If Audio Advice shipped the item to you inside a second box, it's a good idea to use that same extra box to help prevent damage on its way back to us. To avoid it accidentally coming back to you, use a magic marker to cross out the old shipping label or just tear it off.
The return shipping label we send you will have our address on it, just make sure you take the box to the right shipper (UPS, FEDEX, or USPS) as per the label.
If you are close to one of our stores, please let us know if it is more convenient for you to return it to us directly. You will still need to get a return number by contacting us and shipping and/or restocking charges may apply.
When Will I See My Refund?
It usually takes around 7-14 days for the refund to show up on the payment method you used. We do inspect all returns for damage and accuracy of the item inside the box before issuing a refund. Some items may be subject to shipping and restocking fees.
Can I Exchange My Purchase For Something Different?
Sometimes those big speakers just don’t fit in the room or you might have bought a small subwoofer and later found out you’d love a bigger one. If you would like to make an exchange within 30 days of receiving your item, just give us a call at 888.899.8776 or email support@audioadvice.com and we will help work out the details. Additional shipping charges and return costs may apply.
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How Do You Determine A Restocking Fee?
You may not believe it, but sometimes we receive items back that were put in the box with zero packaging and are completely destroyed or are missing many of the pieces that came with the item. We also track serial numbers and will get back different serial numbers. We’ve even seen different items than what we shipped out be returned. However, it’s very important to package your return properly so that nothing goes missing or gets damaged in shipping, which will result in a restocking fee or even no refund at all. If a product is opened and the market value of the product is reduced, then a restocking fee may be applied to the cost of restocking and the reduced market value of the product. The bottom line is if you treat us fairly, we will do the same.
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Overview
The new Planar 2 was developed over the past two years alongside the recently released Planar 3. Featuring the brand new RB220 tonearm and packed with groundbreaking new features such as a new 24v low noise motor, acrylic laminated plinth, newly designed central bearing and so much more. Every feature of this innovative new turntable is designed to extract the maximum amount of information and detail from your vinyl collection.
The High Notes
Float Glass Platter
New RB220 Tonearm
New Low Noise Motor
Company & Product Overview
Many of the best and most legendary audio companies that are still around today got their start in the classic stereo days of the 1960’s and 1970’s. Formed in a garage by a couple of friends who loved tinkering and were looking to come closer to the sound and experience in their own systems that you get from a live concert. You know the story.
Roy Gandy, the founder of Rega, was no exception. He started out modifying turntables with his audio buddies. His first turntable was the original Planar 2, which was introduced in 1975 -- just three years before Audio Advice was founded.
In fact, our founder, Leon Shaw, purchased his very first manual turntable in 1976. It was a Rega Planar 2!
Rega and Linn were two of the biggest players in the turntable industry in the 1970’s and both went against the common audio philosophy at the time. While many focused on the speakers and other components, Rega and Linn both argued that if you don’t get things right at the source, you’ll never recover. Decades later, most of the audio world now agrees with this philosophy.
Today, with the renewed interest in vinyl, Rega now manufactures over 2,000 turntables per month, along with a variety of other amplifiers, source components, and speakers.
For today's review, we’re going back to where it all started as we discuss the latest model of the Rega Planar 2 turntable. Over four decades later and it’s looks and general design philosophy are still reminiscent of the original P2. Take a step closer, however, and you’ll see that every single aspect has been updated and improved in order to advance its sound.
All Rega products have that classic British sound which is very true not only to the tonal quality of the music but also for keeping the timing just right, which draws you much deeper into your recordings.
Design & Build Quality
For over 40 years, all Rega turntables have been manual, belt drive types and the P2 is built to the same standard. We also love the sleek appearance of the P2. It is available in black, white, or red and includes a dust cover. It will certainly add a classic, clean look to your audio system.
There are a few reasons why these designs are common amongst the best high-performance tables. The primary reason is simplicity. The more features you have, the more gears and parts, and mechanisms are required.
For example, automatic turntables (as opposed to manual turntables) lower and lift the tonearm for you. While this sounds like a nice convenience, the extra parts required to accomplish this leads to noise and puts drag on the tonearm, resulting in some of the information getting lost on the way from the record grooves to the speakers. When you look at the bottom of a manual table, all you see is a tonearm cable coming out of the arm -- not a bunch of gears and mechanisms.
The same logic applies to why belt-drives are preferred. Direct drive tables, which are a favorite among DJs the world over, allow the platter to spin in either direction and get up to speed nearly instantly due to a motor which is part of the platter. The noise from the motor tends to make its way up to the platter and eventually to your stylus.
Belt-drive turntables, by contrast, isolate the platter from the motor. While the motor still makes noise, the fact that it’s separated from the platter and doesn’t make contact minimizes the amount of noise that will get to the stylus. Instead, a rubber belt turns the platter. It takes longer to get up to a stable speed -- sometimes as long as 30 seconds or so, and it’s not made for DJ-type spinning. But when it comes to pure sound, we think belt-drive turntables are your best best.
Belt drive, manual tables also seem to last forever as the only moving part that can break is the motor and belt drive motors can run for a very long time. We see 40+-year-old Regas coming into our shop for a new cartridge and new belt and they are good to go for another few decades!
In terms of build quality, Rega tables have a fit and finish that is second to none. From their entry-level P1 all the way up to the top-of-the-line P10, it is hard to tell much difference in the way they are put together. They’re all done so beautifully well. The fact that all of their turntables are made in Rega’s UK factory is pretty amazing too at a time when outsourcing is the norm. As a matter of fact, some people working in the Rega factory making turntables have been doing so for over 35 years! Rega has a very loyal and dedicated set of employees who all love great HiFi!
Features & Technology
For our feature overview we will start at the bottom and work our way up. Let’s begin with the plinth. This is the base, or platform of the turntable that everything else connects up to.
Rega’s design philosophy is to use a very lightweight material for the plinth, in order to help filter any noise down to the turntable’s feet and out. The P2 uses the same type of plinth as the more expensive P3. The inside is a material called medite. This is a very rigid material composed of resin, blended with recycled wood fibers. The outer layer is a high-pressure laminate. Whenever you sandwich materials like this, the combination results in a plinth that is super dead and rigid. Perfect for filtering away vibrations.
Moving up to the platter, the P2 is the first turntable in the Planar line to get Rega’s signature float glass platter. Glass can be machined to be super precise and flat, which is why Rega loves to use it on most of their tables. Rega uses a special 10mm thick material called Optiglass.
It’s quite heavy, which helps in getting a great flywheel effect. While it make take a few seconds to get up to speed, once it does, it stays consistent. Speed stability is the holy grail of turntable manufacturers turntable as it makes the music more emotionally involving and brings you closer to a live music experience. The float glass platter accomplishes this goal while also providing an elegant and sophisticated look.
Rega is a not only manufactures their own tables, but the tonearms as well. In fact, some turntable manufacturers even opt to use Rega arms on their tables. The P2 uses the new RB220 tonearm. It’s a one-piece conical design, which is made from a rigid piece of aluminum and helps reduce resonance. The P2 includes Rega’s zero tolerance bearings, which allow the cartridge to track better in the record grooves with no bearing chatter.
The main bearing, which supports the platter, is another critical component of any turntable. If there is any noise created by the bearing, it can easily be transmitted up to the platter and to your cartridge. Rega has always taken great care to use incredibly precise table bearings. The main bearing sits in a small hub made of a phenolic material with little ridges that support the glass platter. A stainless steel spindle then fits into a bronze bearing well. The tolerance is so tight that when you first put the inner hub into the bearing, it takes a while to sink down all the way. Another sign of a great bearing design!
Over the last 40 years, Rega has pretty much perfected their motor design. All of their motors are 24V AC and as you move up, the motor itself is more precision made. The P2 uses a twin phase, brushless type. It is then suspended in isolation material to keep any noise from getting into the plinth.
Performance
Setting up the P2 is a snap. You should be up and running in less than 5 minutes.
When you spin your first record, you’ll probably find yourself sitting there smiling. Rega tables are just flat out fun to listen to. This is due to the combination of their great speed stability and superior tonearms. The music will just flow out from your system with an effortless sound that will keep you wanting to spin more and more vinyl.
Rhythm and pacing are amazing for this price range. We feel this is one of the most important things a turntable needs to get right as it allows you to hear the subtle emotional qualities of the artist, thus drawing you deeper into the sound.
The jump up from the P1 is pretty astounding. Bass goes deeper, you’ll hear more small little details, and the music takes on a more effortless quality. Even though the cartridges are the same on both, the better components in the P2 really help the Carbon shine.
All of this shows the ND3 cartridge included with the P2 is a truly great value for the money. It does a lot of things right without having any traits that might irritate your ears over time. We do feel like if you move up to better cartridge you will hear more information and small details in the music, but you honestly won’t know you’re missing anything until you compare.
Overall Recommendation
The Rega Planar 2 is a great gateway into the world of better performing turntables. You can start out with the ND3 cartridge, then later move up to a higher level of performance with a cartridge upgrade. It is the least expensive table in Rega’s line up where you get a glass platter, one piece tonearm, and zero tolerance tonearm bearings. This is a table that might just last you 40+ years too! It is easy to see why it has already won 6 awards since its introduction.
Details & Specs
- Tonearm: Hand-assembled RB220 tonearm
- Cartridge: Factory fitted ND3 moving magnet cartridge
- Motor: 24 V low noise motor
- Dimensions (lid closed) (W x H x D): 447 x 117 x 360 mm
- Weight: 5.5 kg
