Turntables

Welcome to the world of vinyl. With a budget of 800 euro you can already get quite far. What you obviously need is a good turntable with a well-adjusted cartridge, and possibly an integrated or separate phono stage. You can look at a Planar 1 (Plus) or a Planar 2. The difference is that with a Planar 2 you experience more dynamics and calm.

By far the Planar 3 with an ND3 cartridge. Do make absolutely sure that you have a good phono stage, built into your amplifier or as a separate unit — possibly a Fono MK5. That is at least as important as the turntable itself. Even the best phono stage with a cheaper turntable works better than an expensive turntable on a cheap phono stage or amplifier.

A turntable is actually a very simple device, but it is made up of a few important parts: the motor, the plinth itself, the platter and the arm. That is where the difference between the three types lies. Where the Planar 1 has a pressed platter, the Planar 2 and 3 use a glass platter. That higher weight effectively acts as a better flywheel. The arm is also where there is a very clear difference between the types: the 110, if I am not mistaken the 220, and then the 330 on the Planar 3, an arm that is widely regarded as one of the best ever made, certainly for the money. The fact that it is mounted on a Planar 3 actually says a great deal. That certainly does not mean the Planar 1 is not a good turntable, quite the opposite. The plinth also differs between the three, and the power supply to the motor becomes important. Every motor vibrates, and those vibrations are better controlled by the 2 and of course by the 3 as well. The Planar 2 does not have a heavier motor, but a better controlled one, and the same goes for the 3. These are all small differences that nonetheless come at a considerable price. They are certainly audible, but not equally important to everyone. Much depends on the rest of your system: the turntable is really the end point of your system, which starts from your amplifier and loudspeakers. As far as we are concerned, the step up is worth it each time when the system calls for it. With a very, very good system there is no doubt and the Planar 3 is a must in any case. For people with an entry-level amplifier, typically Japanese models with smaller speakers that are certainly very musical, a Planar 1 or Planar 1 Plus is a very good entry point.

At every step up the range a number of things are improved: the arm, the plinth and its stiffness, the sub-platter, the motor drive, the main bearing and the precision of the arm bearings. On the more expensive models this is joined by a double drive and an external power supply that minimises vibration from the motor. Further up the range more extreme materials are used as well. The Planar 3 has the RB330 arm, a plinth with DB brace, a simpler motor control, a plastic sub-platter, a brass main bearing and a 12 mm glass platter. It can be upgraded, though, with the Neo TTPSU as an external power supply. The Planar 6 keeps the RB330 but gets a plinth of ultra-light Tancast 8 foam with DB brace, motor control via the Neo TTPSU as standard, an aluminium sub-platter, a thicker brass main bearing and a double glass platter with an outer ring for more stability. The Planar 8 carries the RB880 arm, with the same Tancast 8 plinth but with the excess weight removed, motor control via the Neo TTPSU as standard, an aluminium sub-platter with double belt drive, the thicker brass main bearing and a triple glass platter with outer rings for even more stability. The Planar 10 moves to the RB3000, the same skeletal Tancast 8 plinth, motor control via the Planar 10 PSU for an extremely quiet motor, an aluminium sub-platter with double belt drive, the thicker brass main bearing and a ceramic platter with an outer ring. Those technical aspects mean that each step delivers more calm, more detail and a bigger soundstage. The differences can be heard straight away.

A turntable delivers a tiny signal, which first needs extra amplification before your amplifier can do anything with it. Not every amplifier has that function on board — and that is exactly what the Planar 1 Plus is for: the same turntable as the Planar 1, but with a built-in phono stage. So have a look at the back of your amplifier. If there is an input marked PHONO, the ordinary Planar 1 does its job perfectly. If that input is missing, the Planar 1 Plus solves it in a single unit.

The choice of a turntable does not depend so much on the brand of your amplifier. The fact that you have a Marantz or Denon mainly says something good: those are solid amplifiers, and a Planar 1 or Planar 2 suits them very well. If you want more musicality, it often pays more to look at the amplifier itself — the small Brio from Rega, for instance. A good, powerful, musical amplifier as the heart of your system brings more than a more expensive turntable on top of it.

That depends entirely on what your system can already do. If there is an amplifier at the heart of your setup with a very good phono stage built in, or if you have an external phono stage, then a better turntable is in its place. The same goes for the loudspeakers: they need to be able to reproduce precisely those very small details. Once those things are right, an expensive turntable is certainly worth it. It is then almost the final destination. But without what comes before it — amplifier, phono stage, cables and loudspeakers — that turntable makes no sense.

You set that yourself, and on a Rega it is almost child's play. Though you had better keep the children away for a moment, so the stylus does not get wrecked straight away. You fit the counterweight and adjust it so that the arm is in balance, so that it floats freely. Once that is the case, you turn the weight further until you are at the value from the manual, 1.75 grams. Then you set the anti-skating to 1.75 as well. Done. Once again: keep the children away for a moment, but otherwise it is child's play.

You start by letting the arm float. Bring it into balance so that it hangs freely in equilibrium, without the stylus pulling downwards or upwards. From that point you set the tracking force with the little spring. Usually you end up at 1.75. Then comes the anti-skating, with the little slider under the arm. You set that to 1.75 straight away as well.

Usually that is a matter of tracking force. If it is set too low, the cartridge will distort — and too light a tracking force also causes the stylus to start skipping. So start there: check the tracking force and set it correctly. If the problem remains after setting it correctly, there may be something wrong with the cartridge itself. In that case you are best off going back to your dealer.

As far away as possible from sources of interference. Amplifiers and internet routers are the best-known ones: if your turntable sits too close to them, the cartridge can pick up a hum. Beyond that, you want a solid surface, and set it level.

That depends on the model. On roughly nine out of ten turntables there is a simple mechanical switch that moves the belt from a smaller pulley to a larger one, and that is what changes the speed. On a Rega this happens underneath the platter. On a Planar 1, 2 and 3 you do it by hand: you lift the platter off for a moment and move the belt over yourself. That is easy to do. On a Planar 6, 8 and 10 you adjust the speed via the external power supply. So on a few turntables, a Rega among them, it is done entirely manually.

Count on around five years. What is pleasant about Rega: the current belts are compatible with the turntables of the last 52 years, so you are never stuck with an extinct part. The difference between the advance belt and the reference belt lies in the precision. The reference belt is made more precisely across the board and has a lower wow-and-flutter effect. You find it from the Planar 6, 8 and 10, and on the Naia. The advance belt is mainly intended for the Planar 1, 2 and 3.

A turntable can be serviced by your dealer. The biggest step you will make is with the cartridge, although the quality of the phono stage is often underestimated. My advice would be to upgrade the cartridge first and then the phono stage.

No, this is indeed an upgrade, and a very big difference, both in musicality and in detail. You immediately notice much more calm in the system, and through that calm everything comes forward: musicality, dynamics and more information. From the Planar 3 onwards you have a true all-rounder in the house. With it you can later upgrade further to better cartridges and phono stages, each time with clear differences that improve your experience.

They are two different design philosophies. Automatic is easy. Manual is pure, so as to have as little unnecessary mass and mechanism on the turntable as possible. If the record keeps turning for a while after it has reached the end, that does absolutely no harm. Time for the next record.

These brands have proven themselves over many years, each with its own philosophy and its own sound. You experience those differences best at your local dealer.

No, that is not necessary. You can also buy an external phono stage. They come in all kinds of price ranges and sizes. What does matter is that it is properly matched to the whole system, and to the cartridge in particular.

A turntable with Bluetooth absolutely does not sound the same as a turntable with a cable. I would certainly not recommend it, unless it is purely about the aesthetic side of things.

If you are looking for a compact turntable, you soon end up at Rega. Rega works from a less-is-more philosophy: the turntables are very musical and easy to operate.

Make sure the surface it stands on is level. If that is level, the rest falls into place by itself.

You can just switch it on. Then check whether everything is working properly. That way you can find out straight away whether playing vinyl appeals to you, or whether you would rather listen to music digitally after all.

We still service Rega turntables from the 80s and 90s. The belt is best replaced every five years, and the cartridge also needs replacing from time to time. With normal use a cartridge lasts five to ten years. You only really notice the difference with the cartridge once you fit a new one.