Rega Planar 2

Rega Planar 2

Glass platter, RB220 tonearm – and the Nd3 factory-fitted on request

Three things separate Planar 1 and Planar 2: a platter of ten millimetre glass instead of phenolic resin, the RB220 tonearm with a stiffer bearing housing and adjustable bias, and a high-gloss plinth. What stays is the Rega way of building – light, stiff, without adjustments.

Since 2024 the Planar 2 is also available with the Nd3 cartridge factory-fitted, the successor to the Elys 2 with an elliptical diamond. What Hi-Fi pitched exactly this package against the Pro-Ject Debut EVO 2 and reached a verdict that describes both decks well: the Rega is the choice for rhythm and drive, the Pro-Ject for velvety mids. Hear both and you choose by taste, not by features.

Two Rega traits apply here too: speed is changed at the belt, and the Neo power supply cannot be retrofitted – that needs a Planar 3. If you want that from the outset, the Planar 3 RS serves you better.

What the press says

What Hi-Fi?, September 2024 – 5 stars (Planar 2 with Nd3)

„There are rival turntables – such as the new Pro-Ject Debut Evo 2 – that deliver a more immediately likeable, sweet-toned midrange, but the Rega counters with subtler detail, engaging and convincing dynamics, and a better, more natural sense of rhythmic drive.“

HIFI.DE, Bernhard Rietschel, March 2021

„Das Stück entfaltet auf dem Planar 2 richtig schwungvollen Drive, den du auf den meisten anderen Spielern dieser Preisklasse nicht erleben wirst.“

Translation: On the Planar 2 the track develops a genuinely swinging drive you will not experience on most other decks at this price. – Tested with the Carbon, before the Nd3 option existed.

Who is this turntable for?

For anyone who finds the Planar 1 too basic but wants to stay under a thousand euros. With the Nd3 it is the package What Hi-Fi prefers over the Debut EVO 2 – if rhythm matters more than velvet. If you want electronic speed change or a power-supply upgrade, skip it and take the Planar 3 RS.

Specifications