Many readers, that have acted upon my cartridge recommendations on this site, have emailed me and said that their cartridge upgrade didn’t give the expected results. I have received lots of feedback from readers saying that it is a great performer, and much better than the stock Rega Carbon. The Rega Exact is probably overkill for the Planar 1. During all my research on cartridges, which is probably hundreds of hours, I rarely come across a cartridge that gets as much love from vinyl enthusiasts as the VM540ML and its predecessors. The Planar 1 is also fitted with Rega's new RB110 tonearm containing their unique Zero Play Bearings. In my opinion. If Rega has a cartridge that offers great performance, then I would choose that one. The Carbon cartridge is pretty decent but already thinking ahead to when the need for a replacement comes. When I upgraded from the Rega Carbon cartridge to a Rega Exact cartridge on my Rega Planar 2, it absolutely transformed the turntable. Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT, Preamps I began with Ella Fitzgerald’s version of the Sinatra classic, One for My Baby. Rega Planar 1 design - new and improved It would take longer to list all the upgrades applied to this Planar 1 than it does to get it up and running, such is the breadth of tweaks Rega has applied here, and the simple set-up process that remains. Set-up remains possible in under 30 seconds making this the easiest to use, and most flexible Rega turntable to date. It seems to be the go-to cartridge upgrade for a big part of the vinyl community. More drama. Performance beyond price. And more enjoyment. I agree with Ron's comments above that the Planar 2 is currently the best value for money. But they are available for those that are geeky about VTA. Although I have not heard the Planar 1 Plus I have also owned a number of Rega turntables over the years including an RP1,P3 2000, RP3, current Planar 3 and RP8 and I have also listened to the current Planars 1, 2 and 3 back to back. And you will experience a significant increase in overall sound quality. One solution is to attach a turntable bracket to the wall. So the spacer might not be necessary. Set-up remains possible in under 30 seconds making this the easiest to use, and most flexible Rega turntable to date. Including Turntable Power Supply Upgrades, Motor Upgrade Kits, Arm Spacers, Drive Belts and Turntable Mats, Please contact us if you require anything that is not listed, Rega Turntable Replacement Dustcover Hinge Set£10.00, Rega Neo Turntable PSU Power Supply£236.00, Rega 24v High Performance Motor Upgrade Kit£135.00, Rega 3 Point Metal Spacer 2mm (For RB301, RB700, RB900 etc)From:  £13.00, Rega P1/P2/P3/P5/ P6/P7/P8 Felt Platter Mat (Black)£12.00, Rega Stylus Guard Protector (Original Rega Part)£5.99, Rega Turntable Felt Platter Mat (Different colours available)From:  £12.00, Rega Wall Plug 350mA Replacement Power Supply.£19.99, Rega Clear Turntable Dustcover (Fits all Rega Turntables Old & New)£46.99, Rega P3- 24, RP3, P5, P7 & P9 Motor Pulley (50Hz)£11.99, Rega Planar 2, Planar 3, P1, RP1, P2, P3, P25 Motor Pulley (50Hz)£6.99, Rega "A Vibration Measuring Machine" Book£39.50, Rega Extra Heavy Counterweight - Tungsten£125.00, Rega Planar 3 Replacement 12mm Glass Turntable Platter£99.99, Rega RB300 / RB303/ RB301/ RB808 Tungsten Counterweight£73.99, Rega RP3 / RP6 Complete Packaging Set£27.00, We use cookies on this website. The DL-103R is probably the next cartridge I will buy. The Rega Bias 2 has the same height and the same 3-point mount system as the Rega Carbon and will be very easy to fit on the Rega Planar 1. Also, the tonearm on Rega Planar 1 uses Rega’s 3-point mount system. Rega Clear Turntable Dustcover (Fits all Rega Turntables Old & New), Rega P3- 24, RP3, P5, P7 & P9 Motor Pulley (50Hz), Rega Planar 2, Planar 3, P1, RP1, P2, P3, P25 Motor Pulley (50Hz), Rega "A Vibration Measuring Machine" Book, Rega Extra Heavy Counterweight - Tungsten, Rega Planar 3 Replacement 12mm Glass Turntable Platter, Rega RB300 / RB303/ RB301/ RB808 Tungsten Counterweight. To solve this, Rega provides 2mm spacers that can be installed under the base of the tonearm if you fit a cartridge that is higher than the standard Rega Carbon. Hisense 7100 65" 4k TV, Pioneer SC-LX82, Pioneer BDP LX71, Apple TV 4K, Monitor Audio BX2, Gale centre, Speakercraft Sub. Vinyl Restart is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Our Sonos-ready package contains either the Planar 1 or 2, Behringer pre-amp and all cables to connect to a Sonos Connect, Connect: Amp, Play:5 or other amplifier/receiver. So the Ortofon 2M Blue stands out as the best fit for Rega Planar 1 when we are looking for a good balance between cost and performance. The Rega Elys 2 sits between the Rega Bias 2 and the top-of-the-line Rega Exact. The tonearm on Rega Planar 2 does not have height adjustment. That said, all the cartridges on reviewed above are truly great cartridges that comes up over and over again when I research great phono cartridges for turntables. Set-up remains possible in under 30 seconds making this the easiest to use, and most flexible Rega turntable to date. Designed for Planar 1, Planar 2, Planar 3 and Planar 6 and many older Rega models; Simple screw fit adaptors are available to fit the older, RP8 and RP10 turntables; Available in two colours: black and white; 1.2kg lighter and more rigid than the previous model I would use the same selection process if I were looking for a cartridge upgrade for the Rega Planar 1 as well. It is easy to fit and an affordable way to take your Rega Planar 1 to the next level sonically. The Planar 1 Plus benefits from all of the advantages of its sibling, the Planar 1, such as a low noise 24v motor, precision hub bearing assembly and hand made RB110 tonearm with a factory fitted Rega Carbon cartridge. The only parts passing from Rega's previous model, the RP1 is the Drive Belt, Sub Platter & Dust Cover. If you like the sleek, minimal design of the Planar 1 (in gloss white or gloss black finishes), you wo… Which is good for vinyl spinners. The Rega Planar 1 PLUS is a brand new plug-and-play turntable that benefits from all of the Planar 1’s advantages and adds a brand new built-in phono stage. Audio. Rega Wall Plug 350mA Replacement Power Supply. and added a… If you want to swing for the fences, and spend a lot more money, I would choose the Denon DL-103R. I’m not a huge fan of Pro-Ject phono stages and find them to be overpriced in general. Also, it has the benefit of showing off your turntable. Product code: 82350801. It is the cartridge that comes standard fitted with both the Rega Planar 1 and Rega Planar 2. And most third party cartridges are 2-4 mm higher than Regas’s own cartridge range. So, we’ll focus at cartridges that are less expensive than the Rega Exact in this article. Worry free installation was one of my selection criteria when choosing a cartridge upgrade for my Planar 2. For more about how we use cookies, please see our, Manufacturer Upgrades, Parts & Accessories, © Analogue Seduction 2020 | Vat reg no 983293580, Kirmuss Audio Upgrades Parts & Accessories, Michell Engineering Upgrades, Parts & Accessories, Nottingham Analogue Upgrades, Parts & Accessories, Rega Turntable Replacement Dustcover Hinge Set, Rega 24v High Performance Motor Upgrade Kit, Rega 3 Point Metal Spacer 2mm (For RB301, RB700, RB900 etc), Rega P1/P2/P3/P5/ P6/P7/P8 Felt Platter Mat (Black), Rega Stylus Guard Protector (Original Rega Part), Rega Turntable Felt Platter Mat (Different colours available). I then brought out a Lenco L-3808 (£200), flicked its internal phono amplifier switch to external (if Lenco has such a thing, why doesn’t Rega?) And actually, highly rated by the vinyl community. When there is an option to get true high-end moving coil performance for the fraction of the price of most top-of-the-line MC cartridges, that is just very tempting. The Planar 1 Plus benefits from all of the advantages of its sibling, the Planar 1, such as a low noise 24v motor, precision hub bearing assembly and RB110 tonearm with a factory fitted Carbon cartridge. Hi-Fi. The VM530EN is a great cartridge upgrade for the Rega Planar 1 for a quite reasonable price. A new cartridge will need about 30 hours of vinyl spinning before it starts to sound its best. This is for the Rega Planar 1 (2016) model. Probably overkill, but still. You won’t go wrong with any of them. Sporting the same winning combination of style and performance as the regular Planar 1, the Plus avoids having to use an external phono preamp and plugs into the line inputs of any integrated amplifier. Set-up remains possible in under 30 seconds making this the easiest to use, and most flexible Rega turntable to date. But if you want to swing for the fences, this cartridge will take your Rega Planar 1 to very high levels. Two spacers will life the tonearm 4mm. 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