Rega - Planar 1 Plus Turntable (Display Model)

A Planar 1 with a Rega moving magnet phono stage built into the plinth — the single-box answer when your amplifier has no phono input. This one is a display model.

Plenty of modern amplifiers, powered speakers and receivers have no phono input at all, and the usual fix is a separate box and another pair of cables. The Planar 1 Plus puts a Rega moving magnet phono stage inside the plinth instead, so the deck connects straight to any line input.

Mechanically it is a Planar 1 and none the worse for it: the same 23mm high-mass phenolic platter, precision brass main bearing, 24V low-noise motor, EBLT Advanced belt, hand-assembled RB110 arm and factory-fitted Rega Carbon moving magnet cartridge. It weighs 4.35kg against the Planar 1’s 4.2kg, and that 150g difference is the onboard electronics. Rega calls it the ultimate plug and play turntable, which is fair.

Speed changes are made by hand at the pulley, and as on the Planar 1 the RB110’s tracking force is not user-adjustable and bias is automatic.

One honest caveat on the specification: Rega publishes no electrical figures at all for the built-in phono stage — no gain, no input impedance, no capacitance, no signal-to-noise. Any such number on another retailer’s listing did not come from Rega, and we are not going to invent one.

Features

• Rega moving magnet phono stage built into the plinth — connects to any line input
• Rega Carbon moving magnet cartridge fitted at the factory
• Hand-assembled RB110 tonearm with pre-set bias
• 23mm high-mass phenolic resin platter and precision brass main bearing
• 24V low-noise motor with EBLT Advanced belt
• Mechanically identical to the Planar 1 — the difference is the onboard electronics
• Lifetime Limited Warranty; designed and assembled in the UK

Specifications

• Type: Belt-drive turntable with tonearm, cartridge and built-in moving magnet phono stage
• Condition: Display model
• Phono Stage: Integrated Rega moving magnet stage, which Rega describes as a high specification pre-amplifier designed to amplify a moving magnet cartridge to a level suitable for line inputs
• Platter: 23mm high-mass phenolic resin
• Bearing: Precision brass main bearing
• Motor: 24V low-noise
• Speed Change: Manual belt change at the pulley, as per the Planar 1. No Neo PSU option
• Tonearm: Hand-assembled RB110
• Bias: Automatic and pre-set
• Tracking Force: Not user-adjustable — fixed 111g balance weight
• Arm Height / VTA: Not adjustable. This is deliberate on Rega’s part rather than an omission, and the company states its reasoning plainly: it believes the integrity of the arm fixing to the arm board matters more than the questionable facility of arm height adjustment. Rega’s guidance is that the arm should sit reasonably parallel to the record surface or slightly lower at the mounting, and that its optional 2mm spacers are only needed if the rear of a cartridge fouls the record while playing
• Cartridge: Rega Carbon moving magnet, factory-fitted
• Drive Belt: EBLT Advanced
• Dimensions: 447 x 117 x 360 mm (W x H x D), lid closed
• Weight: 4.35kg
• Finishes: Matt black, matt white, walnut effect. The walnut version ships with a smoked dustcover
• Origin: Rega Research Ltd, Southend-on-Sea, Essex. Rega’s own wording is that every product is designed and assembled in the UK — assembled rather than wholly manufactured, which is the phrasing we use rather than claiming complete UK component sourcing
• Warranty: Lifetime Limited Warranty against confirmed manufacturing defects. It does not cover wear and tear or parts considered consumable, and unauthorised modification may invalidate it. Rega states cover is contingent on parts remaining available, is not transferable, and is valid only in the country of purchase
• Not Published: Any electrical specification for the built-in phono stage — Rega gives no gain, input impedance, capacitance, output level, signal-to-noise or overload margin; wow and flutter; rumble; speed accuracy
• Note: Rega publishes no wow and flutter, rumble or speed accuracy figure for any turntable in the Planar range. We checked every product page and five downloadable Rega manuals — Rega’s manuals are setup guides rather than datasheets, and contain no measurement section at all. Any such number you see quoted against a Rega deck comes from a third-party magazine test, not from Rega