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Rega Planar 3 2016 worthwhile upgrades

A

Allaboutmusic

pfm Member
Hi all,

My current turntable is a rega planar 3 2016 edition with exact cartridge, the rest of my system is a rega elex r, rega dac r and neat motive sx3 speakers.

What I am wondering is how far I can take the turntable with upgrades? Considering the psu but what else would be worthwhile?

Thanks in advance.
 
The Neo PSU does seem to have positive comments on the web and the white belts did lift the performance of my P9 (I'm on my second set).
 
Whereas previous iterations of the Planar 3 struggled to keep up with wobbly decks of yore, I think the latest version easily competes. The tweaks that take it to a higher level are the Neo PSU and a third-party subplatter, such as the Groovetracer or Tangospinner. The Funk Achromat is also a clear upgrade to my ears. The Michel Tecnoweight is worth considering too. Oddly enough, I prefer the normal belt to the white one. I'm listening to my P3 as I type and it sounds gorgeous (AT-F7 cartridge into a Fono MC). If I had to urge (and cash) to upgrade I'd skip the P6 and go straight to the P8.
 
JustJohn said:
Whereas previous iterations of the Planar 3 struggled to keep up with wobbly decks of yore, I think the latest version easily competes. The tweaks that take it to a higher level are the Neo PSU and a third-party subplatter, such as the Groovetracer or Tangospinner. The Funk Achromat is also a clear upgrade to my ears. The Michel Tecnoweight is worth considering too. Oddly enough, I prefer the normal belt to the white one. I'm listening to my P3 as I type and it sounds gorgeous (AT-F7 cartridge into a Fono MC). If I had to urge (and cash) to upgrade I'd skip the P6 and go straight to the P8.
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Re the sub platter how is it makes a difference?

Is it worth changing the platter too?

Agree re the P6, I like the look of P3 also with mine being white as it lifts the overall look of my system with the rest being black boxes. So would probably jump to P8 at some point.

How did you find the MC cartridge as an upgrade?
 
Allaboutmusic said:
Re the sub platter how is it makes a difference?
Click to expand...

A well-machined metal sub-platter seems to improve speed stability, I guess through its smooth surface for the belt? I put a Groovetracer on my Planar 2, and it sounded like a $1000 turntable upgrade to me. It brought a little bit of everything - speed/pitch stability, a more solid stereo image, less noise, "blacker blacks"...

Sometimes I wonder though if half of that was just from cleaning and re-lubing the bearing.

Allaboutmusic said:
Is it worth changing the platter too?
Click to expand...

I doubt it's as cost effective as the subplatter. I haven't heard an accessory platter, but they seem pricy and I doubt it brings as much of an overall upgrade. And the glass platter is part of the Rega "flavor".
 
Economically, the most worthwhile upgrade is indeed a P6 or P8 or deck of comparable quality.

If, however, you're tied to your deck for reasons of aesthetics or similar, the groovetracer subplatter is perhaps the only upgrade I'd undertake - it does measurably lower the noise floor by several db, confirmed by myself on my RP6.

Good isolation, a decent cart (AT540ML), upgraded subplatter all amounts to a more than decent performer.
 
Just to say, the Exact does have its fans - it's not a given that a similarly priced AT cart, for instance, is going to be better.
 
TT PSU, (now called Neo) , you could change the bearing, bearing sleeve, sub platter, belt, platter, supports, etc
I have an RP3, I added the TT PSU, changed the bearing, alloy sub platter, new belt, Delrin platter. All of these changes brought a significant improvement in performance.
 
Seanm said:
Just to say, the Exact does have its fans - it's not a given that a similarly priced AT cart, for instance, is going to be better.
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Yes I do like the Exact I found it a good upgrade over the Elyse when I bought it and that was through my Brio. Since changing to the Elex-r I am really enjoying my vinyl now, more so than music via my dac where as previously via the brio the dac sounded better.

I am also a real fan of the P3 in white and thus want to take it as far as I can.
 
Yank said:
A well-machined metal sub-platter seems to improve speed stability, I guess through its smooth surface for the belt? I put a Groovetracer on my Planar 2, and it sounded like a $1000 turntable upgrade to me. It brought a little bit of everything - speed/pitch stability, a more solid stereo image, less noise, "blacker blacks"...

Sometimes I wonder though if half of that was just from cleaning and re-lubing the bearing.



I doubt it's as cost effective as the subplatter. I haven't heard an accessory platter, but they seem pricy and I doubt it brings as much of an overall upgrade. And the glass platter is part of the Rega "flavor".
Click to expand...
I think I will give the sub platter a try plus Neo PSU.
 
I've had the Exact and the At440mla. They have very different characters (the AT clean and precise, the Rega fatter and funkier) but that's not to say one is definitively better than the other. In the end I preferred the basic AT-F7 MC to both, and it mates superbly well with the Fono MC. I'm now an MC convert, but I wouldn't mind having an Exact/Fono MM in reserve for an occasional change of flavour. All the same, I think you'll hear a big difference by adding the Neo and changing the sub platter. I wouldn't touch the platter: the green glass looks great and is definitely part of the character.
 
Yes agree will leave the glass platter.

In people's views, once you add exact, white belt, Neo PSU and new sub platter, would the table be equivalent or nearly equivalent to the RP6? I would expect new P6 to better still but not by much.
 
I would expect those changes to get you close to a P6, which is why if I were upgrading I'd leap straight to the P8. That said, if the P6 was available at the time I bought my P3 I would have gone with it in a heartbeat.

On the other hand, the P6 does look bloody good.
 
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