loosely, and in no rush, on the lookout for a record deck and a rega planar 2 popped up on my local ebay search the other day. lovely looking deck with its wood surround. so before i get lost in the depths of hifi forums etc can anyone tell me anything about them, as a used deck is one worth keeping a look out for?
P2 can be "old" or "new" version
read this to tell difference
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rega_Planar_3#Comparison_with_Planar_2_.2F_P2
P3 is probably still a sweet spot in terms of price/performance with Rega
but cost a fair bit more than the P2.
If you can get the P2 at a good price then there is plenty of upgrading possible - - spreading the cost - if you want to get involved with upgrading.
Its possible to get a bit hung up on the whole upgrade and X v Y ...
Budget for a new cartridge - Rega - to minimise setup problems
Got any pics?
S shaped tone arm means it's an early one - wooden plinth is either a very early one or a modification.
My Planar is about 25 years old and has the straight arm and black plinth.
s shaped arm must be *very* old. My old P3 is at least 20, probably 25 by now and it's a straight arm.
they're a good SH buy as there's so little to go wrong. New rubber band and new cartridge and they're as good as new.
agree that there are lots of modified versions about. I nearly got one of these
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interesting, thanks. this is a link to the actual ebay listing i saw, not me that won the auction i'll add, but if anyone can tell me about this particular model so i know what to look for in the future i'd appreciate it.
a quick google tells me R200 arms were fitted between 1977 and 1983. Even given their reputation for longevity I'd be going for something that is simply old and not "vintage".
[url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rega-Planar-3-Turntable-Linn-K9-Cartridge-RB300-Tonearm-/141671250067?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item20fc43b893 ]like this maybe[/url]
someone else might know more but I'd just be looking for one that's not been obviously kicked about. Apart from gross abuse they're solidly built and there's not much to go wrong. There are loads of them about too.
Not had a Planar 2 but had a Planar 3 and a Planar 25 (that was sweet) and now got an RP6 with external power supply. Think I preferred the 25 if I'm honest.
Rega stuff rocks. the Planar 2 will be hard to beat for the price.
i did a quick basic ebay look when i saw this one and the amount of spares i saw even at that level was what interested me.
one more question, is there any advantage of looking for a planar 3 over the 2?
Yeah, they do sound a bit different, but not massively.
I'd still go for a 3, worth paying a little extra for.
You can get them serviced for about £100 - dealer near me services them and sells old decks too - not a big place, but worth giving them a call for a chat.
[url= http://www.wilkinsons.tv/ ]Wilkinsons.[/url]
Very friendly and helpful bunch.
They are simple, but you can break them very easily - moving it
with the platter on, lifting up the sub platter, adjusting arm height, using too much force fitting a cartridge etc.
Oh, check the hinges on the lid - plastic, last about 10 years for me.
Pain in the arse to replace - a new lid is £60.
Go for a 3 if you're just going to listen to it but I've heard a 2 is better to cannibalise and upgrade if that's what you're after