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REVIEW: Rega P3 upgrade to Planar 3 Turntables Review by Darryl at Audio Asylum

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The older Rega Planar 3

I have had a Rega Planar 3 turntable with RB300 tonearm and Rega Elys cartridge for 9 months. Two weeks ago my local dealer, The Gifted Listener , installed the motor upgrade for $155 parts plus $45 labor.

P3 Motor Upgrade

The motor upgrade is a standard feature in the new Rega P3, which replaces the Planar 3. The P3 also has a re-designed plinth.

According to the product literature, the new motor is quieter and has less vibration than the motor it replaces. The older motor was suspended from the TT plinth's underside in order to lessen its impact on the plinth. A weakness of the suspended motor was lack of pitch/speed control.

With a quieter and stabler motor, the motor could now be rigidly attached to the plinth without undue vibration/noise problems ensuing. By attaching the motor directly to the plinth, you gain stability of pitch/speed control.

How to upgrade

The dealer needed to do some soldering to install the upgrade. He took out the old motor and replaced it with the new motor. Unless you're a technie, let your dealer do the upgrade.

Mechanical differences

One of the first things I noticed was that the belt did not "wobble" up and down the spindle shaft like it used to. It's hard to explain what the belt did with the old motor, but I will try: the belt would start moving up, then it would self-correct by snapping downward, and start moving up again. This did not happen all the time, but it suggested some unwanted variation in the operation. With the new motor, the belt always revolves in perfect alignment. The TT also starts up without the inital creaking sound.

Sound

I will preface this section by acknowleding that it's very difficult to accurately evaluate any difference in sound because it's obviously impossible to do any A/B testing. You have to evaluate based on memory.

Before the upgrade, I did play a few records that I was familiar with. I played the same records after the upgrade.

I did not notice any ear shattering improvement. What I did notice was:

* Slightly quieter backgrounds. Possibly a function of reduced vibration, motor noise.

* Listening to acoustic bass notes in jazz record "Way Out West" (Sonny Rollins), the bass notes just seemed to hang in the air like icecicles. They were so sharp and defined. I think this could be because the better speed/pitch control helped keep the integrity of the sustained twang intact.

* Slightly greater overall resolution of sound. Slightly greater overall impact.

Again, the difference was subtle, and except for my observation about the bass notes, I will allow that it could all be in my head.

But here's another observation: I have the Beatles "White Album" on CD (Capitol standard issue) and LP (Capitol reissue from early 1980s). I would often A/B the CD and LP to listen for differences in format. With this selection, to my ears, the LP always won by a hair. The LP was slightly richer, the CD thinner by comparison.

After the motor upgrade, I made the same comparision. This time, the LP really trounced the CD. It was no comparison.

It seems that this LP vs. CD comparison with the "White Album" is the best way I can empiracally evaluate the before-and-after difference.

That being said, I also have Bach's Brandenburg Concertos (Leppard, ECO, Philips) on CD and LP. Before the upgrade, I gave the LP the nod slightly. After the upgrade--I still gave the LP the nod, only slightly. With this musical selection, I didn't hear much difference before-and-after.

Summary

The biggest problem with doing this review is that it's difficult to remember what "before" sounded like when you're listening to "after". That being said, I do believe I hear some improvement, and I trust that Rega knows what it's doing. At any rate, the upgrade is only $155.

Darryl Hopkins


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Topic - REVIEW: Rega P3 upgrade to Planar 3 Turntables Review by Darryl at Audio Asylum - Darryl 17:30:57 12/13/00 ( 8)