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The USB ripping feature remains, so you can digitise your vinyl collection is CD quality WAV files up to 16-bit/44.1kHz and 48kHz. If you're after a well-executed design that's well-built, easy to set up and sounds great for the money, the AT-LP5x is worthy of a spot on your shortlist. Taken as a whole? From the Plus, as I say above, the song sounded like the record label had added a touch of compression to the recording. The reason for these negatives? Again, easy. Point the finger directly at the built-in phono amplifier. Frankly, the much cheaper Rega RP1/Cambridge combination left the Plus in its sonic wake. Here at What Hi-Fi?we review hundreds of products every year, from TVs to speakers, headphones to hi-fi systems. So how do we come to our review verdicts and why can you trust them? Allow us to explain. Once you have chosen, it's also crucial you set up your turntable correctly. While some record players are relatively "plug and play", many require a little more time and effort to hear at their best. Want to know more? Read our complete guide to choosing the right turntable. How we test record players
For Rega this is a non profit initiative designed to use parts and save them from being disposed off. This Debut Pro turntable is terrific at digging deep into the production and revealing layers of instrumental textures that most at this level ignore. It sounds incredibly precise and crisp. Its presentation is a little on the lean side, but the upside of such a balance is agility.It produces a stable and controlled sound too, one that retains its composure even when the music becomes dense and demanding. Stereo imaging and a spacious soundstage prove admirable and we are impressed with the sonic authority on offer. There are, no doubt, practical reasons why Rega has done this. Let me suggest a few. To add customer value by bundling the two together (we’ll get to that point in a moment), to decrease the amount of cables that you need to worry about (although removing two cables from the set-up is a relatively minor headache saver), to reduce the footprint of the two separate products for those users where space is of a premium (although the Fono is a pretty small item, as it is), to cater to the technophobe by simplifying the installation process and maybe to enter the ‘bundling’ fad that the industry has fallen prey to of late. Recent hi-fi show attendances has revealed to me that, along with active/powered speakers, the latest industry ‘craze’ is to bundle previously disparate items together into a single chassis. I reviewed the Elipson music centre recently, for example, which adds network audio to radio and a CD player and more. The rebirth of Technics has spawned another fantastic turntable. While we love the high-end SL-1000R model (so much so that we use it as part of our reference testing system), the SL-1500C is much more affordable, and it's also one of the best record players we've heard at around a grand that includes a built-in phono stage.
Platter
We have a selection of marked or scratched P2 and P3 high gloss acrylic plinths that will also be built as Planar 1. (We will fit the appropriate brass bearing at no extra cost for those using P3 plinths).
And to be clear, you’ll enjoy it. The Planar 1 Plus is slightly different in configuration to other Rega turntables but its DNA is pure Rega and it shows the moment that it gets to grips with any time signature. The truly awesome Heaven/Hell by Chvrches - seemingly written for a film montage to mind blowing to exist yet - lets the Planar 1 Plus show why, even at this relatively sane level, there’s a certain something to vinyl replay that gets to you. You can listen to the same album on Tidal via the Star’s own (formidable) internal decoding and it is brilliant but there’s a vibrancy and rhythmic energy to the Rega that gets under the skin after a while. It’s not better in any technical sense but it’s utterly compelling on an emotional level. Perhaps the most convenient feature is the built-in MM Phono stage (based on the Rega Fono Mini). This means you can connect the turntable directly to any amplifier or system with standard phono inputs, reducing the need for additional components and simplifying your setup. The Planar 1 Plus comes with a 24v, low-noise, synchronous motor that reduces vibration, minimizing potential noise interference with the stylus’s critical task—reading the record groove accurately.Rega asked themselves, how do we make the most successful turntable we have ever made sound better, be even easier to use and be more accessible to a wider audience? The answer was simple; Rega engineers added a custom designed, high quality, moving magnet phono stage based around the multi-award winning What Hi-Fi? 5 Star Fono Mini. V, synchronous AC motor with a new motor PCB and aluminium pulley offering low noise and better speed stability. Drive belt So, what’s the Plus good for? Firstly, Rega fans (and there’s plenty out there) will buy this turntable no-matter what. Users who do not trust plastic Chinese productions will buy the Plus. Users who like the quality finish and all-in-one nature of the Plus will buy it. It will appeal to image-conscious technophobes too. Similarly, make sure you read up on the sonic characteristics of all your components – even five-star products benefit from the right partnering. Through the Rega, Fitzgerald’s vocal delivery was fractured. This from the smoothest vocal delivery in the business. Her voice sounded worried. It was as if something truly horrible was going to happen after the session and she was fretting about it during her performance. She sounded positively tense.
In an era where digital formats seem to rule the music world, Rega stands firm in its commitment to keeping the vinyl legacy alive with its excellent lineup of turntables. The Rega Planar 1 Plus is a sterling example of this dedication. Marrying simplicity with innovation, the Planar 1 Plus Turntable delivers pure, captivating sound straight from your beloved vinyl records. Let's dive deep into its features and benefits. A Turntable for Every Music Enthusiast: Rega Planar 1 Plus Rega's Planar 1 Plus brings the excitement and warmth of vinyl to the 21st century without the hurdles often associated with turntable setups. This award-winning turntable shines bright, offering seamless integration for those entering the world of analogue sound and terrific performance upgrades for seasoned aficionados. Key Features The What Hi-Fi?team has more than 100 years of collective experience in reviewing, testing and writing about consumer electronics – and that includes plenty of record players. We have state-of-the-art testing facilities in London, Reading and Bath, where our team of expert reviewers do all our in-house testing. This gives us complete control over the testing process, ensuring consistency across all products.We always ensure we spend plenty of time with each turntable, setting them up correctly, trying them with different partnering electronics, in different positions and playing various records and music genres.
Isolation
Actually, the cymbals offered a perfect metaphor for the Plus’ problem so they deserve further exploration. While concentrating, you could hear supreme quality from the cymbals. The cymbals sounded sublime. Large, expansive, dynamically stretched and reaching upwards, forever upwards. You could really hear the larger nature of these big pieces of metal. The sheer scaling detail from the Rega was stupendous. The problem was the blanket of noise that covered all of this beauty, it turned the cymbals into something foreign. ‘Pretend cymbals’, if you will. And this is the thing with the Plus, you could hear the quality behind the noise. The noise was like a fence, you wanted to peer over the top of it to get to the great sound quality behind. You could hear the Planar 1 trying, even at this point, to be the best. And it was actually heartbreaking. Speaking as a dedicated audiophile, it was actually upsetting to hear what Rega has done to this beautiful turntable. While some may prefer the Planar 1/Fono set-up’s brawny sound, we find the sprightly nature of the Planar 1 Plus more fun to listen to. Other green Grade components will be used as and when available such as platters and tonearms with cosmetic faults.
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