The legendary Planar 3 turntable has taken up a fair amount of the Rega engineering team’s attention recently. In 2023, an upgraded, limited-edition version of the mid-range deck was announced as part of the company’s 50th-anniversary celebrations. Then last year, the deck’s original cartridge partner changed from the long-running Elys 2 to the new Nd3 moving-magnet (at no extra cost), enhancing the performance enough to win back the turntable ‘Product of the Year’ title from the Pro-Ject deck that took it the year prior. And finally, following that feat, Rega announced it was upgrading the Planar 3 design to produce an RS (Rega Special) Edition, imbued with technology and elements taken from the company’s higher-end models and fittingly plugging the significant price gap between the ‘standard’ Planar 3 and the next-model-up Planar 6 in the lineup.
The Planar 3 is a What Hi-Fi? Award winner at its price level, but now that we have reviewed the pricier Planar 3 RS Edition, can we say that its upgrades justify the premium? Here we compare their price, design and performance to ascertain which is the better-value spinner.
Rega Planar 3 vs RS Edition: price
The Planar 3/Nd3 package costs £799 / $1395 / AU$1699 and it's the best-performing deck at its price level, edging ahead of its closest rival, the outgoing Pro-Ject Debut Pro (£699 / $999 / AU$1079).
The Planar 3 RS Edition, meanwhile, comes with the model-up Nd5 cartridge and costs £999 / $1795 / AU$2199 – roughly 25 to 30 per cent more than the standard deck, then. For further context, Rega's Planar 6 (without a cartridge) starts at £1115 / $1875 / AU$2399.
If you already own the Planar 3, you can purchase certain elements to bring it closer to the RS Edition specification, including the Nd5 cartridge (£295 / $675 / AU$650), the external Neo Mk2 power supply unit (£260 / $445 / AU$549) and the Reference EBLT drive belt (£17 / $75 / AU$75), though that will ring up a total that's considerably more than the cost difference between the two decks bought new.
We'll ruin the surprise somewhat by telling you that both decks are the best you can buy at their respective price points, but if your budget falls below or above their asking fees, check out our turntables buying guide for our expert pick of the best budget and premium alternatives.
**Winner: Rega Planar 3/Nd3**
Rega Planar 3 vs RS Edition: design & upgrades
Rega has long championed its ‘low mass, high rigidity’ design principles, believing that structural mass absorbs energy from the music (boo) and increases the transmission of distortion to the sound (double-boo). To that end, both Planar 3 decks (like the Planar 1 and 2) use an MDF core with a lightweight yet rigid skin. While the standard model uses a phenolic resin wrap, the RS Edition borrows the more advanced – thinner and lighter but more rigid – High Pressure Laminate (HPL) wrap that has so far only been seen in the more premium Planar 6, Planar 8 and Planar 10. decks.
Over its many generations, the Planar 3 has always been a nicely made and finished turntable, its visual identity centred on a glossy plinth, available in black or white acrylic laminate. It was rather startling, then, to see a new brushed aluminium finish on the RS Edition – a feeling akin to when we first laid eyes on Instagram’s new vibrant logo – though we soon got used to the idea. “It looks elegant and sleek, with high gloss black edges that add a subtle mirror-like effect and complement the dark metal finish in a way that looks premium without being too flashy,” our reviews team noted.
So, to the further trio of RS Edition upgrades we have already mentioned in the ‘Price’ section above. You have the Nd5 cartridge (a step-up over the Nd3 we tested the standard Planar 3 with); the custom-matched outboard 24V power supply unit (over the Planar 3’s integrated PSU), which also introduces speed switching electronically via a button press as opposed to manual belt manoeuvring; and the superior Reference EBLT drive belt (over the Planar 3’s EBLT Advance belt) for improved speed accuracy.
**Winner: Rega Planar 3 RS Edition**
Rega Planar 3 vs RS Edition: sound quality
So, the million-dollar question: are these three upgrades and brushed aluminium finish worth the £200 / $400 / AU$500 difference? By putting the two decks side by side to directly compare their performances, our in-house reviewers can confidently say that they are. “Particularly thanks to that bespoke plinth, the RS Edition delivers a clear step up in performance that is more than worth the extra outlay,” reads our RS Edition review. “We were pretty effusive in our Planar 3/Nd3 review; the RS Edition delivers even more of what we like so much about the Planar 3.”
What we have always liked about the Planar 3 is its snappy, rhythmically agile and dynamically expressive nature that is both informative and entertaining in equal measure, and the move from the old Elys 2 cartridge to the new Nd3 one ups the ante in just about every area. While our reviewers perceive a similar, pretty well-balanced sonic character between the two, they also recognise that the new cartridge digs up greater detail resolution. "The Nd3 tells us more about the recording, rendering vocals and instrumental textures more convincingly. It has stronger dynamics too," notes our Planar 3/Nd3 review.
Considering the RS Edition is fitted with the level-up Nd5 cartridge and, of course, introduces upgrades elsewhere too, we somewhat expected its performance to trump that of the standard Planar 3 – and indeed it does. The RS Edition builds on the standard Planar 3's high-calibre sound with extra clarity, detail and muscle, plus the ability to convey an even greater sense of space and openness. Using test tracks ranging from Nirvana's Unplugged live performance set to English folk group The Unthanks to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, we revelled in the added assurance and subtlety the RS Edition delivered.
The RS Edition delivers the dramatic Beethoven orchestration with "stronger and more far-reaching dynamics" and handles "the swift changes in speed, dynamism and intensity adeptly". We also noted how its presentation fills a room more easily than that of the Planar 3, which sounds a little smaller in scale; more lightweight and less detailed too.
That’s not to say that the standard Planar 3 isn’t worth considering anymore. It remains a nimble, expressive and hugely enjoyable and recommended deck for its price level, and will undoubtedly satisfy owners who cannot stretch to the RS Edition’s asking fee.
**Winner: Rega Planar 3 RS Edition**
Rega Planar 3 vs RS Edition: which is better value?
Ultimately, the “incremental but substantial” upgrades come together to make the RS Edition the more compelling performer its extra price ultimately demands it to be. If you have the budget to cover either model, we know which we'd point you to – as do you now, too. Give it over to your vinyl collection and you won’t regret it.
Whichever model you go for, just remember to partner it with suitably talented electronics and speakers so that it can perform to its potential. After all, system matching is important to consider. Thankfully, both Rega decks are pretty unfussy where tonal character is concerned, though they will suit being paired with similarly rhythmic, go-getting equipment. We recently put the Planar 3/Nd3 at the heart of a terrific, traditional vinyl system that, incidentally, celebrates the best of British hi-fi.
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