rega Planar 3 50 Anniversary Edition User Manual

: June 12, 2024
: Rega

Table of Contents

Safety Precautions
Important Information
Compliance Information
Unpacking Your Turntable
Setup and Connections
Connecting To The Amplifier
Setting up the RB330 tonearm
Speed adjustment (factory set – only adjust if necessary)
Adjusting the Speed
Returning the Neo PSU MK2 to factory settings
Specifications – Neo PSU MK2
Specifications – Mains
Customer Support
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

rega Planar 3 50 Anniversary Edition

Safety Precautions

Please be sure to carefully read this manual before using this product. This ensures that you are getting the most out of your product.
Please scan the QR Code to access the multilingual user manual via the product.

For user instructions in your language, please visit www.rega.co.uk and go to the download section of your chosen product.

The lightning flash with the arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated ‘dangerous voltage’ within the product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.
The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance instructions in the service literature relevant to this appliance.

Important Information

Service
With the unit disconnected from the mains, clean only with a microfibre cloth (lightly damp if necessary). Do not remove any coverings; there are no user serviceable parts inside. If the unit performs erratically or emits smoke or odour, disconnect from the power supply and take it to a qualified service technician.

Lifetime Limited Warranty
Every product we make is designed and assembled in the UK to the highest possible standard. This warranty covers confirmed manufacturing defects. This warranty does not cover wear and tear, or parts that are considered consumable. Any unauthorised modifications or failure to follow the Rega recommended guidelines in the product manual may invalidate the warranty. Due to local laws, warranties may vary by country in which units are sold. Please contact your Rega retailer or distributor for warranty details. Your statutory rights are not affected.
Please do not dispose of the product packaging. The original packaging must be used if returning a product to your dealer or distributor for inspection or repair.
Please visit the homepage of www.rega.co.uk for further warranty details.

Safety Instructions
Do not use this unit near liquids or expose to moisture. Do not use near sources of heat such as radiators, vents, stoves, or candles. Ensure adequate ventilation around the product, at least 10cm in all directions, and avoid placing the unit on soft surfaces such as long carpet and fabric. Do not open the product enclosure or force objects into openings in the unit. Place the unit on a fixed level surface where it will not fall or tip. The unit should only be used in moderate climates between 5°C (41°F) and 35°C (95°F). Keep packaging material and small pieces out of reach of children. Unplug the power supply if the unit is unused for extended periods of time.

Compliance Information

This symbol indicates that the electronic equipment bearing it should not be disposed of as general household waste at the end of its life. The equipment should be disposed of at a collection point for waste electrical and electronic equipment in accordance with national legislation and Directive 2012/19/EU. For more information about how to dispose of your waste electronic equipment, please contact your local authority or retailer where you purchased the product. In the UK, please return your product to the retailer.

CE Mark
This symbol indicates that this product complies with the relevant European Directives.
UKCA Mark
This symbol indicates that this product complies with the UK conformity safety requirements.
Eurasian Conformity Mark (EAC)
This product meets Russia, Byelorussia and Kazakhstan electronic safety approvals.
Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM)
This symbol indicates that this product meets Australia, New Zealand Safety, EMC and Radio Communications requirements.

Celebrating 50 Years of Rega Research Ltd.
From humble beginnings in 1973, making just a handful of turntables for friends, Rega has since grown into a multimillion pound audio engineering company making world-class, award-winning hi-fi products that are supplied across the globe.
Since inception, our expertise in mechanical and electrical engineering was combined with three core values; to create products that perform beyond expectation, deliver unrivalled value for money, and offer lifelong reliability. These same values are upheld today and are key factors in our continued growth and success.
Engineering has always been the beating heart of Rega Research, a company obsessed with specialist materials, tolerances, and accuracy. We remain a dedicated British manufacturer (85% of all Rega suppliers are based in the UK) and currently employ over 140 people who design, carefully assemble, and dispatch every single product by hand from our custom-built facility in the Southeast of England.
Combine these ideals with a passion for music and you start to see how Rega has successfully made it to this important milestone!

Planar 3 50th Anniversary Edition
To celebrate, we have designed the Anniversary Edition of the legendary Planar 3 which has been developed to maximise the performance achievable from a Planar 3. Available in walnut effect for the very first time, the 50th anniversary Planar 3 is supplied with a hand tuned Neo PSU MK2 and the handmade Rega Exact moving magnet cartridge factory fitted. The drive system uses our reference drive belt and the CNC’d aluminium drive pulley used on the Planar 6 to deliver the absolute best in performance and accuracy. Finished off with a custom anniversary plinth badge and smoked dustcover to complete the Anniversary Edition.

Unpacking Your Turntable

Always keep the turntable flat.
Follow the packing guide printed inside the front of the box.
Save the packaging in case you need to transport your turntable in the future.
Place your turntable on a rigid level surface.
Ensure the drive belt is in place and remove the transport hub card (10) from beneath the sub platter (3).
Carefully place the platter on the hub and fit the turntable mat.

Walnut Effect Plinth
12mm Glass Platter
Sub Platter
Reference Drive Belt
Custom Pulley (for use with Neo PSU MK2)
Power Input
Phono Output
RB330 Tonearm
Exact MM Cartridge
Transport Hub Card

Setup and Connections

Only use the Rega supplied PS1 AC adaptor.
Connect the power DIN lead (supplied) between the rear of the Planar 3 50th Anniversary Edition and the DIN socket on the rear of the Neo PSU MK2.
Plug the Rega PS1 into the socket labelled ‘24V AC’ and switch the mains power on.
To turn the Neo PSU MK2 on, push the power button located on the front panel and the turntable platter will rotate at the selected speed.
When the power supply is switched on, if the Rega logo illuminates RED, 331/3 rpm is selected. If the Rega logo is illuminated GREEN, 45 rpm is selected.
To change between speeds, press the button marked ‘33/45’ on the front panel as required.
Note : To minimise the risk of hum picked up by the cartridge, the Neo PSU MK2 should be situated as far from the turntable as the interconnect cable will allow.

Connecting To The Amplifier

The tonearm external phono leads must be connected to a suitable phono stage.
Connect as follows: Red = right channel / Black = left channel

Setting up the RB330 tonearm

The Planar 3 50th Anniversary Edition comes fitted with an Exact moving magnet (MM) cartridge.
Ensure that the tracking force dial (A) and bias adjustment slider (B) are both set to zero.
Place the balance weight (C) on to the balance weight shaft. With the stylus guard removed, position the cartridge above the lead-in groove of an LP. Whilst supporting the headshell, carefully push the weight further up the shaft until the stylus is floating just 1mm clear of the record.
The recommended tracking force can now be applied using the tracking force dial. The correct tracking force for the Exact cartridge is 1.75g. Always use a force which corresponds to the upper limit of the cartridge makers recommended range. Finally, push the bias adjustment slider to the same number as the tracking force control.

Speed adjustment (factory set – only adjust if necessary)

Please note: Speed is factory set, we do not advise adjusting unless servicing or changing the drive belt.
The speed control functions are sited on the back panel of the Neo PSU MK2:
Speed Program Switch (i) – This enables the set speed mode.
Program Mode LED (ii) – This indicates the two modes of operation: Factory default mode and speed adjustment mode.
Speed Adjustment (iii) – This encoder is used to adjust the speed. The step size of the speed control is 0.01 rpm.

Adjusting the Speed

Note : We recommend the Rega Strobe kit to accurately measure the speed during adjustment (sold separately).
Note : The speed is adjusted whilst running at 331/3 rpm and any adjustments made at 331/3 rpm will automatically be applied to 45 rpm.

Select 331/3 rpm.
Press the ‘Speed Program Switch’ on the rear panel once to put the unit into setup mode – The ‘Program Mode’ LED will now be permanently illuminated red.
Adjust the speed via the ‘Speed Adjustment’ control using a 1.7mm Allen key. Turning clockwise will increase the speed and turning anticlockwise will decrease the speed. The step size is 0.01 rpm. Only make small adjustments of up to five ‘steps’ at a time to ensure accurate adjustment. Check the speed after each adjustment to achieve the best accuracy.
When the speed has been correctly set, press the ‘Speed Program Switch’ once to put the unit back into ‘run mode’. The ‘Program Mode’ LED will now go out and flash approximately every ten seconds indicating the speed has been changed from the factory setting. Your turntable is now set and ready to use.

Returning the Neo PSU MK2 to factory settings

This process is recommended when fitting a new drive belt to your turntable or after a service, to help optimize the range of adjustment available to you.

Select 331/3 rpm.
Press and hold down the ‘Speed Program Switch’ until the ‘Program Mode’ LED flashes every few seconds. Keep the button pressed until a solid LED is illuminated.
Whilst illuminated, press the ‘Speed Program Switch’ button once again to fully factory reset and return to ‘run mode’.

Use of mobile phone apps to check and adjust the speed

Rega, along with a London mastering studio, have used the iPhone ‘RPM’ app (available on the App Store) developed by Philip Broder to check and adjust the speed of a turntable using the Neo PSU MK2, with positive results. We have verified the basic accuracy of the ‘RPM’ app using Rega’s in-house speed measuring equipment, but as this is a third-party app we cannot guarantee the readings because of uncertainties, which could be caused by the age, condition, and operating system of the phone the app is installed on. If you are in any doubt, you should check the calibration of the ‘RPM’ app using a suitable reference.

Rega Strobe and stroboscopic disc (sold separately)
The best way to adjust the speed of your turntable is to use the Rega Strobe kit. A stroboscopic disc is an optical instrument used to measure the speed of the turntable by freezing the bars on the disc. The bars are illuminated by an accurate quartz locked LED pulsing at 100Hz.

Using the Strobe kit
Simply place the strobe disc on the turntable platter. Switch on the 100Hz LED and hold it approximately 2cm above the rotating strobe. If the bars do not appear to move and are stationary, the speed is 331/3 rpm. If they move clockwise, the turntable is running fast, and conversely, if they move anti- clockwise, the turntable is running slow.

Note : If over one minute, the bars appear to move by one bar to the left or one bar to the right, the speed is 0.016% fast or slow respectively. Using the speed control on the Neo PSU MK2, it is possible to achieve ±0.05% or ±1.3 rpm.
Note : If over one minute, the bars appear to move by two bars to the left or by two bars to the right, the speed is 0.01 rpm fast or slow respectively.
Using the speed control on the Neo PSU MK2, it is possible to achieve ±0.01 rpm, which is one step of the speed adjustment.
Warning : Because of the nature of the stroboscopic effect of the disc and the LED light, we strongly recommend anyone with photo-induced epilepsy not to use this device. Although this condition is very rare, we must make the user aware of this. Ask your dealer for assistance if required.

Warnings

Do not unplug the power supply from the turntable whilst the unit is on – turn off the power supply before unplugging. Do not operate the power supply without the turntable connected. A 24V AC plus a 20V DC signal is present on the pins of the plug – if these are shorted it will cause damage to the power unit. Use only with the Rega PS1 power supply or Neo PSU MK2. Never expose the unit to rain or moisture. Do not open the case covers.
There are no user serviceable parts inside.
The Neo PSU MK2 incorporates resettable fuses in the driver amplifier to protect it from overcurrent faults, which will cause the turntable to run erratically or not at all. If in the rare circumstance these are activated, they are reset by turning off the Neo PSU MK2 via the front panel for approximately 10 seconds. If the fault should persist, consult your dealer.

Specifications – Neo PSU MK2

Output to Motor Bi-phase 24V AC protected by resettable fuse.
Power Consumption 7.2W
Speed Control Step Size 0.01 rpm
Stroboscopic Disc 100Hz, 180 marks 331/3 rpm
Voltage 24V AC
Power Supply Rega PS1 only.
The Basic One Bar per Minute Drift Resolution 0.016%