Sounds like music, compares to players over twice it's price, good conversation piece with those not familiar with top loaders.

Can't stop listening, faux alloy facia.

This player is incredible! It lacks nothing in my book in resolution as it provides more detail than the Sony 333ES it replaced. On many discs I notice more of the subtlety of the vocals and instruments as it does not cover them up with harshness or a forward presentation of vocals or guitar. There is such a rhythm and drive to the bass, and it resolves individual bass lines much better than the Sony and with more weight as well. It isn't the absolute best in transient punch, but using dynamic "fast" speakers makes that a moot point as drum and vocal peaks can be startling. I demoed an Arcam FMJ 23 and I think the Planet is it's equal and surpasses it in some ways. The only area I feel the Arcam was better was in the width of soundstage though I think the Planet has better depth. The best test I have found of what many people refer to as the "musicality" or "pace" of this player is Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. It layers on the many instruments and complex rhythms without seeming to strain while always maintaining perfect rhythm. The Sony and my previous Denon absolutely butchered this disc, making it seem hollow and disjointed, from the planet it just flows and you are drawn into the music. As stated by others there is no fatigue with this player either, and you can listen to music for hours and completely lose track of time. The build quality isn't like a Classe or a Krell, but the sound is the thing here and I don't think there will be any reliability issues with the player as nothing is outright cheaply fastened, only the plastic facia is a slight putoff. Whatever you do make sure you burn this thing in before you judge it. Bob at Audio Nut told me 100 hours, I left it on repeat for 70 before any listening and something wasn't quite right, left it on another night and it was a whole different animal. Also don't be put off by comments on here about this player being poor for rock or pop, I listen to a wide variety of music and it suits it all very well. Discs by artists like U2, Creeper Lagoon, and Beck all sound incredible and don't lack for speed or dynamics one bit. Check this player out and if you need a place to buy one Bob at Audionut.com is truly a dedicated audiophile and a great guy to do business with, I got a great deal on a CES display demo.

Similar Products Used:

Sony 333ES, Denon 1650, NAD, Demoed Arcam, Myryad, Marantz.

Refer to review

None so far

Well what can I say about this player. I'll start with WOW! Before buying it I compared it against many players from such notable companies as Arcam, Roksan, and Myryad. Each player was a winner but in my opinion for overall performance and cost I just kept coming back to the Rega Planet. The Rega is a wonderful machines at conveying the emotion of the artists without any hint of colouration. It's sound stage is breath-taking and its resolving power is equally incredible. However, unlike many machines it manages to capture all the subtlety of the music without any of the harshness. In terms of timbre it seems that the Rega engineers have managed to capture the characteristics of vinyl without the sluggishness that can sometimes haunt vinyl. I through every kind of music at this player and it just kept on going. I even think at one point the player started mocking me. This machine is equally adept at Mozart as it is with Radio Head. My wife loves electronica as well and this machines reproduces bass with such impact and speed that I wonder why so many other manufactures (at many times the cost) can't seem to figure out how to do it. This is a great CD player that not to many people know about.

Similar Products Used:

Arcam, Roksan, Myryad, NAD, Musical Fidelity

detail, body,and overall sound.

rcas in back could be better get after market power cord.

I have had so many types of cd types and combinations it would make the avg person sick. first of all from reading the reviews listed below most of the people who did not like this player really didn't have very good set ups in the first place. you can't hook up a 1000$ player to a 1000 system and think it is giong to sound incredable. not gonna happen. My reviews on the rega is this is a very neutral player,very good with jazz and most types of music. One of tha most analog sounding players I ever heard. Hats off to rega. It is a laid back but detailed player. it will help you loose so edge if your system contains so. Now as for using with tube systems it is great smooth, full bodied, nice bass I just love it. if it is too laid back try different tubes. my friend had kt-88 in for drivers way to laid back swithched to 6550 hello souned great. if you buy this player treat it like a turn table be gental it is a top loader and get a good platform to sit it on and enjoy. like I say if you want good sound you need good components. end of story. my system rega planet 2000 audible ilussions mod L1 rouge audio magnum 88 pro ac response 1sc full synergistic reference line

Similar Products Used:

cal audio dela/alpha Icon mark II w/power boss hccd sony sacd arcam rotel accuras creek (over rated) aragon forte and the list goes on

Good tonality. Dynamics. Design (as with most good designs, you either love or hate it).

Light weight. RCAs connectors and power cord good be better.

This is a very unpretentious CD player. It is neutral and has good dynamics. I evaluated this against the Marantz CD17Ki and opted for the Planet for its more balanced tonality. The 17Ki is for warm vocals. I find the top loading machanism very reliable. Some front loaders are more flimsy. I also found that changing the power cord to Harmonic Tech did not bring about as much improvements as my old player did. Its built quality is not top notch. There is a light weight feel to it. Where I live, the CD17Ki tops built quality at similar price point. This player will satisfy me for a long time until perhaps SACD takes over.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz CDP, Rotels, AMC.

1) tremendous sound 2) ease of use 3) elegant design - very distinctive look compared with the look-alike mass market CD players

1) Digital display is hard to read more than 3-4 feet away 2) Remote-control is not dedicated (has too many buttons intended for other Rega components)

I strongly agree with the Rega stated design philosophy for its line of CD players. That is, to get the best sound out of existing music CD's (when the record companies want to push their $30 SACD's) after honest music lovers have already spent billions of dollars on their CD's collectively. This is significant because Rega has been a major force in the turntable industry and it is now dedicated to offering CD players that offer great performance at reasonable prices. My Planet 2000 is connected to my Conrad Johnson Sonographe SA-400/NAD 116 amp/preamp combo and Axiom M60TI speakers. The soundstage is just awesome. From Bach and Beethoven to the Beatles, from strings and keyboards to vocal, Planet 2000 simply excels. The sound just kept getting better as I got closer to the recommended 70-hour burn-in mark. There are clearly rooms for improvements, as I can add an upsampler and some higher quality interconnects to the 2000.

Similar Products Used:

Second-generation Marantz CD player whose model number I forgot, NAD 522. Rest of my CD players are changers from the Sony ES line.

1) Tremendous presentation of strings, keyboards and vocals. 2) ease of use. 3) elegant design - my silver, all aluminum model really stands out among the look-alike mass market CD players

Digital display is difficult to see when I am more than 3-4 feet away.

I have to agree with the stated design philosophy of the Rega CD players (Planet 2000 and Jupiter) found on the Rega website. As one of the top turntable makers over the past several decades, Rega did not begin to offer CD players until a few years ago. Now it does and the Planet 2000 is just a tremendous CD player for its price. My Planet 2000 is connected to the Conrad Johnson Sonographe SA-400/NAD 116 amp/preamp combo and the Axiom M60TI speakers. The sound stage is just incredible. From Bach and Beethoven to Peter, Paul and Mary, the strings, keyboards and the vocals are just awesome. The player just kept getting better when I finally approached that 70-hour burn-in time. Even the bass is quite respectable when the current system does not have a powered subwoofer. With the Planet 2000 and the availability of upsampler, I doubt I will ever buy any SACD's. At $20-$30 a pop, I doubt I will ever replace the thousands of CD's and vinyl in my collection with their SACD's retreads. I imagine the sound can be further improved once I replace the Rega-supplied interconnects with something better.

Similar Products Used:

Second generation Marantz CD player whose model number I forgot; NAD 522; rest of my CD players are changers from the Sony ES line.

Clean, bold, up-front sound. Warm mids and precise, tight bass. Voices are particularly well-presented. By far, the best sounding CD player short of a super high-end Krell or Mark Levinson (and their ilk) that I have heard...

Umm. Not much. The money you invest in this unit goes into the music. If you're a gadget, super bells & whistles person you might be disappointed. You could be picky about the top-loading design, but that's an issue you'll decide on before buying.

Wow! Music and the appreciation of sound replication is a tricky proposition. Subjectivity rules - there are no easy comparisons. Different ystems, components, environments, and - gasp! - tastes all play in to the chemistry. So,it's no surprise to read the wide range of reviews and reactions to this CD player - here's mine: In a word - mind-blowing! From the moment I spun the first CD, the experience has been sheer wonderment. My jaw is still hanging open and I haven't even approached the first 100 hours with this player. The sonics, soundstage and depth are truly amazing. Tonal colors and separation of instruments and voices are precise and entrancing. This is hi-fi, baby! You must be aware that Rega put the $$$ into the actual reproduction of sound. Those used to spinning platters and tons of bells & whistles on their CD players will be unhappy. Simple, top-loading design. You have to lift the lid yourself and insert the disc and then close it. Wow- that was a bother... Haven't had any problems with the "puck" mechanism that secures the lid to the CD - it spins cleanly and quietly and goes about its business as I do mine. You can score this player all over the Internet for around $700. That's brand-new, in the box with a full warranty from Rega. I would say that's about the best value I've discovered so far...

Similar Products Used:

NAD, Rotel, Denon - and also various and sundry mid-priced consumer crap from the past...you know the names.

Cool look. Mellow sound that could help remove the digital edge in a SS system.

Flimsy feel to the lid. Puck wobble is disturbing.

Perhaps the Planet 2000 sounds best through a solid state system. Through my AES-AE-25 Superamp it was just way too reserved and flat. Perhaps this was caused by the "wobble" in the lid puck. I noticed the button that the CD fits on wasn't completely level which caused the lid puck to wobble ever so lightly. Seems like many people have experienced this and Rega says a little wobble doesn't hurt. For $950 I would expect NO WOBBLE. Anyway, I sold it for what I paid for it used ($650) and bought a used Classe CDP .5 for the same amount. Now that blew the Planet 2000 out of the water. Bigger soundstage, better dynamics, tighter/deeper bass, crystalline treble, rock solid build quality.

Similar Products Used:

NAD C540 SONY SCD-C333ES Classe CDP .5

It looks great, by far the most musical sounding for the money.

very sensitive to skips... you only need to flick the case!

What can I say... sounds great, looks great. Have a Roksan Caspian mkII and B&W 603s3... and i''m very happy having the Planet as the source. However, have any of you (other reviewers) ever experienced it skipping when at loud volumes?... maybe i''ve got my player positioned to close to my speakers or something? Other than that, perfect for the money!

Similar Products Used:

Nad 540 Marantz cd6000KI

I think good sound.I very happy sound smooth ,soft.It is "best cd player"