Simplicity, fine sound for the price

Top loader?

This is just a quick review...I decided to try the rega Planet because of the strong recommendation of my dealer (Natural Sound in Framingham, MA...best audio shopping experience I have ever had...they get 5 stars). Here is what I like about the player: it is airy and clean and simple. The sound is great for the price. I tried the $1299 Rotel and that was great, but it was $1299. I did do an in home A/B between the Rega Planet and the $1000 Denon player. The Rega was new and the Denon well broken in. There was a difference between the sound. The Denon seemed a little more layered, as if the musicians were standing on steps. I guess the best way to put it was that the soundstage had lots of height, but not much depth. The Planet, however, seems to have a soundstage that is much broader, but not as tall as the Denon. There wasn't much difference in the quality of the sound, both were excellent, but, to me, the Planet sounded a little more natural. The breadth of the soundstage was a little more believeable (although it lacked depth that I heard in a Rotel, or other substantially more expensive players).

A quick word on the design: it is spartan and industrial and basic. I like that well enough, and it is a welcome relief from the hundreds of button and knobs and lights that clutter so many players.

One can find better sounding players, but for the $ (around $700) I didn't hear one that I liked any better.

Other equipment:
Denon AVR-5700
B&W Nautilus 805s
Monster Cable M1 Interconnects
Monster Cable M 15 Bi Wire Speaker Cable

Similar Products Used:

Denon $1000 player (Can't remember model #), Pioneer 100 CD changer

I've owned the Planet now for a little over a month and I still can't find ANY flaws in it! Sure, it's not up to par with $3,000 players, but it's so close I'm not in any hurry to replace it; unlike the last two cd players I had. I find it especially appealing when listening to female vocals, accoustic guitar, and it's a lot of fun with techno dance music and heavy metal! I may have heard a small loss of detail on very complex material but at this price range I feel it stomps on all of the competition. Incidently, the rest of my carefully tweaked includes: NAD 304(the next thing to be upgraded), all cables are by Kimber with silver streaks coming off the planet. I also have a home-built 12ax7 stage going through my tape loop which fleshes out everything and gives me a smoother and more detailed sound than with just my 304 alone. Ok, I'm going off on a tangent now! If you want a unique CD player for under $1,000 then I would highly recommend it. If you want more than the planet has to offer then be prepared to pay for it.

I auditioned a unit on the stregnth of the reviews. True, the digital crunchies are gone, but at the expense of cooking out the textures, flavors and vitamins. Dynamics were weak. On PJ Harvey, Man Size, I actually preferred a ten year old Scott running through an X 10D. The Planet drained away all of the punch. As fas as I can see, the attempt to make it sound like analogue missed the point. My Planar 3 makes bass and punch like no CD player, and the lack of dynamics makes the Plane'ts sheen seem phony.

I'm just going to try and keep this fairly brief,as i'm prone to waffle!A wonderful player for the money (approx £450 with remote)but it is truly suprising just how much interconnects can affect the tonal balance of the Planet.(I initially used Chord Co Chrysalis cable but have got great results from a Maplin cable for £4.29 that I assembled myself- bargain of the century!)
I have this player running into an Electrocompaniet ECI2 integrated, and not once has it been shown up for being less than half the price of this very refined and detailed amp.Control and stereo separation are exceptional for the money although compared to an Arcam alpha 5 it is slightly quieter- probably a discrepancy in output levels-but that is all that it is,because in most respects the Arcam eats the Planet's shorts!I'm sorry but it's my firm belief that you're going to have to spend a LOT of money to significantly improve on this player.

great sound

nothing could live up to the Planet's hype

Great player, tremendous sense of space and great soundstage, could be a little too laid back. I prefer a smooth, laid back presentation to what I consider to be the unnatural sound of more detailed, analytical players (e.g. Rotel). In this price range I would also consider Cambridge and Arcam, but I liked the Planet the best. The Planet will hold me over until I move to an all Naim system in the next few years.

rega planet,what a piece of junk,i bought it brand new and have had nothing but problems,we own a audio store and i can tell you first hand that this is not what you want in a $1000 cd player ,it sounds good at first but after a while it is harsh,uninvolving,i have heard the micromegas in this price range and they dominate it,if you like the old magnovox sound of screaming harsh you will love this unit,now for the repair i havee been told my the service dept that 40% of units have been in for repairs tht is unbeleivable mine has been in 4 times in 3 years,this is junk do not be suckered in

Nothing is more subjective then "great" sound. After reading review after review after review from HiFi magazines reviewers, all praising the Rega Planet wonderful warm and tight sound (most responding that the Planet as being the hotest piece of equipment for under $1000.00 on the market.) As well as 95% of Audio Enthusiast and Audiophiles agreeing with them. I had to listen (as we all do) for myself. The words blown-away are the first that come to mind...Listeing to John Coltrane's "Blue train" was enough to knock my socks-off, the imaging was much more than I expected, laid back, yes however much tighter than one might think. The mid-range was very pleasing as well as a unbeleivable hot low-end The highs were OK not bad not great.

Then we chaged interconnects and listened to the new Santana Cd "Supernatural"(truly great CD)again the imagery which is so important in Santana's music was reproduced fantasticaly by the Planet, you could almost reach out and touch exactly where the conga player was or the keyboard player in a layer right in front of him..one can listen to this player for hours and find new waves of sound not yet heard.

The player is built solid as well as a great looking unit and as mentioned may times in these reviews, very senitive to the interconnects one uses...

I bought the Planet, I love it and will be enjoying it for many years to come...(unless the Rega Jupiter can change my mind.)

I have been an audiophile for over twenty years. I have owned, or had on loan, some of the finest audio equipment in the business. My taste in music is not limited to any one genre; I enlist a more eclectic approach, listening, instead, for music's subtle clues and inner detail.
Like many of you, I read numerous periodicals: Stereophile, The Absolute Sound, FI, Audio, etc., including the reviews on this very site. What amazes me the most about them, and they're all about the same in this respect, is that no matter what product is under review, someone (or some group) always feels compelled to provide a counter review.

Listening to music is a personal thing. It elicits an entirely different response in each one of us. We all hear things differently too, which lends itself to subjective opinions. What's most important, though, is that we respect the opinions of others and understand that our experience with the same piece of equipment is uniquely and individually seperate, even when sharing the same listening environment.

The following comments on the Rega Planet are expressly my own. If the context of my review is not shared by some readers, remember, my observations are subjective to the conditions of my own listening environment.

Readers can refer back to my initial review of just over a month ago for information regarding my complete set-up and room arrangement.
I must reitteratet, however, my findings on the Planet must be considered with the use of the Rega Mira it is partnerd with. The two are inseperable and draw on one anothers strengths/weaknesses. So, in effect, this is a review of the two components.

That said, I am happy to report, after 120 hours use, the Regas have only gotten better. For years I have searched for components that sound comparable to my classic, class a, Sumo amp and preamp. If it weren't for the lack of available parts for these old Sumo's (amps anyway, the preamps were bullet proof), and their uncertain reliablity, I'd still be using them today; fabulous sound in every respect.

Suffice it to say, the Rega combination is every bit a match for these old Sumo's and then some. In fact, I am willing to admit, they better the old Sumo's in every respect, save for the Sumo's sheer machismo appeal.

The first class bass and weight the Sumo's imparted to recorded music is all there with the Rega's. Clearly defined images within a palpable soundstage are there too. Depth is credible, as are the subtle hues associated with various instruments. Harmonics are rich, with liquid transparency. Play Norman Brown's version of Janet Jackson's, "That's The Way Love Goes," (from the album "After The Rain") and you'll understand. The soundstage stretches accross the entire witdh of my back wall and projects well out into the room. The Rega's acting only as a catalist for the music. The last time I experienced a soundstage as credible as this was when listening to a pair of B&W 801 Matrix series III's driven by a pair of 200 watt Classe' Audio monoblock amps.

Words don't do justice to their sound. No, the pair is not the last word in detail... but it's there. It's just doesn't draw attention to itself like so many lesser quality components do. The detail is there if you listen for that sort of thing. No, it's not the sort of amp that will drive any speaker, however, it's doing a fabulous job of driving my Magneplanar 2.7's, so called "difficult load." I have to keep reminding myself that I am listening to just 60 watts.

I could wax lyrically for hours about their sound, but I think my message is said. What I cannot do, is vouch for the performance of either of these components seperately in a different system. But together, in my system, they are wonderfully and musically convincing. Their sound belies their cost, as does their ability to draw one into the music. I honestly cannot find fault with them. I encourage anyone looking for an inexpensive CD player and integrated amp to audition these components (together) before paying exorbitant prices for "mid-fi," and even some "exotic," seperate components. All this and remote control to boot!

I welcome comments or e-mail for more specific information. Happy listening

WPM

Rega Planet CD Player
Those of you who are familiar with Rega's strong preference for analog recordings and formats may find this product a contentious development. However, to accommodate the high demand of Rega customers as well as the ever increasing software exclusively available in the digital format and you have the birth of the "PLANET" CD player. They have used the "Rega approach" and built in existing Rega virtues. Rega has two major partners. First, Sony who supplies Rega with a unique analog post conversion filter. Secondly, they have been working with Burr Brown for three years to design the unique Rega D to A conversion sound. This is not an "off the shelf" chip, but rather, a chip designed with analog in mind. Rega houses all of this in a nicely constructed enclosure that is, I think, unconventionally fresh.

I've listened to a lot of CD Players in search of finding a good match for my main system to use as a low cost reference. (I currently also own a Krell 20I which serves me well. My setup includes a pair of NHT 2.5Is, Bryston's .5B pre-amp and a pair of 3B power amps operated in dual mono mode. All of my components are connected using Cardas Golden Cross Interconnects.) When I heard the Rega Planet in my friend's store, my jaw hit the floor. The Planet is an amazing CD Player for the money. The Rega Planet is simply the most musical CD player that I've heard for under three grand with the exception of the Meridians. It has a rich, warm, and dynamic sound that serves up vocals with rightness. This player doesn't have any of the digital edgeness found in other players in it's price class which makes it easy to listen to for a long period of time. Players like CAL Audio Lab's CL15 may have better resolution and inner detail but it also has the tendency to be fatiguing on long listening sessions. With the Planet, the harmonic presentation is artfully done; there's neither a feeling of sudden loss or discontinuousness nor fatiguing stridency, just a diminution of information in the extreme highs. The Planet puts out the right textures to draw you into the music. For example, I listen to a lot of Jazz and the sound of cymbals in the recordings take on a sense of realness with the Rega very much like the Krell I own. The ability to involve the listener is what hi-fi is all about and Rega hits that mark with their Planet CD player. Seriously, give this player a listen!!!

Punches above it's weight in respect of cost

Still listening - still can't think of anything significant at this price

What is the point of all this shouting? I was always under the impression that most audiophiles had intelligence and a soul - two very important requirements for actually sitting down and listening to music, as opposed to throwing a cd on whilst doing the ironing/building a shelf etc. Who cares what anyone else thinks of your prized eqipment? After all it's you that invested some hard earned dosh in it and hopefully get some fulfilment out of listening to it. Personally speaking, I have owned this player for over 2 years now and it still continues to suprise me with what it can do with a good recording. So someone else doesn't appreciate it? Shame, try an Arcam. But don't denigrate me because our equipment preferences differ. It is, after all, only a box of transistors...

Similar Products Used:

marantz CD50/dacmagic 1