Planar 1 Plus - Reviews and Awards

The Rega Planar 1 PLUS was introduced in 2018 to much fanfare and excitement. Rega Research, creator many of the best turntables on the market since the 1970's, surprised the audio world by creating a plug-and-play turntable without the need for an additional phono stage. Offered at a great price, the  Planar 1 PLUS could bring a new generation of music lovers into the HiFi world. 

The HiFi and audio equipment world responded very well to the Planar 1 Plus. The Sound Organisation has collected some of our favorite reviews and awards from across the industry below.

What HiFi? 5 Star Review

In May 2018, UK-based What Hi-Fi? gave the Planar 1 PLUS its coveted 5-Star Rating, stating "the Planar 1 Plus is the perfect marriage of convenience and sound quality." 

Read the full review at WhatHiFi.com

The Ear Names Planar 1 PLUS Best Buy

The Ear bestowed its Best Buy award to Rega's Planar 1 PLUS in May, chastising Rega for not including the phono stage in the entry level turntable sooner. The Ear noted the exceptional build quality of the Planar 1 PLUS, especially for a turntable at this price point. "If you don’t want to become a vinyl junkie avoid the P1 Plus," states the reviewer, "but if you want to hear more of what your favourite artists are trying to communicate beat a path to the dealer’s door and don’t forget your records."

Read the full review at The-Ear.net

Hi-Fi Choice Recommends the Planar 1 PLUS

The Planar 1 Plus graced the cover of Hi-Fi Choice in July 2018 with an in-depth review. Hi-Fi Choice awarded the new turntable its Recommendation, with 5 stars in Sound Quality and Value for the Money. "[The Planar 1 Plus] does a brilliant job of engaging and pulling the listener into the music." Hi-Fi Choice also lauded the PLUS's ease of use and forgiving nature, allowing music lovers to enjoy their favorite music with less fuss.

Read the full review here, courtesy of Rega and Hi-Fi Choice

AVForums Deems the Planar 1 PLUS a Best Buy

Ed Selley from AVForums is no stranger to Rega turntables, but he seemed quite impressed by the Rega Planar 1 Plus when he gave the turntable the Best Buy 2018 award. Selley praised the ease and quickness of set-up, stating a 10 year old could unbox and have a working turntable within five minutes. But, that wasn't all: "This ease of setup is well balanced against a turntable that manages to feel like it has been carefully assembled and at the same time, like it is a bespoke piece of equipment."

Read the full review at AVForums.com

ToneAudio Praises Rega's Planar 1 Plus

ToneAudio's Audiophile Apartment had a fantastic review of the Planar 1 PLUS. The review praised the level of technology, ease of set-up, and inherently better sound of the PLUS. The review also notes other advantages of the new turntable: 

"Having the phono preamplifier built in, and a line level output has another big benefit; it no longer has to be on top of the equipment rack. The P1 Plus had no problem driving a 20-foot length of Cardas Crosslink interconnects, which makes it easy to put your table in a more convenient, and perhaps more of a central vantage point."

Read the entire review at TonePublications.com

Planar 1 Plus Changes Your Music Habits

The Planar 1 PLUS even caught the attention of writers outside of the hi-fi industry. In a piece for the Australian Financial Review, tech columnist John Davidson discusses the advantages of the Planar 1 PLUS from a non-audiophile stance. The entry level turntable makes high-end audio much more approachable to the uninitiated, and can push a whole new demographic into hi-fi. Davidson also discussed how it changed the way he listened to music—making listening a much more deliberate action. "[I]f we're hearing music in a renewed way it's because the whole process of obtaining and listening to vinyl music is so much more deliberate than just calling up a playlist on an app, and it's so much more mindful as a result."

Read a non-audiophile view of the Planar One PLUS at AFR.com

World Wide Stereo Names Planar One PLUS Best Gear of 2018

Finally, World Wide Stereo recently published a new review on the Rega Planar 1 Plus. The retailer praised the PLUS's simplicity in design and set-up as well as its smooth, low-noise operation. World Wide Stereo was impressed by the Planar 1 Plus enough to recommend the product as the Best Gear of 2018. "For under $600, you get a player that’s factory tuned to perform the second you lift it from the box. It’s such a simple high-performance turntable experience, we're confident you’ll be impressed too."

Read the full review at WorldWideStereo.com

We've covered the  Planar 1 Plus quite a bit, too! Click here to read more coverage of the Planar 1 Plus!

Have you had a chance to try out the Planar 1 Plus? Have some feed back for us? Tell us in the comments below!