Rega Planar 3 : Heavily upgraded yet produces a sound that I don't like

Cardas cables are anything but bright, so you can let that bit off the hook.  One thing: Weren't especially the early Rega turntables notorious for running too fast? Have you changed the turntable belt along your upgrade path?  Anyway, check turntable speed.  If it's too fast, that could account for most of your symptoms.  Wouldn't hurt to upgrade the whole shebang, either.  (Better turntable, better cartridge, but that's an easy out.) For speed check, I recommend don't use a cell phone app.  Do use a good strobe-based device.  Best is the KAB strobe kit.  Buy it once and use it forever for any future turntable.

I played with a P5 years ago.

The most significant upgrade to my ears is replacing the plastic subplatter to an aftermarket aluminum model.

Easily noticed SQ all around. Other than a different cartridge and plugging it into the best phonostage available, time to move up the  foodchain.

This highlights the real dangers of tweaking. Despite what others might say (esp paid reviewers), after much cost in time and money you can easily end up with a wholly undesirable result. One that will never recoup all the extra money invested. 


I once tried to upgrade a Rega 3. In the end I eventually realised it was a little presumptuous to think I might know the Rega 3 better than Rega did. Even the so-called isolation tweaks didn't achieve the expected results.

Rega decks seem to be balance of very carefully matched resonances. Not so easy for the layman to improve at home.
My Rega 3 seemed impervious to any of my attempts to improve it.

In the end I bought an LP12, but that's another story.

In fact if you say that all turntables are a basically a combination of resonance control and speed accuracy, then it's not altogether obvious how any of these tweaks might have worked.

Oh well, no worries. It's all a learning process and many of us have been there before you.

A 1990 Rega 3 is not the last word in scale, bandwidth, or temporal accuracy, so good luck with getting a far better deck in the future.

OP - here are a few upgrades i did to my 32 year old rega 2 - it sounds amazing - now :-)

http://image99.net/blog/files/04fdba8476cfd21bdd7a5fdf38c8cdf5-28.html

I recommend the RCA plugs, metal sub-platter and Acrylic platter upgrades to start with

The Audiomods tonearm, although expensive, was worth every penny - Just Amazing!

If the arm is too much, then at least get a one piece harness fitted to your arm (if it does not have onw already)
- but for about $300 more you can get the Audiomods arm - and it alone is amazing
www.audiomods.co.uk

The Plinth Upgrade was daunting - you can get some very nice new plinths on-line for a great price

The feet of the TT are now 2.5" wide bronze cones and it sits on a granite tile
http://image99.net/blog/files/505119d0be04fa00f053d1e3491df5c8-80.html

The cartridge is a modified Soundsmith Denon DL103
- with the O.C. Countour Line stylus/Ruby cantilever - amazing!
- the epoxied brass plate seals the deal
- it stiffens up the plastic casing
- lots more body and less distortion
http://image99.net/blog/files/23c020f75290d3392577113371f4dc94-38.html

Unfortunately - the only thing left from Rega II is the plastic cover and the ON/OFF switch - but they work great! :-)

If I had my time over - I’d just get another brand of TT - there are some great choices these days

Hope that helps

Regards - Steve

Parks Puffin makes it sound anyway you want.