Bring the fun of record replay to everyone’s favourite radio system. The new Rega Planar 1 Plus turntable is the perfect partner for your Tivoli.
Rega & Tivoli share the values of quality, simplicity, ease of use and value. And the Rega absolutely looks the part, especially in the new walnut finish which complements the many Tivoli models. There are also white and black options to suit.
More about Rega.
Rega have been around forever (since 1973 – that’s even longer than Tivoli) and have become one of the most well known companies in the world of great sounding turntables. What makes the new Planar 1 Plus unique is that not only does it draw on a huge amount of expertise and history, but it’s also designed to be uniquely easy to set up and use. This makes it the ideal match for Tivoli.
What makes the Rega Planar 1 Plus special?
The ‘Plus’ is that this model has a built in phono amplifier. What that means is that it can be plugged directly into your Tivoli. Most turntables do not have a phono amplifier built in will not work. At most you’ll just hear a distant muffled sound coming out if you tried.
But this is only one part of why the Planar 1 Plus works so well. Rega make many more costly models and they have worked hard to deliver as much of the sound quality as possible into the affordable Planar 1 Plus. It has many of the same parts as more costly models and is made in the same UK factory as even the very best model.
Every part of the design is carefully considered to combine simplicity with the best possible sound.
The Planar 1 Plus comes with a perfectly matched cartridge, the Rega Carbon, already aligned and fitted to the tonearm. There’s a counterweight that just slots on and the position is set, as is the anti-skate so you don’t have to worry about or adjust that either.
The controls are super simple; the on/off switch is located under the front of the turntable plinth on the left hand side. The operation is manual because automation gets in the way of sound quality. There’s less to go wrong too. The arm raiser is smooth and steady so anyone can use and enjoy the turnable.
If you look at the back of your Tivoli you’ll see a little 3.5mm socket labeled ‘AUX IN’ – the lead from the Rega plugs directly into this socket. A really good thing to know is that unlike most other turntables, there are sockets at the turntable end too – this means it’s easy to change or upgrade this cable at any time should you want even better sound or to position the turntable further from your Tivoli .
Rega have recently introduced a beautiful walnut finish – this looks great with many Tivoli models given the wood cabinet finish has always been an endearing feature of both the table radios and music systems. There’s an acrylic dust cover for the the turntable too.
What you’ll hear.
If you have records that you haven’t played in years there are two immediate improvements; the Rega is great at reducing and even eliminating the clicks and scratchy sounds everyone associates with older records. More importantly you’ll suddenly be hearing a whole lot of the good stuff that was never there before. New records will sound so good, you’ll just want more!
This is because record player design and manufacture has come a long way. The Rega is precision engineered to get more off your records. The improvements made to the motor, quality of the bearing, the tonearm, plinth and even the isolating feet underneath all contribute to the sound. This may be Rega’s entry level but it’s far better than earlier models which Rega built their reputation on.
‘If you want to hear how good your records are it is a very useful device indeed, one that makes some of the more heavily featured alternatives sound flat and weak by comparison. It does all the key things required for musical enjoyment, first on that list being timing which is the sense of cohesion between musicians not the thumping of the beat and is at the heart of why vinyl sounds so good. It also does dynamics, giving you impact with the kick drum and goose bumps when things get quiet. It shows you how well recorded an album is by reflecting its tonal balance and the sense of ‘air’ around acoustic instruments and voices, and at the same time it can deliver surprising bass weight and power which brings body to the sound and makes it seem three dimensional and real in the room.
‘The Planar 1 Plus sounds brilliant. It is rather lean-sounding when played straight out of the box – but the sound comes into its own after a couple of days, becoming more full-bodied and rhythmically exciting the longer you play.’
‘We reviewed the Rega Planar 1 Plus back in 2018 and the deck remains unchanged… It remains our top recommendation if you want an affordable turntable with a built-in phono stage, even beating out newer, flashier decks for sound quality.’
It’s so easy
Everything you need is included in the box and it’s really easy to set up. No tools or specialist knowledge is required and the quick start manual lays out everything you need to know in plain language with pictures – you can download it here
All you need is a clear level surface close to your Tivoli and a power socket – even if it needs to be further away we can provide you with the right cable.
- NZ$995 including GST & delivery – walnut, white & black finishes. Everything you need is included – factory fitted and aligned cartridge, power supply, cables, dust cover.
