What owners & reviewers say
Strengths
- A fuss-free record player above its price class
- Huge used market and a clear upgrade path
Criticisms
- Manual speed change: lift the platter, move the belt
- Stock Carbon cartridge is the weakest link; felt mat softens the extremes
Sound character
Music it likes
Jazz inferred
inferred: timing-led presentation suits rhythmic material
Acoustic inferred
inferred: forgiving, unfussy character
Vocals inferred
inferred: smooth midrange, slightly reserved
Rock inferred
inferred: drives rhythm well; tidy rather than explosive
Classical inferred
inferred: tidy stage rather than expansive
Electronic inferred
inferred: felt mat softens the extremes
Metal inferred
inferred: forgiving top end helps busy mixes
Hip-hop inferred
inferred: neutral deck, cartridge dependent
Setup
- Tracking force:screw the counterweight until the arm floats a hair above the record, one more full turn lands at the 2g the Carbon wants ↗
- Speed change:lift the glass platter off and move the belt on the pulley; ten seconds, annoying with many 45s ↗
- Siting:no suspension: a light rigid shelf beats a wobbly sideboard; sounds better with the lid off ↗
Watch out for
Matched equipment
Mods & upgrade parts
Known fixes
- Hum: ground the motor mount to the phono stage; owners report the hum vanishing completely ↗
Before you buy used
- Belt: old belts drift; a new one costs a few pounds and fixes most speed complaints ↗
- Bearing: spin the platter with the belt off and listen for roughness ↗
- Motor: decades-old decks reach a dead motor; treat it as the upgrade-decision moment ↗
- Serial number: narrows the build year; owners date their decks by it when buying ↗
- Stylus: assume it is worn and budget a replacement, the biggest single upgrade anyway ↗
Lineage
- Acos era
- seventies originals with a Japanese detachable-headshell arm
- RB250 era
- 1983 onward: Rega's own high-rigidity fixed-head arm
- RB220 era
- 2016 refresh: one-piece aluminium arm, glass platter, 24V motor; the current generation
- Badge siblings
- the earlier P2 also sold nearly identical as the NAD 533 and Goldring
Room fit
- Placement
- unsuspended: light rigid shelf, away from speakers; lid off improves the sound
Service
- Bearing service:a drop of oil on the main bearing at belt-change intervals keeps speed honest ↗
In their own words
“It's a record player. Plain and simple. And at just a tad under $500 (street price), it does its job better and with less fuss than any turntable I've ever owned”
“very forgiving with garage sale records, relegating surface noise to the extreme background”
“If it wasn't for the P2 grounding issue, I wouldn't feel the need to get a different turntable”
“An assured, subtle and rhythmically exciting deck with high build quality and fuss-free set up”
Upgrade path
Often mentioned upgrade
Rega Planar 3 → €604 median
the classic step up (median EUR 604 used); on a dead motor, the P2-to-P3 motor kit reaches similar performance for less ↗
Further up the ladder (3)
- Cartridge first the first upgrade is always the cartridge: a Rega Nd3 or a better used MM transforms the deck for far less than a new table
- Rega Planar 6 → €1300 median · two rungs up with the RB330 arm (median EUR 1,300 used); where P2 owners land when they stay in the family
- Left the brand for Technics SL-1200GR, Clearaudio Concept or a used Sota Comet, when owners want speed stability and slam over the Rega charm
Sources
-
Review: Rega Planar 2 Turntable (Audiogon discussion) ↗
forum.audiogon.com · Ekobesky · 2002 · Forum / community
“It's a record player. Plain and simple. And at just a tad under $500 (street price), it does its job better and with less fuss than any turntable I've ever owned”
-
Rega Planar 2/Nd3 review ↗
whathifi.com · What Hi-Fi · 2024 · Review
“An assured, subtle and rhythmically exciting deck with high build quality and fuss-free set up”
-
Rega Planar 2 turntable ↗
hifinews.com · Review David Price; Lab Paul Miller; Feb 1 · 2018 · Review
“screw the arm counterweight on until the cartridge floats 1mm from the record surface, rotate it another full turn and it's set at an optimal 2g”
-
Rega Planar 2 Test and Review | Vinyl Restart ↗
vinylrestart.com · Tom · 2020 · Review
“Needs a cartridge upgrade to fully shine”
-
Rega Planar 2 Turntable Review - HomeTheaterHifi.com ↗
hometheaterhifi.com · Piero Gabucci · 2016 · Review
“I found the turntable spins ever so slightly fast about 33.59 rpms”
-
News ↗
stereophile.com · Len Porcano · 2005 · Article / blog
“something very like the P2 will still be available under the NAD and Goldring brand names”
-
Rega Planar 2 TurnTables user reviews : 4.7 out of 5 - 22 reviews - audioreview.com (full thread) ↗
audioreview.com · Forum / community
“4.7 out of 5 - 22 reviews”
-
Upgrade from the Rega Planar 2 (full thread) ↗
forums.stevehoffman.tv · Funkyfriendwow · Forum / community
“If it wasn't for the P2 grounding issue, I wouldn't feel the need to get a different turntable”
-
Rega Planar 2 upgrade vs. Planar 3 (Audiogon discussion) ↗
forum.audiogon.com · Shpike · 2006 · Forum / community
“It's much cheaper to do the motor upgrade and if you have good speed stability I don't think the performance would be that much greater”
-
Cartridge upgrade(Rega Planar 2) (full thread) ↗
forums.stevehoffman.tv · José Vasco · Forum / community
-
rega planar 2 serial number? (Audiogon discussion) ↗
forum.audiogon.com · Jcroot · 2009 · Forum / community
-
2000 Rega Planar2 (Audiogon discussion) ↗
forum.audiogon.com · Rute1 · 2001 · Forum / community
“It smokes my Planar 2 with Origin Live modified RB250”
-
Rega Planar 2 (original) library entry ↗
vinylengine.com · Spec sheet
-
Rega Planar 2 / AT95E tracking force set up ↗
vinylengine.com · Forum / community
Researched September 2026 · based on the sources above