The Rega RP3s haven’t changed much in appearance over the decades. Put the original next to this new one and most people would be hard pushed to find any differences beyond the smarter plinth and the updated tonearm.

To date, the generational changes have always been about steady evolution, with the aim of improving performance. But by the company’s usual standards, the shift from the RP3, our current Product of the Year, to this new 2016 Planar 3 is seismic.

Just about every part has been revised to give a proper jump up in sound quality, and perhaps for the first time, the company has also tried to make it look slicker too.

It starts with the glossy plinth – available in black or white acrylic laminate – which is far smarter and better finished than before.

The plinth is also more rigid thanks to a pair of phenolic braces on the top and bottom surfaces that strengthen the area between the tonearm and brass main bearing.

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