REPRODUCEDFROMHI-FICHOICE
ONEVISION
Rega’sal-in-onestartersystemisradicalydiferent toanythingelse,butEdSeleythinksthattheresult isratherbriliant
One ofthe mostimportantaspectsof havingasucesfulrangeofproductsfor anycompanyismakingsurethatthe‘first rung’–thepointatwhichacustomermight begintheirrelationship withyou–isa compelingone.Diferentcompanieshave diferent approaches to this,but the commonthemeistotryandembodywhat youstandforinminiature.ForRega,thisis trickierthanitmightatfirstappear.The company ofers complete hi-fisystems; producedintheUK,usualyvinyl-fronted and from separate components. Any atemptatafirstrunghastoembodythese valuestohaveanyrelevancetotherestof the modelrange.The answerto this conundrumistheSystemOne;acomplete hi-fiinaboxfor£1,200. ThecomponentsthatmakeuptheSystem Onearenotalnew.ThePlanar1(whichwe testedin‘Plus’configurationwithon-board phono stage in HFC 434)and the io integratedamplifier(HFC464)havebeen partoftheexistingrangeofproductsfor sometime.Inminiature,bothofthem
embodyRega’sdesignprioritiesasseenintherestof therange.ThePlanar1turntableisanunsuspended, belt-drivendesignthatadherestoRega’sidealsoflow overalmascombinedwithhighrigidity. Inordertoreducetheprice,somefeaturesseenon themoreornateturntableslikethestifeningbrace andglas platerhavetofalbythewayside.The platerisinsteadmadeofphenolicresinandtheplinth onitsownprovidesthenecesarystifnes.The RB110tonearmisrecognisablyrelatedtothedesigns onthelargermodels,butsimplifiedwiththeantiskate fixedtoworkoptimalywiththeCarboncartridgethat comespre-fited. Aswelasreducingthecostandcomplexityofthe turntableitself,itmeansthatthePlanar1isalsoabout assimpleasaturntablecanbetogetupandrunning. Thebeltactsonasub-platerandcomespre-fited andthereisarubberwasheronthearm stubthat pretycloselyapproximatestoa2gtrackingweight. It’shardtoenvisageanyturntablemakingtheproces mucheasierandonceyou’vegotitsetupandready togo,thePlanar1ispainlestouse. ThevariantusedintheSystem1isnotthe‘Plus’
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