Rega
Website:https://www.rega.co.uk/
Est. year: 1973
Location: UK
Rega Research is a British hi-fi maker founded in 1973 and based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex. The name combines the initials of founders Relph and Gandy. Rega made its name with Planar turntables and RB tonearms, and today it also builds cartridges, phono stages, amplifiers, a CD player and loudspeakers, employing more than 140 people as of 2014.
Range & what it's known for
The turntable range runs from the Planar 1 and Planar 1 Plus through the Planar 2, Planar 3 and Planar 6 to the Planar 8, Planar 10 Ref and the Naia Ref, plus the Planar 78 for shellac records. Arms range from the RB220 and RB330 to the RB3000 Ref and RB Titanium Ref, and the cartridge line covers the Nd moving magnets and the Ania, Apheta and Aphelion moving coils. Electronics include the Io, Brio, Elex, Elicit and Aethos amplifiers, the Osiris, Mercury and Solis Ref models, Fono and Aura phono stages and the Isis Ref CD player. The KYTE and AYA are the current loudspeakers. Lightweight, rigid plinths and low-mass arms are the common engineering thread.
Who owns it and where it's made
Rega is a private company. Products are designed and hand built in England at its own factory, with a stated preference for UK suppliers. The company does not advertise, choosing to put that money into research and development. It has also worked as an original equipment maker, supplying tonearms and turntables to other audio companies such as NAD and Rotel. All products carry a lifetime limited warranty against manufacturing defects.
The lineup in this catalog
Turntables, electronics and loudspeakers, several models in total, priced from about GBP 300 for the Planar 1 to well over GBP 8,000 for the Naia turntable.
Who it's for
A first turntable bought on a modest budget can grow into a full Rega system later, since the same brand covers the rest of the chain. A Planar 1 or Planar 3 with an Io or Brio amplifier makes a compact first system, the RS and Ref turntables and higher Nd or Ania cartridges are the next steps, and the Ref electronics complete a full Rega chain. British manufacture and long product support also count in its favour.