Rega Research have always ploughed their own, distinctly Bauhaus-ian furrow. They have, over the years, produced a string of pared away, back to basics designs that have challenged the accepted wisdom of the day, in the process providing astonishing levels of performance at distinctly real world prices. In fact, Rega more than any other company represent the ethos behind The Real Deal - genuine hi-fi without the frills and fancy price tag.

Their approach is most obvious with the Planar 2 and 3 turntables, and most spectacularly so with the RB300 tonearm. No sooner had SME produced the Series 5 with its onepiece precision cast armtube and four figure price ticket, than Rega joined the party at around a tenth of the price! The rest as they say is history. Of course, the two products are far from identical, the Rega eschewing even VTA adjustment in pursuit of better value (a decision that makes considerable sense in the context of the company's own turntables and cartridges but which has left the rest of the analogue fraternity pulling its hair out) but it's impossible to ignore the outstanding performance on offer at a bargain price. Ever wondered why nobody makes mid-price tonearms any more? Nowadays people either buy a Rega or they spend the wrong side of a thousand pounds.

Take a product like a Planar 2 and its RB250 tonearm and form pretty much is function and simplicity is God. Along with the mechanical elegance comes a simple, uncluttered sound and the secret of Rega's success they get the fundamentals right, mechanically and musically. Customers might bitch about the manual speed change, but they just love that accessible and engaging sound. And whilst it might not be quite so obvious, similar concerns dominated Rega's original electronics, the Planet CD player in particular becoming a minor classic. Take a look at those clamshell castings used for the casework, and the minimalist controls and `optional' remotes. Each element has to contribute to the product's value and performance, The problem was that with so much more competition the appearance of the electronics was more of a liability. Lacking the clean aesthetics of the Planar turntables their eclectic looks fell into the love 'em or hate 'em category, which is making life hard for yourself. Also, and in common with most other Rega products, they had already enjoyed a long and healthy shelf life. With the advent of the Planar 25 and the sleek new P3 turntable, they were clearly living on borrowed time, so it was no surprise to hear the announcement of the new 2000 series electronics, and what we have here are two of the central players, the new Planet and Mira models.

Well, you can't miss the new casework with its far more conventional appearance. What is less obvious is the thought that's gone into it and the reasoning behind it. Sculpted in two planes it's a far more sophisticated looking beast than the old case. It's also bigger. One of the key pressures on the old die-cast casing was its lack of internal space. The new case is both taller and deeper, allowing Rega to introduce circuit changes that were impossible on the previous models.

The other quality which isn't apparent until you pick one up is just how solid the new case is. Each unit has a dedicated, extruded aluminium base, including in the case of the Mira the amplifier's heatsinking. This interlocks with a second extrusion which forms a common lid for all the products. Front and back panels then bolt to the resulting `sleeve'. This allows much more room and flexibility when it comes to placing sockets on the back, which always seemed a little cramped on the old amps. The Planet uses a revised and simplified version of the original top-loading lid, shifted to a central position. It lacks the solid feel of the earlier version (as well as the diagonal CD access pits) but is much simpler to produce, enabling the company to hold the price on the new player to the old level. It's already been dubbed "the Enterprise" (as well as other, less flattering things) but once you get used to picking the disc up fore and aft it works just as well as the original. The other gripe is to do with the front panel. This is a plastic moulding which looks fine but can't match the solid feel of the rest of the casework. It was a conscious decision on Rega's part, necessary to hold the prices on the products, and true to form, they made the cut where it might be seen but wouldn't be heard. Besides, they reasoned, most people will operate the almost buttonless units from the (new and much improved) Solar remote anyway, and the panel certainly looks the part, so I guess it makes sense. Whether they will get away with that argument on thousand pound products remains to be seen. Oh, and there's even a finish option, so how's that for progress.

Internally, the Mira gains the Alpha-Encoder control circuitry which allows digital control of all the switching functions. The nice broad back panel allows plenty of space for input socketry including pre-out and power-in connections. You also get four line level inputs, a tape loop and of course, a moving-magnet phono stage. Volume control and source switching are both done remotely, the new Solar allowing far finer volume settings than the old handset) while the front panel knob is designed to allow that last little tweak. This means that adjusting volume from zero using the knob can be laborious, but that's not what it's meant for. The circuit now uses high grade Evox film-caps and a common base driver stage based on the Exon power amp. Overall gain is 28dB, improving compatibility with external processors and the like. The Planet also benefits from upgraded componentry, as well as a separate winding on the transformer for its display, a major source of fitter in many cheap machines. As well as the new lid assembly, it also gets a new 24bit Delta Sigma DAC, manufactured by Wolfson and dubbed IC40 by Rega, and configured again for minimum fitter. The display itself on the new model is a vast improvement on the rather garish old one, and you now get a choice of optical or co-axial digital outputs should you wish to use an external DAC.

These revisions bear the hallmarks of considerable thought and consultation. The new aesthetics are far more mainstream than the old, without risking the loss of Rega's individuality, and the overall effect is far more classy. But if the external changes are to be voted a success, then the internals have to stand up sonically as well. You'll be glad to hear that they do, and whilst there's a very definite shift in the sound, its very much a family thing with the characteristics common to both the Planet and Mira, as well as the Brio which I've also played with. So, under the circumstances I'll concentrate on the Planet, as that's where they are most obvious. As regular readers will know, I've been a long term user of the Jupiter and to combination, so it forms a ready benchmark for the Planet. What I wasn't prepared for was the superiority of the cheaper model. The new Planet costs a shade under X500 while the two-box and a Nordost digital interconnect is nearer X1300, but the planet exhibited clear areas of superiority. First generation Rega CD machines were more remarkable for their musical integrity than their detail, and whilst they retained that ability to satisfy long term, it was despite a thickened and relatively low-resolution sound rather than because of it (despite what some aficionados would have you believe ("It sounds much more like my turntable." Strange, I thought it was supposed to sound like music!).

Play something simple and there's a stark contrast between old and new. Let's use 'While I Was loving You' (Kieran Kane and Kevin Welch 11/12/13 Live In Melbourne) as an example. The music from the Jupiter and lo is big, bold and robust, the simple rhythms are impressively propulsive and the `non vocal' accompaniment of Kieran Kane is right on the beat. But switch to the new Planet and a whole new vista of information opens up. Kevin Welch's voice is far more natural, more focussed and not as forward. The individual strings of his guitar (and their harmonics) are more easily separated, the notes have more shape while the impromptu accompaniment has much greater texture and subtlety. But it's the overall perspective that's the biggest change. The two-box machine pushes that voice way forward, with everything else kind of trailing in its wake. Its a real larger than life approach to the music, long on drama, lacking a little insight. The new Planet offers a much more restrained and truly scaled vision of events. The soundstage is slightly more distant but much more coherent, and whilst it's not apparent from the `creative' mic-ing on this track, it's also more fully developed. Given the sense of purpose and substance that marks out the older machine I could see some people calling this one swings and roundabouts. However, apply those same characteristics to something a bit more complex and you get a totally different story.

Switch to the Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances (Johanos/Dallas, Analogue Productions APCD 006) and the Planet rapidly establishes its total superiority. Initially it seems quieter than its older brother but that's just a function of its greater dynamic range and discrimination. Right from the opening violin motif and the way it spreads across the strings, the sense of space and performance are far more apparent. Instrumental tone is more truly shaded, the strands and elements that build each succeeding crescendo in the opening non allegro that much simpler to differentiate and appreciate. Just listen to the tambourine, separated in space and locked in time as all hell breaks loose around it. A nondescript rattle on the Jupiter/lo, not only is it readily identifiable on the Planet, its contribution makes perfect sense.

Overall, the result is much greater anticipation as the music scales each height in turn before that last great crescendo and the transition to the woodwinds. The Planet gets the structure and meaning of the piece spot on, as well as the dramatic tension of the performance. In comparison the Jupiter sounds muddled, crude and clumsy. Like I said earlier, the same applies, albeit to a lesser extent, to the Mira. Both these products are significantly more transparent, spatially and musically more coherent, and altogether more sophisticated than the ones they replace. They work beautifully together, and will do so in some surprisingly august company (the Living Voice Avatars for instance) without losing their poise. Take the traditional Rega virtues of structural discipline and rhythmic integrity and graft on additional resolution and information and you end up with something which, whilst it might be less obvious, is ultimately far more satisfying. It will also work better on a wider range of music. I love the old Jupiter/lo combination, but as of now I'm hassling hard for its one-box replacement. In the meantime, the Planet will have to do.

Unfamiliar and altogether more chic, musically as well as aesthetically, it's worth getting used to. Come to think of it, that sounds awfully familiar. Who says you can't teach an old guard new tricks?

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Rega Planet
Type: CD Player DAC: 24bit 16x o/s Rega IC40
Outputs: 1x Analogue 1x Co-axial Digital 1x Tos-link Optical Digital
Dimensions (WxHxD): 420x95x270mm
Weight: 5.7Kg
Finishes: Black or Silver
Price: £498

Rega Mira
Type: Integrated Amplifier
Inputs: 1x MM Phono 5x Line 1x Power Amp
Outputs: 1x Pre Out 1x Tape Out 1x Speaker Binding Posts
Input Sensitivity (Line): 200mV
Input Impedance: 24Kohms
Output Power: 60 Watts into 8 Ohms; 90 Watts into 4 Ohms
Dimensions (WxHxD): 430x85x270mm
Weight: 6.9Kg
Finishes: Black or Silver
Price: £498

Rega Solar
Type: RC5 System Remote
Price: £25

Manufacturer: Rega Research Ltd
Tel. (44) (0) 1702 333071
Fax. (44) (0) 1702 432427
Net: www.rega.co.uk

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