Rega Planar 1 turntable

The Rega Planar 1 is a multi-award-winning 'Plug and Play' turntable designed and manufactured by Rega Research Ltd. Based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, the company pride itself on being a dedicated British manufacturer that handles almost all production processes in-house. Originally founded in 1973 by Roy Gandy and Tony Relph, the brand name was derived from the initials of its founders.

In a significant move to ensure the longevity and cultural preservation of the technical expertise within the company, Rega transitioned to an employee-owned model. As of 2023, the brand is owned by its staff through an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), with founder Roy Gandy gifting 100% of his shares to the trust. This structure protects the brand from outside buyouts and ensures that the engineering-led philosophy remains the core of its business operations in the UK for decades to come.