Rega Replay Brings Simple Vinyl Setup For £259

Rega has announced the Replay, a £259 belt-drive turntable aimed at people getting started with vinyl. Handmade in the UK, it comes with a cartridge already fitted and aligned, plus preset tonearm settings to reduce the setup work before your first record.

Quick Reference

• UK price: £259 for the turntable.
• Playback: 33⅓ and 45 rpm, with manual belt changes.
• Included: RB110 tonearm, Rega Carbon moving magnet cartridge, mat, removable dustcover and PS2 power supply.
• Connections: RCA output to a compatible phono input or separate phono stage; an amplifier and speakers are also needed.
• Size with cover fitted: 415 mm wide × 320 mm deep × 115 mm high. Weight: 2.2 kg.

Less Setup Before Your First Record

Rega says it spent three years developing the Replay and claims it can be set up in under a minute. The RB110 tonearm has preset bias, while the supplied 111 g balance weight pushes onto the back of the arm until it reaches a stop. With the supplied Carbon cartridge, this sets the required tracking force without the usual arm-balancing process.

There are still a few practical steps: remove the packing card beneath the sub-platter, fit the platter and mat, connect the power supply and audio leads, and remove the stylus guard before playing a record. The cartridge has a replaceable stylus, so wearing out the needle does not mean replacing the whole cartridge.

A Lightweight Design With Manual Controls

The Replay has a laminated skeletal plinth with a black MDF core, a 24 V motor and Rega’s Advanced EBLT drive belt. A 23 mm phenolic resin platter and white mat support the record, while the feet are designed to limit vibration reaching the turntable.

It plays records at 33⅓ and 45 rpm. Changing between them involves switching off, lifting off the mat and platter, and moving the belt to the other step on the motor pulley. You use the tonearm’s lift/lower lever to place the stylus on the record and lift it away at the end.

The removable dustcover is for protecting the deck between listening sessions. Rega’s manual specifically says never to power the Replay with the cover fitted.

What You Need To Hear It

The £259 price is for the turntable, rather than a complete music system. Its RCA leads need to connect to an amplifier with a phono stage suitable for a moving magnet cartridge, or to a separate moving magnet phono stage feeding your amplifier.

A phono stage boosts the cartridge’s small signal and applies the correction needed for vinyl playback. A normal AUX or line input alone cannot do that job, so check your existing system before buying. You will also need amplification and speakers to hear your records.

Price And Warranty

Rega has announced a UK selling price of £259. Check with a Rega dealer for stock and local availability.

The Replay carries Rega’s lifetime limited warranty against confirmed manufacturing defects. This excludes wear and tear and consumable parts, so it does not mean the stylus is covered forever.

What The Terms Mean

Belt drive: A belt transfers rotation from the motor to the mechanism that turns the platter.

Plinth and platter: The plinth is the turntable’s base; the platter is the rotating surface supporting the record.

Tonearm: The arm that carries the cartridge across the record.

Cartridge and stylus: The cartridge converts movement into an electrical signal. The stylus, often called the needle, follows the record groove.

Moving magnet or MM: The cartridge type supplied with the Replay. It needs a compatible MM phono stage.

Tracking force and bias: Tracking force is the downward pressure keeping the stylus in the groove. Bias helps counter the arm’s tendency to move inward during playback.

RPM: Revolutions per minute, or how fast the record spins. Use the speed specified on the record.

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