The latest Rega Planar 3 turntable looks pretty similar to previous generations of the Planar range, with a style that is simple but attractive. What Hi-Fi have recently put the deck through its paces and noted the suspension was limited to three solid rubber feet.

With any turntable it will work best situated on a level sound support, and as far away from the speakers as possible. One of the biggest new features of the RP3 is the addition of a strengthening brace between the arm base and main bearing. The much loved Rega tone arm as also been enhanced, which has a more rigid arm tube and improved resonance control.

You can purchase the unit without a cartridge for £475, but the package with the Elys 2 unit is an attractive option. Sound wise the RP3 doesn’t disappoint and was found to build on earlier versions with improved clarity and stronger dynamics. The Planar is easy to use and set up and proves to be a great buy as long as you don’t mind manually changing the speed.

I have had a Rega Planar turntable for years that is still going strong mechanically and sonically. But this latest version may lead me to upgrade. The unit is also available in the US from a variety of outlets including Amazon.

Meanwhile sales of vinyl continue to rise with sales set to be up 40 percent on last year, which is the highest level seen in six years. Sales have already gone past 240,000 units so far compared to 170,000 the same time last year, peaking at a total of 234,000 by the end of 2010.

While the majority of music fans either download their music or purchase it via CDs, according to What Hi-Fi Sound and Vision sales of vinyl albums rose by 55 percent during the first six months of this year. The rise in sales was led by the likes of Adele, Beady Eye, and Radiohead with sales hitting 168,296 from January to June in the UK. This compares to 108,307 during the same period last year.

The surge in interest in the format doesn’t come cheap though, as the average album spend on vinyl was £16.30. This compares to £7.82 for the average price of a CD, and £6.80 for digital releases. The biggest seller was Radiohead’s King of Limbs album that sold 20,771 vinyl copies of the album.

Figures for total vinyl album sales were helped further by limited edition releases, extra album artwork, and special events such as Record Store Day. Last year became the fourth successive time year-on year sales increased, which looks to continue again for 2011.

There will be many younger music fans who have never heard a vinyl album or single. But many aspiring DJs will be familiar with the 12-inch single. Personally I prefer the sound of a vinyl album except from the slight crackle at the beginning and end of every record.

To this day I can still remember the puzzled look on my children’s faces when I was putting on The War of the Worlds album on my Rega Planner 3 turntable, they thought I’d had gone mad when I said it contained music. Do you still listen to vinyl records?