Rega Planar 2 Setup: Tracking Force, Belt and First Spin
By ShutterGroove | Published: 2026-10-16
Category: How-to Guides
A step-by-step Rega Planar 2 setup guide covering belt installation, Rega Carbon cartridge tracking force, anti-skate, and your first safe spin.
Quick answer
Set the Rega Planar 2 on a level, rigid surface, fit the belt around the sub-platter and motor pulley, then balance the RB220 tonearm and dial in tracking force for the pre-installed Rega Carbon cartridge. Rega's own guidance for the Carbon is 2.0 g, so start there, set anti-skate to match, and make your first spin a cheap record rather than a favorite.
What you need before you unbox
The Planar 2 arrives with the RB220 tonearm and Rega Carbon cartridge already mounted, so you do not need a protractor for a standard setup. What you do need is a level surface that will not wobble when you walk past it, a stylus force gauge if you want to verify rather than trust the dial, and a record you are willing to sacrifice to a misaligned first pass.
- A spirit level or phone level app for the plinth
- A stylus force gauge (optional but useful)
- A clean, scratch-free record for the first spin
- A phono stage or an amp with a phono input
Where the Planar 2 fits in a first turntable decision
The Planar 2 is a manual, belt-drive deck aimed at listeners who want to handle the arm themselves and hear the difference. If you would rather press one button and have the arm move on its own, the Sony PS-LX310BT is the easier starting point because it adds fully automatic operation, a built-in phono preamp, and Bluetooth output. Neither approach is wrong; they just ask different things of you on day one.
Connecting the Planar 2 to your system
The Planar 2 does not include a phono preamp, so the cable from the tonearm must go into a phono input or a standalone phono stage before it reaches a line-level amp or speaker. If your amplifier only has aux, CD, or streaming inputs, you need an external phono stage in between. Keep the turntable cables away from power bricks and router cables where you can, because hum on a new deck is usually a placement problem rather than a fault.
Rega Planar 2 setup steps
- 1. Level the plinth: Place the deck on a rigid shelf or stand and check level front-to-back and side-to-side. Adjust the feet or shim the surface until the bubble sits centered. Mistake to avoid: leveling after you set tracking force, which means doing the arm setup twice.
- 2. Fit the belt: Loop the belt around the sub-platter groove first, then stretch it over the motor pulley. Rotate the platter by hand a few turns so the belt seats evenly and does not ride up the pulley shoulder. Checkpoint: with the platter spinning by hand, the belt should stay flat and centered, not twisted or climbing.
- 3. Balance the RB220 tonearm: With the deck unplugged, release the arm clamp, move the arm over the platter, and turn the counterweight until the arm floats roughly parallel to the record surface. This zero point is the reference for everything that follows. Mistake to avoid: balancing with the stylus guard still fitted, which throws off the float.
- 4. Set Rega Carbon tracking force: Turn the counterweight dial forward to apply 2.0 g for the Rega Carbon, then confirm with a stylus force gauge at the record surface if you have one. Rega's spec for this cartridge is 2.0 g, so treat that as your starting number rather than a range to experiment with blindly. Checkpoint: the gauge should read close to 2.0 g; a large gap means the counterweight moved without the dial turning.
- 5. Set anti-skate: Set the anti-skate slider or dial to match the tracking force you just applied. If you hear distortion on the right channel or the arm drifts inward on a blank groove, adjust in small increments rather than jumping to the maximum. Mistake to avoid: leaving anti-skate at zero because the deck 'sounds fine' — uneven stylus wear shows up later.
- 6. Make your first spin a test record: Cue a clean, inexpensive record first and listen for channel balance, sibilance, and any hum. Only move to a collectible pressing once the arm tracks cleanly through a full side. Next step: if it tracks well, keep the setup as is and enjoy it; if not, recheck steps 3 through 5 before changing anything else.
Product facts
- Rega Planar 2 Turntable with Rega Carbon Cartridge: The Rega Planar 2 ships with the RB220 tonearm and a pre-installed Rega Carbon cartridge. You can skip cartridge mounting and alignment on day one and go straight to balancing the arm and setting tracking force.
- Sony Bluetooth Turntable PS-LX310BT: The Sony PS-LX310BT is a fully automatic Bluetooth turntable with a built-in phono preamp. If manual cueing and a separate phono stage sound like friction rather than fun, this is the lower-effort alternative.
- j-hope – HOPE ON THE STREET VOL.1 Vinyl | BTS Collectible: j-hope's HOPE ON THE STREET VOL.1 is a vinyl release that includes a photo book and collectibles. It is a good example of a record worth keeping off the platter until your tracking force and anti-skate are confirmed.
