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You have products that impress by showing off specs or exotic materials and you have those that simply make music. The Rega Saturn MK3 resolutely chooses option two and does so with verve. Those who already have “bass-heavy” speakers should be a little careful with this Rega Saturn MK3 because sometimes it is a little “too much of a good thing”. In many systems the Saturn Mk3 will provide just that extra touch of much needed ‘oomph’. Even in an analytical or fresher system, the Rega Planar MK3 will be an ideal partner.

Perhaps purists and specsafficiados will dismiss this unit but we don’t think that does this player justice. This is a time machine that plays music the way you remember it from your youth. Complex, careless and breathless. The Rega Saturn Mk3 tries to bring the music, the song in its entirety as best it can. At the same time, it makes sure you cannot escape the music. Engagement is high and listening fatigue is low. There is a kind of sparkle throughout the playback that blends wonderfully with any genre of music. Those who enjoy listening to music (music-first audiophiles) will enjoy their favorite music, with a smile as wide as the Joker. This is not the dynamic or insightful player but it listens so easily. For hours. This player will not only let you rediscover your CD collection but will also make your maligned albums shine again.

And of course, listening to a CD, or a vinyl record, is still different from streaming. It is a ritual that takes time and also helps you get off your lazy ass from time to time. So only benefits

Compare

We connect a Sonnet Hermes streamer coaxially to the Rega dac and almost reach the level of the CD player. It largely depends on the stream. Do you have a nice collection of carefully collected files or a is your NAS full of ripped CDs then the difference will be even smaller. The signature is the same. Sparkling but with a lot of foundation.

When we connect our Musical Fidelity transport, also via coax, everything sounds a bit grayer and less delineated. Here the difference with the Saturn is greater. Details are less clearly audible and voices a bit less intelligible. The Musical Fidelity transport clearly does not play at the same level

Conclusion

The Rega Saturn MK3 CD player/d-a converter did not steal its name. It sounds divine and seems to be from another planet. It not only plays away our streamer but also has an above-average dac on board. Furthermore, the Rega Saturn MK3 reads CDs quickly and silently and sounds great. Or did we say that already, the Rega Saturn is a pleasure to use and is also extremely versatile. You can go either way with it. It is more beautifully made than its predecessor and the price is manageable especially when you know you get an excellent dac on top. For all these reasons, the Rega Saturn MK3 gets Alpha Approved.

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