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Adding mass to a tonearm

I would like someone to explain to me why adding headshell weights doesn't really alter the mass of the tonearm that much when figuring cart vs tonearm compliance. I have a Denon DL-103r and I keep reading that's it's for high mass tonearms. I also hear that adding headshell weights doesn't really alter the mass. What gives?

I want to try a DIY on my Pioneer PL-530 turntable tonearm where I mask off the arm such that only the chrome arm on the headshell side is visible and spray it with Plastidip. This would seem to add mass and resonance control. If it doesn't work the I can just peel it off.  
last_lemming

Showing 3 responses by bdp24

bdp24's avatar
bdp24
10,096 posts
 
Great post ibelchev! I've never understood why tone arm makers provide an effective mass figure for their designs as a static amount. All arm's em is determined in part by how far the counterweight is positioned from the arm's bearings, for a starter. The em figure for an arm should be a range, right?
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
10,096 posts
 
Some audiophiles claim to not care for the sound of lead, but if you're not one of them, small lead weights can be found at hobby and fishing supply stores. The ones at hobby stores can be had with self-stick tape on one side, for attaching to a headshell and/or counterweight. They are made for model train and slot car enthusiasts. Steel weights of various mass can be found at auto supply retailers---they are for balancing wheels, and also have sticky tape on one side.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
10,096 posts
 
Adding weights to the headshell DOES increase the effective mass of the arm. Not just because of the weight itself, but also because to then balance the arm, the counterweight on the back end will need to be moved further from the arm's pivot, which also increases the arms effective moving mass.
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