Increase tonearm mass to match low compliance cart



I have a Rega RB250 which has an effective mass of 11 grams.
I want to try a Denon DL-103R cartridge but the 5cu compliance
of this cart doesn't match with the tonearm mass.

I heard I could use brass bolts to affix the cart to arm, the weight
of the brass increasing tonearm mass to nudge resonance into
acceptable frequency range.

Has anyone tried this? I hear Denon's compliance specs might be
lower than reality. I'm a newbie, can anyone recommend an effective
mass that will work well with the DL-103R?
binar

Showing 1 response by hdm

Do not read too much into Denon's compliance number. If you do a search at Vinyl Asylum, there is a general concensus there that Denon's number is not particularly accurate and that the real compliance number is closer to 9cu. A member there has measured the reasonant frequency of his 103R in a 10.5g SME V to be just under 9 and many people feel that the Denon works well in many medium mass arms as well as those with higher mass.

Try it as it is and see how you make out. If you feel compelled with adding mass to your arm, I'd suggest using blu tak on top of the headshell and not adding more than about 3-4 grams to start off with.