Record Weights/Disc Stabilizers

@macg19 Thanks for your thoughts.  As close as I've been able to come to auditioning the HRS weights are the MoFi versions that were developed for them by or in conjunction with HRS.  Right now I have the Pure Fidelity SS-10 record stabilizer (which is the weight on my other deck, a Pure Fidelity Harmony) coming in at 765 grams, the MoFi Super Heavyweight (ironically not really the heaviest that they have) coming in at 367 grams, and a Furetech Monza coming in at about 350 grams.

The Furutech is probably the techiest and is a combination of stainless steel, carbon fiber, and a piezoelectric damping material.  It seems to add some better instrument delineation and space without changing too much of the Technics sound.  I like this one best with something well recorded,  It adds in the right places without being too much.  The Pure Fidelity SP-10 adds more heft to the proceedings, again without robbing the table of its basic nature.  I think a lot of folks would like this weight the best of the three.  I like it best with records that are not that well recorded (think current indie records), where the added heft is very welcome and helps balance what would be the harsher edges.  The MoFi somewhat splits the difference and gives up some detail for a smoother sound.  With the Technics, I feel it gets too far away from the basic strengths of the TT and is a little too polite for my tastes.

It's been an interesting exercise so far, I hope to try a few more before I'm done.

@macg19 a local dealer had a demo unit that he let me borrow (along with the MoFi).

@kfscoll I had a VPI for a while and started with the clamp and moved to the center weight and periphery ring.  Over time I just found it detracted from my wanting to play records.  I respect anyone who wants to squeeze every ounce of performance out of their deck, but a little like record cleaning, it needs to be simple.

For example, I'm not s person who would ever go through the Kirmuss method of cleaning a record, but I would put in in a Degritter and hit a button.  Likewise, I'll get the initial setup right but refuse to do things like VTA on the fly for every record.  To me, anything that might actually make you avoid playing a record is a negative, That's pretty much why I'm sticking with weights/stabilizers for the Technics--I want to enjoy listening to records but not fixate on the setup, so I'm in total "set and forget" mode here.

@wrm57 I suspected there would be some, it's all good! 

@wrm57 Thanks.  I'll try and check that out.

@mijostyn I'm not going to agree with that.  I'm rotating three different weights/stabilizers (and of course are comparing those to not using a weight at all) and my general sonic impressions are similar across all of my records, regardless of whether they are dished,  I actually have one that's somewhat dished and you definitely hear the warble, but that's not the difference that I'm hearing across the board. 

@z32kerber I used to own a VPI with had a periphery ring.  I found that to be a giant PITA but agree that it works well.

@wrm57 Great call on the Origin Live Gravity One!  I'm still comparing it to the Furetech Monza, but it sure seems like the winner right now.  It seems to provide a more three-dimensional image in which individual instruments in complicated passages are much easier to pick out.  And everything it does seems to be for the positive with no negative side-effects.  

@stereo5 Did you get to listen to both the heavier and more moderate HRS record weights?  If so, I'm curious about what you liked better about the lighter weight.