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Review: Groovetracer Counterweight for Rega Turntable

Category: Analog

I am very happy to see the Groovetracer counterweight for sale on Audiogon. I have had the opportunity to own one of these for several months and I have been very happy with its' performance on my Rega turntables.
I know that there are many counterweights out there, to say nothing of the endless twaeks available. This one is very different. It actually works! I have tried and owned most every tweak available for a Rega table. God knows why, but I have to hear them. Some have worked well. Some were a waste of money. The Groovetracer is worth every bit of its' asking price and then some.
Up until now, the Kerry F2 weight had sounded the best in my system. There was lots of deep, tight bass. Treble was extended, without soounding etched and hard. The Groovetracer does all that, but then seems to take things to another level of refinement. There is the same weight to the bass as was evident with the F2, but now I hear the sound of the string being plucked/picked more clearly. Channel seperation seemed like it was more precise than I had heard before. Voices sounded more real. The biggest thrill for me was playing records that I thought had damage that could not be tracked and hearing them play perfectly. The Groovetracer just brought me closer to the music. I found myself just listening more and not worrying so much about what needed to be tweaked next!
If you already have a good aftermarket counterweight for your Regas, the Groovetracer will just be better than what you have. If you have ever thought about an aftermarket weight, try this one first.

Associated gear
Counterweight amplification, JPS cables, Apogee speakers.

Similar products
Michell Technoweight, The Pebbles Weight, Kerry F-2 Titanium, Expressimo Heavyweight,etc.
zoltarcat
5 responses Add your response
martinwatkins-2ac2
1 posts
 
Has anyone had the opportunity to compare the Groovetracer or the Kerry to the Origin Live end-stub & counterweight mod?

Thanks
badboss429
21 posts
 
After considerable listening sessions, I have come to the conclusion that in my system loosing the counterweights so that they just make contact with the Groovetracer O rings makes a nice improvement in sound reproduction. By comparison, screwing the counterweights tightly to the bracket (as assembled from the machine shop) sounds more metalic and less airy. Also, I find that for optimum results, the counterweights should be a close to even height from the tonearm board as possible. I measure with an accurate metric ruler from the armboard to the counterweight screw center. Having the weights even maximized the Groovetracer's ability to focus images and track dynamic passages. Once you have the counterweight height correct, be sure the grub screw is as tight as possible. Enjoy the music!
badboss429
21 posts
 
I just installed the Groovetracer and concur 100% with Zoltarcat's findings. I installed this beautifully machines counterweight on my Zeta tonearm which fortunately has the same size end stub diameter as the Rega (.5 inch) for which the Groovetracer was designed. Beside improvements in frequency response extremes, the most significant improvement for me is sound space reproduction. By comparison, the stock Zeta sounded somewhat constricted and lacked depth. The Groovetracer has opened up a door into the music never experienced in my system. There is a bloom to the music that extends floor to ceiling, wall to wall without loss of focus or expanded images. Just the opposite, although the sound space has expanded to huge proportions, the actual images are incredibly tight and defined. I would strongly encourage any Rega, Zeta or other tonearm owners that have the ability to mount this counterweight give it a try, I don't believe you will be disapointed.
zoltarcat OP
7 posts
 
All four of my tables have RB300s on them. The cartridge that it helped with tracking was a Shure Ultra 500. It has done the same thing to an Audio Technica AT150MLX, a Dynavector 20XH,and a Stanton CS100. The AT tracked the best to begin with, but the Groovetracer seemed to clean up the sound. I played drums for about eighteen years, both rock and jazz. I pay a great deal of attention to the way drums sound on records. The Groovetracer makes drums sound much more real. Cymbals sound like they should and they do not have that fake "technicolor" sheen about them. There is a Dixie Dregs album called "What If". I use this album as a tool to find good sound a lot. I have never heard this record sound as good as it does with the Groovetracer installed.
The Kerry F2 is a really good counterweight. I owned one, until I heard this weight. The Groovetracer just sounds better to me. I have a couple of the Regas tweaked in rather odd ways. I had to have additional weight on two of the Groovetracers I bought. This was not an issue to the designer and the effect on the sound was equally satisfying.
I appreciate your questions. Feel free to write and ask anything else that you wish.
listener57
730 posts
 
Zoltarcat, Which model Rega tonearm and which cartridge had its tracking ability enhanced by your new recommendation? I found that using Herbie's doughnut turntable mat on a Sonographe SG-3 turntable working with Kerry F-2 Titanium Heavyweight counterweighted RB-300 tonearm let a number of different Grado and Shure cartridges sound their best thus far.
But your "similar products" counterweight odyssey does seem quite extensive leading to an apparent early adopter happy ending.
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