Johnnantais, I think you will like it. This mod is just like the types of things you like to do: cheap, easy, and effective. I like those kinds of mods too! I made the mods for my tonearm and a DL103 cartridge with 12gram weights on each side, for a total of 24gram increase in lateral mass. For cartridges with a more normal medium compliance, less mass is needed. With Grado or other high compliance cartridges(including Cartridge Man Music Maker II), it may not be needed at all, and could cause the "dreaded Grado Wobble" when playing.
NOTE: The mass MUST be equal on both sides of the pivot.
I figure that this mod on your Lenco/Rega setup should send you directly into audio Nirvana! I really do think you will be surprised at how much better it sounds after modding.
Have fun!!!!!!!! |
Doug, I got an email from him today, showing the pics of his mod. Pretty inventive! I think that he could do away with the clamp, and just glue the things onto the side of the housing, and that would pretty it up a bit.
I'm very flattered that my idea is still breathing. I guess you just never know where something will end up, when you start a ball rolling.
I'm glad he got good results, and it just shows how universal the need is for something like this on many tonearms. I went for the Rega type arms, since there are so many of them out there. But except for 2 guys, they all went onto Origin Live Silver arms. I suppose the Rega guys just aren't interested. Too bad. It can really improve their arms. |
Follow my instructions at the top of the page of this thread, and you'll have what you want. It is made for installation on a RB250.
If you have any questions about it, you can email me, and I'll help you. |
Yes, just glue the weights to the caps for the RB250. Make sure that they are nicely centered, and also be sure that the shape of the weights you get don't interfere with the operation of the cueing lever. I found that the long tapered bullet shaped sinkers work best. You can use up to 7/16 ounce weights on each side. For higher compliance cartridges, use less weight. |
Bombaywalla, thanks for your report on your HiFi mod.
Another satisfied user.
This also works just as well on any Rega tonearm.
Where are all you Rega guys?
After 2 years of testing on dozens of tonearms of various types, and various cartridges, with no bad results, I'd have to say that this HiFi mod is an unqualified success.
I really think that the people who haven't tried this mod, are not fully aware of just how much better things sound, when the HiFi mod is installed. Most people who tried it were amazed at the amount of improvement. |
Zaikesman, because if it is not, it will cause the tonearm to have a lateral force applied in the direction of the heavier weight, like an anti-skating adjustment. I have read arguments from others that this is impossible and physics dictate that it is impossible. I counter that argument by having done experiments that show it is not only possible, but predictable. I have done leveling and every other precaution, but it happens. One person who bought the mod got so anxious to listen that he tried to play with only one weight installed, and the tonearm skated all the way across the record from just a slight bump! So, no matter what some may say in theory, in practice this is an issue that must be dealt with. Perhaps it is simply because ideal theoretical conditions cannot be met in practice, in this application, and the bearings are smooth enough to allow the drift. Small variation of unequal weight may be dealt with by adjustment of the anti-skate mechanism on the tonearm. Whatever the reason, it is important to have a reasonably close match of the weights that are used for this purpose. I'm not saying that it is necessary to take this down to the 1/10000 of a gram, or anything. Just make them pretty close, and that should do it. When I make them, I just eyeball them for the same length, and use weights from the same package that were pre-weighed before I cut the depressions in the ends. That has been close enough for all my previous work. Also, it should be noted that the length is important, because the force applied increases by the square of the distance from the pivot. Since this is a geometrical increase, the length of the weight(which creates the distance of the center of mass of that weight from the pivot) is pretty important also. I made the weights about an inch long, because I am using that geometrical force increaser to assist the desired effect, while keeping the actual mass that I'm using to a minimum for the application required. |
Hi Janvoorn, I have read much of the writings of Poul Laadegard, and even made a prototype of his famous linear tracking tonarm once. He is an interesting fellow. Thanks for the tip to the website.
The Van Alstine mod was completely different, because it was positioned at the headshell, and affected both the vertical and horizontal mass. But, it may have helped with azimuth control on unipivots.
Actually, this HiFi mod only makes up for the lack of engineering on the part of most tonearm designers. It seems that the majority of cartridges made are wanting a bit more lateral mass in the tonearm system. |
Hi Damian, while the unequal weights may possibly effect a change in anti-skating, it is not recommended to do that. It has other effects too, which might include affecting the azimuth, causing unequal bearing loading, among other things. If you need to adjust your anti-skate, I'd recommend approaching it from a direction that influences only anti-skate. |
Rauliruegas, yes I agree that if the tonearm is properly designed, that there will be no need for my tonearm mod. Unfortunately, it seems that many are not properly designed. So, improving the lateral mass is appropriate in many cases, but not all. Also, it depends greatly upon whether the cartridge is low, medium, or high compliance, as to whether additional lateral mass is even needed. In any case, this mod is strictly for OL Silver and Rega tonearms, and it has been demonstrated that they perform better, with many cartridges, by having additional lateral mass placed in the proper location.
I have never presented this modification as a "panacea" for all arms and all cartridges, but strictly for Rega and OL Silver arms with lower and medium compliance cartridges. Other arms may also benefit, but that would have to be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Thanks for your comments. |
Good points, Alex. In fact, some tonearms do have added mass in the horizontal plane, provided by the bearing housing structure. Others have a large bearing housing, but the bearings that control horizontal movement are only holding a low-mass ring which is part of the gimbal system, so those don't really help in that regard.
In early tests of the other OL arms like the Encounter and the Illustrious, I found that the horizontal mass(large bearing housing) in those arms was already sufficient to preclude the use of the HiFi mod. And in fact, they sounded better than my OL Silver with the HiFi mod. This shows that horizontal mass is important, but is only one aspect of the design, and other things still are very important.
Your comments about the amount of mass increase being similar to VTF force is very astute. However, the mass increase that I use is about 12g per side, or a total of 24g. This is placed at the pivot, which is not augmented by the F x D^2 multiplier of the long arm tube that multiplies the effect of stylus accelerations at the pivot. In order to counteract forces and accelerations that are multiplied by the leverage of the long armtube(9"), a larger mass is needed at the pivot, than the typical cantilever and suspension may be exerting at the headshell. Even this 24g increase seems insufficient. My testing has shown that even though the increased mass may seem insufficient to counter the forces and accellerations that the cartridge produces, it is the increase in Coulomb's Friction(static inertia) which is the key to this HiFi mod's performance. This increase in Coulomb's Friction causes the static moment of inertia of the tonearm system to be higher than the stylus deflections can overcome on a short rapid momentary acceleration during play. This is why the cartridge performance is increased, but the slower movements of spiral tracking of the groove are relatively unaffected. Higher amounts of mass increase could be counterproductive to normal arm movement across the record. I know we had this discussion about static moment of inertia earlier in this thread, but I neglected to mention Coulomb's Friction at that time. It is different than the typical dynamic friction that we are all familiar with.
Doug Deacon's HFNRR test record measurements with the Hifi mod installed on his OL Silver yielded a near perfect 11Hz vertical, and slightly higher horizontal with a Shelter 501 Mk II on his arm (if I remember his post correctly) Both were well below normal audio range, and above rumble frequencies.
Regarding your interest in higher frequency performance of the damping trough, it is interesting to note that studies have been done on arms with removeable headshells, and it was found that 1kHz was a typical resonance peak resulting from the joint of arm/headshell. If the damping trough works well at that frequency, it may well prove very effective on that resonance, as well as others.
A damping trough working in conjunction with increased horizontal mass is an intriguing idea which could merit some experimentation. I have not tried that combo personally. It sounds like a good idea.
Thanks for your input. |
Doug, thanks for clearing that up. I couldn't remember exactly what you stated in your post, and I just made a mistake in writing that you had a 501.
BTW, I have always thought that Bazooka was the best bubble gum! :^) |
Doug, I thought about making the weights threaded for adjustability, but finally decided that it left too much to chance. Also, any threaded pieces will set up resonance points at the joints, unless very securely locked, and even then they could still have some(ie. removeable headshell joint). They are right on the axle, so resonance could be a problem. Also, that would raise the cost noticeably. It would be worth a try for an experienced user who knows what he's doing with cartridge compliance matching.
I'd be willing to make some units with adjustability for someone, but the machining costs and labor might make them quite expensive on a small scale manufacturing basis. I've talked with the guys at Starsound about making this item in a more professional(and possibly adjustable)form, but so far it is on the back burner.
This plain model that I'm making has a pretty good working range for most cartridges(5cu-15cu), and is simple and cheap. |
Alex, as you mention, the actual lateral mass is the combined mass of the tonearm, cartridge, counterweight, bearing housing, AND my added weights. All arms, of course, have some amount of lateral mass built-in as part of the basic components. Usually it is similar to the vertical mass. But some tonearms have designed-in some additional lateral mass to give similar benefits as the HiFi mod has, notably the OL Encounter and Illustrious which do not need my mods.
Regarding your multiple resonance point theories, I think it has merit. By distributing the 2 resonance points over a wider range, it will have less additive effects resulting in lower amplitudes, but over a wider range. By keeping this range small and in the "ideal" range between 8Hz and 12Hz, the additive amplitudes can be minimized and still not have adverse audible effects. In Doug's case(Shelter cartridges) the 11Hz vertical and 9Hz horizontal both fall in the "ideal" range, and are wide enough apart to reduce additive amplitudes. This will result in significantly less mass/resonance amplitudes compared to having both(vert.& horiz.) resonating at the same freq. and causing a doubling of the resonating amplitude. In an ideal world, we could try to produce these amplitudes at the exact same point, but 180 degrees out-of-phase, thus causing cancellation of the resonance altogether. I haven't figured out how to do that yet. So this narrowly distributed resonance may be the best way to go so far.
As far as the idea you had about the counterweight with side-weights, the weights must be located exactly at the pivot axle, or else you are adding mass to the vertical component. My weights are small-diameter, and concentric with the center of the rotating bearing axle, so they have minimal(if any) effect on vertical mass. All of the HiFi mod effect is on the horizontal mass, so as to keep vertical mass unchanged, for good warp tracking. In addition, having the weights made of lead will damp any resonances that might adversely affect the performance, and the extra weight attached to the axle actually makes the axle itself less likely to become excited or chatter in the bearing clearances.
In some cases, a very simple idea or device can address a wide range of problems effectively, as long as it is well thought-out. I have resisted doing any big changes to it, since it is working so well as it is.
I think this thread is turning out to be a lot of fun. |
Basement, I agree that placement of mass, as well as the amount of mass in various planes, is very important to the overall success of a tonearm design. This is still an evolving art/science, even after all these years. A natural inquisitive nature is needed to spend time thinking and testing new ideas. Maybe some people will be spurred into making the next leap forward to a totally new tonearm design, or just the next evolutionary discovery, after reading some of our posts here. In any case, I think this thread has become one of the real reasons why forums can be so good for the development of the hobby.
I really appreciate all of the posts and ideas that have been presented here on this thread, in a most genuine way. Maybe all of us "tonearm geeks" needed someplace to converse. I'm glad it is working out the way it is. |
Hi,
The standard RB250 has end caps which are pressed into the bearing yoke on both sides. Sometimes these are already removed. If they are still there on your arm, and you don't want to mess around with taking them out, then just apply these same principles to your application by grinding a depression in each fishing weight that approximates the curve of the brass end caps. Then glue or Blu-tac the weights right to the brass end caps, and you are ready.
Be careful to choose a fishing weight which is shaped such that it will not interfere with your cueing lever. |
Well Doug, it's great to be able to move up in the world. I'm real happy that the Silver and HiFi mod were able to get you through the early times with good results. |
Very glad you all are enjoying the mod.
Thank you for your kind comments.
My satisfaction comes from knowing people are getting better sound by using my invention.
Still a 100% success rate, no dissatisfaction ever reported.
This may be the only audio item that everybody likes.
It seems that the major considerations for universal appeal are:
Great sonic results,
Very low price.
BTW, I just read on the OL website about their new "Conquerer" tonearm(new "flagship model", over $4k). It seems one of the major upgrades has been to increase the lateral(horizontal) effective mass even further.
Where have we heard that before?
It feels very good to have been on the vanguard of a trend in tonearm improvement.
"H.I.F.I" = Horizontal Inertia Force Increase
Note: Remember this mod is designed for cartridges with compliance ratings of 15cu or below. No Grado or other high compliance cartridges should be used with this mod, as it does not help with a "whippy compliance" cartridge, and may cause Grado cartridges to do the "Grado wobble" because of mismatch. It gives the most satisfying results with low compliance cartridges like Denon DL103 and 103R, Shelter, Koetsu, and the like, with below 10cu compliance rating. Cartridges with 10-15cu compliance rating will get a good improvement too, but not quite as astounding as the lowest compliance ones. The lower compliance the cartridge is, the more likely it is to "overdrive" the horizontal effective mass of the tonearm, which is why the HIFI mod works so well with lower compliance. A higher compliance cartridge may likely already be horizontally stabilized by the standard effective mass of the arm, and needs no change in that parameter. |
Yes Doug, as you know, the HiFi mod is related to matching the cartridge to the effective horizontal mass of the arm, and can therefore be mismatched, if the cartridge has too high compliance for this mod.
It is not "universal" in application.
Thanks for your observations and comments. |
Mr. Slate, glad to have been of service to you.
Just a simple use of basic materials, properly applied. |
Stefano, thanks for your question, and I'm glad you enjoyed the thread.
In my opinion, a cartridge with a compliance of 25 is not going to move the RB250 laterally. The standard effective mass of the RB250 should be sufficient to laterally stabilize that cartridge.
I don't think that adding any additional horizontal mass would be productive in this case, and there is a possibility of causing a mismatch in mass/resonance if you do add horizontal mass to the tonearm with a high compliance cartridge, such as you have. |
Thank you, Doug.
As you know, I am very sensitive to dynamics in general, since it is my belief that dynamics is where much of the emotion in the music lies. As music is an emotional expression, it is very important to me, to have this emotion properly conveyed. The power of macro-dynamics, and the subtle nuances of micro-dynamics, and their attendant emotional contexts really bring the intent of the composer and musicians to the forefront, and I need to have that in my musical presentation, as effectively as possible.
This is why I strove to find an improvement in that area for the tonearms. I just wanted to get that information off the record, and into my system.
It is also why I use very high efficiency speakers, which have an extremely low dynamic threshold. These speakers with 100db efficiency move at the slightest electrical impulse, and therefore have extremely good microdynamic performance. It would take a much higher level electrical signal to even get an 80db efficient speaker starting to move. This low-level signal resolution of high efficiency speakers is another key to hearing all the music available on the disc. I effectively reach down 10-20db deeper into the dynamic range of a recording with a system like this. Low level detail really comes out. My speakers are producing details which don't even get a "normal" speaker into motion.
Also, low power SET amps are very delicate in their presentation of the low-level details and can only power high-efficiency speakers like I use. The combination of these items together really makes a very enjoyable listening experience. Of course, I went with an incredible combination of OTL-SET and single driver loudspeakers, which do away with crossover distortion, and effectively drive the speaker cones directly from the output tubes, which doesn't hurt any.
A system is just that: a system. If you know what you want, and know how to get it, you can assemble a very enjoyable package of products which will really rock your boat. It doesn't have to be the most expensive, it just has to be what you like. |
Joe, I haven't been doing much posting here lately, because frankly I've been a little tired of some of the argumentative posters. It made being here much less fun than it used to be. |
Doug, I really like the ZYX Airy. It is a great cartridge all-around. I have been recommending the ZYX cartridges for quite awhile. I'm sure you've seen my posting about them.
Right now my finances don't allow me the luxury of moving in that direction. I'm pretty much stuck where I am until things pick up financially for me. |
Thanks for the support, guys. Sometimes I just get a little tired. |
Thank you David. It means alot to hear accolades from someone who has heard as many analog products as you have.
That makes me feel real good!
And I'm happy that you got good results, too. |
FWIW, I invented this mod because I cannot play in the upper stratosphere of high priced tonearms and other equipment. I have a budget, and so I only tried to make the most of what I could afford to buy. I have also tried to do stuff like this with my other equipment, so that I could have as close to "top end" sound as possible, given my low budget for purchasing. Necessity is "the mother of invention".
I would urge anyone who likes this HiFi mod, to experiment with Lowther single-driver speaker systems and low-power SET amps. That combination makes an exceedingly enjoyable result at the back-end of the signal chain too.
The mods that I've made to my Lowther EX4 equipped Voigt pipe cabinets makes a significant improvement to that design too. And the cone treatment that I used is very effective in virtually eliminating what is left of the "Lowther shout" from the current version of the Lowther speaker drivers. My cabinets only had one very noticeable flaw(within their intended spectrum range), which was a "hollow sounding" coloration in the lower mid-bass, from some cabinet resonance effects. This was totally eliminated when I placed the Sistrum SP-004 platforms under the speakers. It was miraculous in eliminating this resonance from the cabinets, and was one of the major factors in my eventually seeking employment with Starsound.
A well-tuned Voigt Pipe with Lowther drivers, using my "swinging doors" baffle mod, and placed on Sistrum SP-004 platforms, is one of the most musically enjoyable speakers that could be had for the money spent. Of course, my custom David Berning 45 SET-ZOTL is a very nice way to drive them, but any good quality SET of under 8 watts(with good output transformers) would be a nice pairing with these speakers. I am transfixed by the sound quality every time I play my system. It always puts a smile on my face, and sometimes I even have to get up and dance in the room.
I only say this, because most people have liked my tonearm mod, and I want to share some of the other things in my system that have given me equal improvement to my listening pleasure. I'm not going to make any speakers for sale, but the plans are on the internet, and anyone can email me for info about the mods, or proper tuning procedures for the Voigt Pipes, or the cone treatment.
Basically, the mods relate to eliminating the baffle-step losses associated with narrow-faced speaker cabinets, without resorting to electronic filtering, and the cone treatment stiffens the cone without adding mass which would slow down the speed. This changes the cone-breakup mode which coincides with the transition from main cone to whizzer cone in the critical upper midrange which is generally called "Lowther shout". It solves it. The SP-004 platforms are required to eliminate the cabinet resonance in the mid-bass region that happens because the lower half of the Voigt Pipes must be hollow. |
Stefano, the end-stub kits for the RB250 are a good mod, if you don't already have that. |
David, I like the hanging counterweight a bit better than either the stock OL counterweight or the Expressimo Heavyweight. Everything seems to be a bit more open and less "confined". A bit more "liquid". It's not a really big difference, like the HiFi mod is, but is provides a little more performance from the package. It is only suitable on the OL Silver(or Rega variants) because the Encounter and Illustrious have the different type of anti-skating mechanism and base platform differences which would interfere with the presence of the hanging counterweight. I tried to implement it on the Encounter when I had it here for audition, but it was not applicable to the Encounter. |
Stefano, I don't have any photos. But I can explain.
First, we must look at the way that I have the hanging counterweight slung under the tonearm. I use a length of Spectra fishing line, which is high-tensile non-stretch line. Then I hang the long shaft-shaped counterweight on 2 points(each end of the weight) and sling the line over the tonearm. This gives the mass effect in the lateral plane as well as horizontal.
Then we must look at what we are trying to accomplish. First, it is understood that the counterweight mass should be as near the plane of the record as possible, for best tracking ability. The standard Rega counterweight does nothing in this regard, as the mass is all centered at the same plane as the tonearm. The Expressimo Heavyweight does lower the plane of the mass(by making the hole off-set) and has more of the mass below the tonearm, for better tracking. But the off-set hole causes the tonearm to shift tracking force when the arm rides up over a warp, because the mass distribution is unequal in the vertical plane, and when the arm rides up over a warp, the bulk of the mass of the Heavyweight actually moves foward around its rotational circle(which is different than the rotational circle of the tonearm). Additionally, the mass that is below the tonearm on the heavyweight only comprises a relatively small shift in the center of gravity of the counterweight mass(although it is audible improvement). It has a price, and that is the counterweight mass is no longer symmetrical when the arm is in vertical motion. This is the reason why Mark Baker is not using an off-set counterweight on his OL tonearms.
Now, to make the full step to making ALL the mass of the counterweight at the same plane as the record, for best results, requires some different implementations. First, the mass must be equally distributed in all planes for symmetrical operation during movement of the tonearm during play. Second, it must provide the normal counterweight functions, which are balancing the arm, providing tracking force, and providing a certain amount of lateral stabilization.
By hanging a shaft-shaped counterweight cross-wise under the arm end-stub, we can hang it like a child's playground swing, with the string slung over the end stub. By slinging the string over the end-stub, we have lateral stabilization as well as vertical, because the string wraps over the end-stub and has enough contact around the diameter to provide the mass effect laterally on the tonearm. The non-stretch string(Spectra fishing line) provides a solid tie to the counterweight on each end, thus effectively making the counterweight operate as a solid tie to the tonearm in the lateral and horizontal planes. However, the counterweight will still "yaw" in the "z plane"(fore and aft), so that the counterweight mass will remain plumb under the end-stub of the tonearm during rise and fall during warp play, and still retain the correct tracking force, and still maintain the correct position of center of gravity down near the plane of the record.
The result is that ALL the mass of the counterweight is now moved to the correct position at the same level as the record, not just some of it. Also, the mass remains efffectively constant during vertical movement of the arm. Third, and possibly most important, the mass is effectively mechanically decoupled from the end-stub, which results in a free-er sound, less encumbered by high mass and addtional parts, so its natural resonant properties may occur with less reflection and harmonic effects due to 2 different masses being coupled together by a screw at a random point on the end-stub. The string has a natural resonance damping effect by simply vibrating, and the ends of the string are placed into the lead mass of the counterweight shaft, which has sufficient mass to absorb and damp the vibrations.
Regarding your question about horizontal stabilization effects, the hanging counterweight is coupled horizontally well enough to provide this stabilization function. Remember, that the purpose of horizontal stabilization in the tonearm is to prevent it from being moved by the compliance of the cartridge during play. If it gets into motion from these forces, we have already failed to stabilize it. It is the "static moment of inertia" which we are dealing with here. The amount of force needed to start this body into motion. If the static moment is higher than the cartridge(on the arm) can apply, then the arm will be stable, and not be moved into unwanted motion by the forces applied by the cartridge, and the performance will increase, because all the stylus movements will then be generated into electrical signal, and not lost in unwanted arm movement.
I wish to mention however, that this is a small increase in performance, not on the level of the HiFi mod. It will add to the sonic performance of the arm in an amount of a few percent. The liquidity is better, and the sound is more open.
I have found that just slinging the string over the arm, results in a "crawling" effect of the string on the end-stub. This causes change in tracking force, and is unacceptable. I then put a rubber O-ring on the end stub, to act as a "stop" for the string, so that the string cannot crawl toward the back of the end-stub, which is where it wants to go. It is not needed to put an O-ring in front of the string, because the string only wants to crawl backward. It also acts as a guide for replacement of the counterweight, if you ever want to remove it for cleaning or anything. You just put the string back on the end-stub, just contacting the front of the O-ring, and you have your pre-set tracking force established. Setting the tracking force with the O-ring is place the first time, is a bit finicky, and can be tedious. But once it is placed, the position is set, until you move the O-ring. If you want to make small VTF adjustments, it is advisable to use Doug's VTF on the fly modification, since small VTF changes with the O-ring is a pain in the ass. |
Yes, Alex, I was wondering about that. Looking forward to your re-post. |
Alex, that sounds like a workable idea. Maybe you should try a mock-up of it and see how it sounds.
That's all I did. I had an idea, and tried it out to see if it worked to produce better sound for me. I'm sure that there are plenty of other improvements to be discovered, that none of us has thought of yet.
The stuff that I made is just another "stepping-stone" towards improved sound and improved design ideas in tonearms. There will be others who are spurred on to make further improvements on top of what I have done, or entirely different directions. I'm just glad to have been able to contribute something back to the hobby.
Regarding your particular design idea above, I think it is interesting to use a counterweight "lift" in front of the bearing, instead of a "see-saw" behind the bearing. This may have some interesting resonance effects, and possibly with careful implementation, could result in some resonance-reducing effects in the armtube. This would require experimentation.
I think it would be worthy of trying out to see just what you can get out of it. After all, tonearms aren't the most complex items in the world, and most of us could actually build a whole tonearm that sounds quite good, if we set our minds to it.
I enjoy seeing some other insights into the tonearm design issue, and love to see the seeds of innovations being brought to life.
Go for it. |
It would have to do with resonance modes and reflections in the tonearm system, regarding the interconnected masses, and their positions, and the method of their contact with each other.
I didn't do any measurements with my hanging counterweight. I just "theorized" that it might be good to get all the mass down at the level of the record(and remove the mass from being bolted to the armtube), and tried it. It was a little better than the Heavyweight.
Sometimes you just have to go with your "gut feeling" and try things. |
Gadfly,
I'm very pleased that my tweak has been instrumental in helping you get more enjoyment out of your analog system.
Thank you. |
Just be aware that when you are removing mass from the tonearm, you are affecting more than just vertical mass. There can be many consequences from doing this, that may or may not be what you want, unless you know what you are doing. Experimenting is fun, but can be expensive if you make mistakes.
Regarding your question about sanding "hardening" the tonearm like bead blasting, the answer is no. Sanding does not work-harden the aluminum like bead blasting. |
Gilbodavid,
Very happy you liked the mod.
It is pretty much a requirement when using a cartridge like the Denon DL103R on a Rega-type arm.
Every so often, somebody actually tries this mod, and the response is aways one of "amazement".
It's really just a very simple application of basic principles. |
Gugaz,
I wouldn't recommend using this mod with the higher compliance cartridges.
It isn't going to be of any real benefit, and it could cause a mismatch.
This mod is intended for cartridges that are 15cu or lower in compliance. |
Stefano,
Thanks for your post.
Yes, it is possible to reduce the possibility of a mismatch of the HiFi mod with a high compliance cartridge by using lighter weights, as you mention.
I'm glad it worked out for you. |
Hi guys.
It's been a long time, and I've been away from the site.
I'm happy that some of you are finding out what this mod can bring to your music.
Regarding the Townshend with the silicone damping trough, yes the damping is having a similar effect but in a different way. That is probably why the effect of the mod wasn't as noticeable in that case. Being that the silicone trough is up at the headshell area on that TT, the stabilizing effects will be nearly immediate in that case, but not quite immediate. That is likely why the TWL mod was still giving some benefit, but not as much as usual.
I'm still getting a chuckle that after all these years, people are still finding out about this thing, and getting amazed by it.
It's a very simple application of basic tonearm design, that seems to have eluded the tonearm manufacturers even to this day.
Too bad I can't get rich off this idea. But, if people can enjoy better sound for next to nothing expended, I guess that is reward enough for me.
And yes, the tungsten weights or other types of weights will work just fine. |
