Thoughts On Turntable Clamps And Weights


I have a Pro-Ject X2B and am curious about turntable weights and clamps. I perused the web and discovered that, like so many audio related items, prices range from modest to stratospheric. What are your thoughts on clamps and weights? Do they provide a notable improvement in sound quality? Does price equal quality? What should be avoided?

 

Thanks,

 

John Cotner

New Ulm, MN

jrcotner

Showing 1 response by bdp24

 

VPI tables have always come with a threaded (1/4-20) spindle and associated record clamp (and a 2mm thick x 1.25" diameter rubber washer to install under the LP).

Their first table (the HW-19) featured a platter that was a 1" thick slab of aluminum with a thin sheet of lead glued onto it’s underside, and covered in cork. The Mk.2/3/4 iterations of the HW-19 had a platter machined from black Delrin (often misidentified as Acrylic, even by VPI themselves), 1" thick on the Mk.2 and 3, 1.5" on the Mk.4.

All the VPI tables that have followed the HW-19 have (I believe) featured 1/4-20 threaded spindles and associated clamp, regardless of what material each table’s platter was made of.

The first VPI clamp was made entirely of Delrin, followed later by a stainless steel/Delrin combo for more money.

Black Diamond Racing---already well known for their carbon fiber shelves and "Tiptoe"-style cones---then introduced a carbon fiber record clamp with 1/4-20 threading, and it is really nice. Very dense and stiff, much more so than either VPI clamp. BDR made it in two iterations, a 1-pc and a 2-pc. Neither is still in production, but occasionally show up used for $100-$150. Well worth checking into if you like record clamps and have a spindle with 1/4-20 threading.