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

As an individual who has trialled a range of materials as a Support and assembled these materials into various configurations of a Structure to support equipment, I can only encourage others to try out their own investigations.

I have not and do not intend on trying out a Isolation Platform from a Brand that comes with multiple $K's to be parted with for the experience to be had.

My journey has already got me to a place that I am very content with, at present I am not in the ball park of multi $K's spent and with the upcoming inclusion of a Board to be used as a Sub Plinth produced from a Resin Impregnated Densified Wood, even though carrying a increased cost than usually met, I have witnessed enough from the use of this material to be able to see this as my journey's end.       

@dwette ,

Get a seismograph app on your phone, place the phone on the surface your turntable is sitting on and lightly tap the surface. Now put the phone on your platter and lightly tap the same surface. Play another source loudly with a lot of bass and check out the vibration you can measure in different locations. Your phonograph cartridge is more sensitive than the seismograph. I can not qualify the difference you will hear when you put your turntable on an isolation platform but you will hear a difference and wonder why you had not done this years ago. What you are listening to now might best be related to mud. This is why the AR XA made such a splash in the 60s.  

At the moment I have my TT on an isolation platform, and that one will just have to do for now. It may not be a perfect solution, but it's good enough. I listen to a lot of large scale orchestral music and hear plenty of inner detail, and the soundstage and imaging are quite stable. I'm happy listening to music on it.

I'm not going to invest in thousands for isolation when I don't even know yet where the system will be sited long term.

@dwette I am using a Wall Shelf, but not for my Vinyl Source, it is used for a CDT and Valve DAC.

I am aware how the Vinyl Source works on a Wall Shelf with different methods of supporting the Sub Platform and have remained with a construction for a support I have developed over quite a period of time.

There are friends I visit who have their set ups on a Wall Shelf and a few have the P'holz in use with the Wall Shelf.

I can not fault these Vinyl sources when I am experiencing them in use. 

My Wall Shelf is fastened to a Block Wall (maybe Cinder Block is the US Term).

I have used the not too costly fastenings in the link and can offer a reassurance that these are able to be trusted, I have put quite a few Kilo's (Granite Slabs) on my Shelve before I supporting any valuable audio devices. 

If a Block Wall is the option, the fastening search is over.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rigifix-M8-Anchor-Fixings-Pack/dp/B00D98LHLG/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=breeze+block+wall+fixings&qid=1693421494&sr=8-6

@pindac My wall shelf will be mounted to a plaster on brick wall. I will drill into the brick an fasten the appropriate anchors, readily available form the local hardware store. I have done this before. As an extra measure I also glue the anchors into the brick. I could sit on that shelf.