Rega user, Please give me suggestion for my counterweight!

Groovetracer makes super-high quality stuff!

 

Yep, among other delays. Who knew is was so freaking hard to buy a turntable?

 

An easy way to do a simple check on the tonearm is to fold an index card and place it on the platter. Then look at how the arm looks against the lines on the card. If you want to get more advanced you can buy a magnifying glass or usb microscope and check the actual VTA of the stylus.

 

Dear Kazu. I am a RP6 user with Exact cartridge. I am thinking of changing to a MP500. Is this much better than an Exact cartridge? Which counterweight did you buy and how many mm of shim did you need to raise the arm?
Did you buy the groove tracker steeel platt as well?
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Thank you.
Daniel

 

I use a Rega RP3 with a Denon DL 103R.
In the Berwald geometry this puts the counterweight all the way out and impacts dynamics.

I didn't like the idea of paying £100 for a tungsten weight and hence I came up with the following solution:

Take 4 2p coins and glue them in a stack. They weight in at 30 grams.
Glue this stack under the std counterweight. Be careful only to have the counter weight sitting on the coin stack with half of it's width as you otherwise restrict the movement of the arm.

The counterweight is now pushed all the way in and the dynamics are much improved. Cost: 8p and a bit of cyano acrylate (crazy glue)
Note that the point of gravity now also lowered like in the more expensive upgrade weights.

You might want to try evaluate with a bit of blue tack before glueing. The glue goes leave a mark on the counter weight if you remove the coin stack again so try at your own responsibility.

Good luck.

 

Great idea until it catches the cantilever.... and riiiip!

 

LOL
It's hilarious that apparently no one on this forum is capable of doing this without breaking something?
Why TF would you be 'whisking' off the scarf?
It's not a magic trick.

 

I have to agree with TurboDriver. I would never drape anything over a turntable that has any chance of catching up the stylus. Too much risk. In my case that would be a very expensive accident. That's what TT dust covers are for. I don't see the downside to a proper dust cover. When you play records set it aside. No big deal. Cloth cover for a TT = bad idea, IMHO.

 

I guess when I'm not playing records, I still like seeing my turntable....not some lady scarf.

 

Still can't figure out why anyone would cover their turntable with a table cloth. Every turntable I've had, came with a dust cover, they keep the dust out!

 

I get why you would, but the elegantly integrated dust cover on the Regas is part of the appeal to me.

If I'm going to listen to a couple of records, I leave it on.

If I'm going to listen to records all day, I take it off to be a weird audiophile (not sure I could hear a difference between on and off).

 

Hi Daniel,
MP500 is very much as well as Rega Exact2. But MP500 is very sensitive and lower output than Exact2. So it's less powerful sound. But I like both cartridges. If you install the MP500 on your RP6, the 2mm spacer is necessary. Regarding Counterweight, the stock 100g weight, it's ok for MP500 on RP6.
Now, I'm planing to install a "groove tracker steel sub-platter" because many people praise it...
Best Regards
Kazu

 

Shiit happens.

 

I have used the following to address the issues mentioned here:

a) Heavier counterweight at very little cost -
A small sheet of 1.8mm thick lead 'flashing' from somewhere like ebay. Drill an appropriate size hole at the diameter of your end stub, then trace round the outer edge of the counterweight, cut out carefully & file the edges smooth. Use a disc of Blu-Tac or similar to firmly press the lead onto the end of the counterweight & repeat with another if you need more weight. You can even add 'half moon' pieces if you want to use the added weight as 'underslung'. The combination of dissimilar materials may be beneficial in dissipating resonances - it certainly sounds good.

b) If using shims on the arm or a taller counterweight -
A thin bead of white hollow rubber 'door seal' strip round all 4 outer top edges of the plinth outer edge so the cover now closes down onto that.
- It raises the cover
- It isolates vibration from the cover if playing with the lid down
- It forms a very effective dust seal both before and during use

 

Which is the correct tungsten counterweight for a Rega RP6?

This one
Rega Tungsten Standard Counter Weight at Music Direct »

Or this one
Rega Extra Heavy Counterweight - Tungsten »

 

It depends on your cartridge, though generally the extra heavy one will be better.

 

Well, I'm 99% sure I'm going with a Dynavector 20x2 l, so I hope the extra heavy with work with that.

 

It will. I had both.

 

Yeah, that's the one you want - my standard CW is at the very end of the stub w/ the 20X2L. I should probably pony up for a heavyweight CW, but it sounds great as is so....

 

When I had my RP3 with a DV20X2, the standard CW sat at the end of the counterwieght shaft. I changed it to the Groove Tracer counterweight. They have three sizes and advise which to order based on cartridge weight.