Creative and cheap DIY turntable/tonearm tweaks

Putting sand in the arm to increase the arm's mass would require a change in cartridge, because the same cartridge cannot work well with a low mass arm and a high mass arm, as I understand it ... the arm's mass must be appropriate for the compliance of the cartridge.

It's one thing to balance an arm with a counter balance, but increasing the arm's mass would appear to be more detrimental than helpful to me, possibly even damaging.

As I understand it, compliance is how much a cantilever bends in response to the weight of the cartridge. I was not proposing to change the weight, just the mass. Mass and weight are very different things. With counterbalance a cartridge can exhibit no weight but be quite massive.

Jyprez. The increase in vertical mass is the problem with adding the sand. So it is distinguishable(in terms of physics) from my tonearm mod, because my mod does not affect vertical mass. I assure you if you load your arm with sand, you will be unhappy with the result. Warp tracking will be hideous.

Yes, I calculated the horizontal mass increase in my tonearm mod. And the distance of the weights is 1.75" outside the center of the pivot on both sides, so there is an increase in inertia from the length of the outriggers, as well as just the pure mass. This mod works, and is calculable, and proven in testing.

As far as credibility goes, you may do as much analysis of it as you like. It is not for sale, so it makes no difference to me whether anybody likes it or not. Several testers as well as myself are enjoying some significant benefits from this mod. Very few others even showed any interest. So no hype is necessary, because anybody that wants it can make it themselves, and if they don't want it, I don't care. I have given up trying to convince people. Now I just post my information, and leave it at that.

Atma-Sphere offers a tonearm wrap for resonance control. Atma-Sphere Arm Wrap

Jyprez, you're correct in your description of compliance, and all would be exactly as you describe if the record was not turning. As soon as the record starts turning it is not perfectly flat and the cartridge is deflected up and down by small amounts all the time. This is where mass becomes very important, since the higher the mass the higher the inertia to the deflections. If the cartridge compliance is designed to be able to withstand the deflections of a low inertia tonearm it will not work at all well when you add sand and massively increase that inertia.

At best you'll change the resonant frequency of the tonearm - cartridge combo, almost certainly to the detriment of the sound quality. At worst you'll ruin the LP, the cartridge, and possibly even the tonearm bearings.