Record clamp

  "I am surprised to hear that everyone seems to feel the P3 is greatly restricting the phono cartridge although in the future I will consider a turntable upgrade."

The goal is to get that cart to play its best. The P3 won't  allow this. The phono stage should be paramount at this point. IMHO. 

f your playing your P3 with a $3-500 phonstage, you're in for a surprise upping it to a $2k+ model(your future table needs it).

The Rega does not need a clamp. Or rather, a "clamp" may not work on the short spindle. It would need to be long enought for a a rubber washer to dish the record flat with the clamp. The Rega doesn't need a clamp or weight.  

If you want to improve sound quality, the Origin Live Gravity One record weight is the best I have heard, by far. It is also the lightest, and easiest to use. This record "weight" is only about 2oz. Unlike others that clamp or use mass to damp vibrations the Gravity One uses a combination of different materials. It looks and feels and works unlike any other.  

It contacts the record only on a small triangular shaped area near the spindle. The weight itself uses a flexible rubbery type spacer to avoid coupling to the spindle. It effectively channels vibrations generated in playing a record off the record and into the weight without reflecting any of this energy back into the record. Being decoupled from the bearing it is unable to channel any vibration from there into the record. It attenuates all frequencies evenly.  

The result is improvement in transient response, timbre, detail, and extension. Not subtle either. I was shocked how much better it works than my carbon fiber clamp, that was until now the best I had heard.  

I got this with my Origin Live Sovereign MkIV turntable. Tried it on my Teres before setting the Sovereign up. They also make a record mat that uses a similar approach and can be bought separately but on the Sovereign is bonded to the platter or I would have tried that on the Teres as well.  

The Gravity One is a total no-brainer. Record weights by the way, no they will not harm your turntable, platter, bearing, at all. If you are the least bit concerned however then this is by far the lightest one on the market. And most effective. 

I use a weight, wide, keeping the lp both flat, thus grooves are not angled improperly as a slight center rise will create, and helping the groove vibrations more solidly reaching the stylus, rather than some vibration taken by the lp’s ability to flex a speck. The forces involved at the stylus are Tremendous!

https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT618A-AT618a-Disc-Stabilizer/dp/B07HB2LDYT/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=...

heavy enough that a clamp is not needed.

will that much weight affect your bearing?

as for the cartridge/arm/TT, I am kind of with you, upgrade TT and Arm last as your ability to discern improvements increases along with budget. Seems you went BIG on the cartridge, I doubt I’ll ever spend that much.

anybody considering adding a TT, or upgrading a basic setup:

think long now!

1. get a decent TT, nothing expensive, use it to determine if you will stick with LP’s. i.e.

Audio-Technica AT-LP120XUSB.

DD, Perfect Speed, decent deck, decent arm, plan on near-immediate cartridge upgrade. You can use it’s optional built-in Phono EQ to start, then go to any Line Input.

2. get alignment tools and acquire skills yourself, will make the biggest difference to success. Practice on the stock cartridge. Proper Cartridge setup is IMPERATIVE!

3. get an advanced stylus MM cartridge (ML, LC, SAS, ... better/deeper groove contact, less wear to both LP and stylus) (higher cost offset by better life)

https://www.sound-smith.com/articles/stylus-shape-information

It will sound better: any LP on any TT, then it will help you:

4. get a great MM Phono stage, that’s hard, get return option until you
keep one. (no longer get Phono EQ from the TT).

5. MC Cartridge/SUT combo. Keeps your wonderful MM Phono stage. Use a separate SUT to try a MC cartridge (SUT with PASS, so you can run a MM cartridge thru it, bypassing it’s transformers).

6. Then better TT and Arm(s) as $ allow.

7. Arm(s), this is the biggest functional decision:

a. Compact Plinth with Single 9"Arm: removable headshell so you can use MM, MC, Mono cartridges. SUT with single input with MM Pass.

b. Larger Plinth allowing a long arm, perhaps single arm still, thus removable headshell for different cartridges

c. larger Plinth, 2 arms, perhaps 1 long; perhaps 1 fixed cartridge (no removable headshell); perhaps 1 MM, other MC; perhaps 1 stereo, other mono ready to go.

SUT with two or 3 tonearm inputs, keep using your MM Phono stage, the SUT with Pass is the tonearm switcher.

DUST COVER. I definitely need one, and I prefer it OFF while playing, then easily back on.

What Plinth? What Isolation?

What Arm(s)?

What Spinner?

good luck with that, I chose Vintage JVC TT81 in Vintage JVC Large 2 arm plinth CL-P2, it’s leveling feet, it’s 7 layer solid plinth on 2" x 2" isolation pads.

Rega table is a low mass but not suspended, so the clamp/light recommendations are spot on. You should get better performance than a heavy weight style, and certainly don’t want to use a heavy weight style on a suspended table (but better match with high mass tables).

If I still had stock, the MyMat with no weight or clamp would be a great decision.