Thoughts On Turntable Clamps And Weights

A weight does NOT necessarily raise the outer edge of the record. A properly designed reflex clamp is a well-known engineering solution to this problem.

I use a very thin Delrin shim of about 75 mm diameter and a 2+Kg steel weight with a Delrin ring around the bottom. The result is a shim that forces the label up and a weight around the edge of the label which forces everything else down.

Benefits are improved flatness, obviously, and also an extremely good marriage between record and the 1" graphite mat, resulting in increased clarity and dynamics.

This approach is not suitable unless the thrust bearing of your turntable is sufficient for the task. My air bearing is..

As for weights, price has zero to do with any perceived sound change. Weight is weight (until it gets too heavy) and anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell you something you don't need or believes in things that don't exist.

I live in Austria and recently purchased a Pro-Ject X8 from a local dealer. I also purchased a Pro-Ject " Clamp It" that was recommended by the dealer, and I have been using it on the X8. The Clamp weighs 120 g, has a leather contact surface, and the contact pressure is adjustable. A very clever design. Although none of my records are badly warped, I have noticed that some slightly warped records are more flattened on the platter with the Clamp It. Does it make an audible difference? On a first order, no. However I need to do more careful listening tests under ideal conditions (I live in a flat, so that can be challenging) to determine if there are more subtle sonic benefits. The Clamp It is a Pro-Ject product, so it would work nicely on you X2-B. For the cost (88 EUR here) it might be worth the investment.

I had the local machine shop make a weight for me out of a scrap piece of round bar brass, it weighed around 300 grams, and another out of a new hockey puck, he made it perfectly round and center drilled, both with the same old slip mat remains glued to the bottom. I still have them, but now use the Pro-ject Clamp It when I feel the need, seldom with the beefy 50's 60's, and some 70's mostly mono records I now favor. When I use a weight, or the clamp, it's mostly for those thin flexi thin discs to give them a little body. Warped discs get replaced unless there's a special value. The Clamp It fits all my turn tables (one dedicated stereo, one mono for each system), some better than others. I don't use them for every disc (my ritual is long enough as is) and I haven't noticed any unusual wear during servicing. Nice to have around, but when I'm upstairs the clamp is down....

You don’t need a threaded spindle to use a clamp. The well regarded SOTA clamp is a simple reflex clamp that clamps the spindle and pulls itself against the label as you flip the clamping lever.  It’s been around for decades. I’ve use it with 5 different TTs, none of which have a threaded spindle.

I thought we were talking about the sonic benefits of weights or clamps, not their use to flatten warps. That’s an entirely different subject.