Rega upgrades/tweeks

Added the Michell Techno Weight to my Rega RB250 Arm
Purchased from Trichord Research

OK - so this was the only purchase to date where I thought I would not see much improvement and was prepared to live with the fact that it may only "look better" than the Rega supplied weight.

I mean - where's the science? - a lump of metal attached to the "non-business-end" of the arm, just hanging there doin nothin except looking cool!

Boy, was I ever surprised...
- I first noticed considerably more details in the low frequencies and significantly deeper - played Genesis - Trick of the Tail
- then the very precise imaging grabbed my attention - instruments appeared much more separated and focussed - played Eine kleine Nachtmusik from Tacet
- then I put on Stevie Wonder's Superstition - WOW! - what a transformation - so full of energy
- So then I tried my James Newton Howard & Friends album and all of the above differences could clearly be heard quite clearly

To sum it up in one word - DYNAMIC! - much more dynamic

Who woulda thunk it! Definitely a worth-while investment!

It did take 2 weeks to arrive - seems it had customs baffled - they even opened the blister pack!

Trichord Research were very good at responding to my questions about when it was sent and even offered to send another unit. - Nice to see good Customer Service for once!

I'm now considering the Michell Techno-arm

Williewonka, I had the same skepticism about Michell's Tecnoweight. It's amazing that a counterweight can do so much. Before you splurge on a Tecno-arm, check out this $5 mod to your RB250:

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1032024188

-Mark

Mark (Mingles) curse you! I thought I was finsihed with tweeks! 8-)

If I read it correctly the idea is to sit a small bar across the pivot point with two out-rigger weights to resist only the lateral movement created by the groove pushing on the stylus - make a lot of sense.

The ole grey matter is now working overtime with a removable design that can simply be dropped onto the the arm.

Seems there are some key points to consider
1. the distance the weights are suspended from the pivot point - there has got to be an optimal distance?
2. keeping the C.O.G. on the same plane as the stylus - I think this is a key reason why the Techno weight works so well, since the weight was no heavier than my Rega Weight and no wider
3. ensuring the weights are centered i.e. precisely balanced
4. do not allow the weight to swing freely

I'm currently working on a 2 1/4" thick MDF plinth, so it will have to wait.
But the winters in Canada are long and dark, so I should have some time - between skiing that is!

Thanks for the pointer.

Hi Williewonka,

Pace, Rhythm and Timing. Lot of folks question it's existence and validity. I will say that I think of it in terms of how 'involving' the presentation is, which is purely subjective, and can be measured from the size of my grin. From what I've understood about Regas, this is what these tables are designed to excel at. Their light mass construction is supposed to help enhance the liveliness and attack of the music. Rather than absorbing and sinking vibration like a heavy plinth design, these tables are supposed to shed that vibration quickly.

Regards,

The final tweek is complete - I finally mounted my Rega components on the completed plinth (mentioned in a previous append) this weekend.

The tweek cost around $50 for materials and IMHO well worth it.

The results were varied from one album to the next, but the one thing that did stand out was the amount of additional detail that is presented to the listener.
- the bass was a little deeper on some albums
- the mid range was definately enhanced to provide a much richer sound, but this was probably due to the change in VTA
- the highs on most albums did not appear to be any different, but on some Genesis, Phil Collins, Police and a couple of Tacet albums I have there was a marked difference in the high frequency details - cymballs for one were much more detailed and brass sound great.
- the music was definately very enjoyable and much warmer in the mid range.

I think the main reason for the improvement in sound is due to the feet - each foot is made up of
- a 1.25" glass marble
- on top of that sits a 1.25" steel washer
- on top of that are two 1/8" layers of underlay foam 1.5" round
- the whole thing sits in a 1.5" hole about 1" deep bored into the plinth
- the marble does NOT touch the sides of the hole

When the plinth is sitting on all three marbles it "floats" just like a suspended deck.
- Any sound that it tranmitted through the floor/stand/marbles/Washer is absorbed by the rubber - since the plinth is too heavy to be moved by any residual sound waves - voila! there is no tranmission to the arm and platter

The unit is basically three pieces of 3/4 MDF cut to almost the same size as the original Rega platter and glued together
Change from the original plinth include:
- the position of the motor is further from the arm, but the same distance from the bearing
- mounted the motor on an aluminum plate with a foam spacer
- the position of the feet now distributes weight more evenly between them, BUT they are at difference distances from one another
- the power switch was moved to the back left corner to shorten wiring and hopefully reduce interference
- made the bearing and arm mounting holes a loose fit to ensure both were securly drawn down to the steel washers that isolate arm and bearing from the plynth
- to centre the bearing I used teflon tape to fill the gap
- I already had the extended Nut with a collar to centre the arm in the oversized hole

Many have reported better success with Birch plywood, so I might just give that a try some day, but for now I'm a happy camper.

My thanks to Mikkysix for some info shared offline - it proved very useful.

Regards...