What RB250/RB300 counterweight mod?

[Nanook]

well a Michelle "Special" arm can be purchased in Canada...an OEM RB250 with a finger nut and VTA adjuster and the Techno-weight already put on by Rega! (for JA Michele). My audio partner purchased one, we did a rewire with Teflon coated silver-plated tonearm wire.... the thing kicks!

I don't think any would find this a purchase that didn't prove to be worthwhile (the Techno-weight).

atavid : before spending the big bucks, try some simple, inexpensive wire as described above...it'll surprise you for only CAD $15-$20 (AUD $18-25).

stew

[tubenut]

Okay, here I am

Been a bit busy not checking all the topics but Shaun gave me a PM nudge...

Rewiring DIY is probably the most cost effective except for my counterweight tricks/care at the bottom of the post. There are various wiring options one can do. Yes, the separate earth, better plugs and connectors make a valid difference. IMO the conductor and insulation quality and geometry makes a big difference too but I know Shaun is a wire heathen.
There are various options from Cardas. The best value for the cash is the method AnalogSA used with the screened tonearm wire stripped for the arm tube section running a continuous tags to RCA wire with no joints. The RCA side is fragile though¡K
This is similar to incognito but Incognito separates the L+R wires and the shield they run over them is spaced to reduce capacitance (?)
Another is to fit a Cardas DIN to the base of the rega allowing different external wires or an old interconnect to be used for eg.
However, just the internal loom replaced with Cardas wire and tags wired to the silly rega ¡§base plug¡¨ and external wire is still an improvement!

With regard to counterweights my experience is kind of as follows:
On a RB250 with plastic stub/steel weight going to even the Rega RB300 stainless steel stub + stainless steel weight make a massive difference, going from stainless steel weight to the Rega Tungsten weight is worthwhile but the Tungsten weight is quite dear and weight + stub approaches some of the aftermarket products in price.
Going from the Tungsten weight/s-steel stub to the Technoweight or OL weight for example is still an upgrade but the difference is a bit less then if coming fdrom a plastic stub. Many RB300 that are older originally came with the tungsten weight that is now sold as an upgrade on the steel weight now sold standard.
If the RB300 has a steel weight, the difference between the aftermarket weights seems is bigger the from a tungsten one.

(This is provided a little care is taken in fitting the original stub IMO, I will address this later on)

A good value counterweight upgrade is the new Pete Riggle CCM (Counterweight for the common man). It is a virtual OL clone of steel torqued stub but with a brass counterweight with grub screw at substantially less cash then the OL. (I import these in to SA now (am I allowed to say that?).

I am not too sure of under slung counterweights as I have read some arguments for and against and both seemed with merit. I think the Technoweight addresses the stability issue without moving the centre of gravity in a nice way.
Sonically/Subjectively I would say the OL/CCM is a sound of more guts and dynamic drive where the Technoweight is a bit more subtle and perhaps has slightly more even bass response.
The technoweight ¡§techno¡¨ is in the shape of the wide thin weight and the calibrated adjustment as well as the two weight sizes allowing the weight closest to the pivot with different cartridges.
In terms of coupling to the arm it is no different from the Rega! In my opinion the tight coupling of the stub is where a lot can be gained!

To get the most out of a Rega steel stub you need to take a little care.
I highly recommend removing the original stub and with fine grit sand paper sanding down the uneven paint end of the arm tube so that the collar of the stub will fit snuggly without gaps. Adding a little plumbing tape to the thread to my ears helped too.
While doing all this take the arm of the deck!
Once sanded etc put the stub in a wooden vice/workmate/vice between tow pieces of timber. This will allow good grip on the stub without scratching it like some do with pliers ƒ¼. Now grab the arm tube (NOT the bias housing)with your hands and some rubber sheet / non slip boot mat and tighten up good. The tube can take quite a lot of torque and this is a way of doing so without stressing the bearings. (This in reverse works perfectly for removing stubborn stubs too!)

Hope this helps¡K

[Shaun]

Guillaume

That's quite a load of info! Thanks for taking the time to write all that up. Plenty of food for thought.

[Zoodle]

Can anyone please tell me the weight of the standard counterweight for Rega RB "250," "251," or "100"?
Thanks in advance.

[dazed2]

I'm with others about making your own if you have the means.
I made one with brass, the hole was offset so that it is underslung. Sounds better than the one that came with Riggle.

On the post re: removing the spring for weight adjustment.
NO. you can disengage the spring but turning the dial all the way to the heaviest setting.
Some say that you "hear" the ringing, I disagree. When tuning your cartridge and sound, I use both dynamic and static weight to "get it right" . This is one of the benefits of the RB300, you have full control of a mixture of dynamic and static damping.
However, doing this means you need to get a scale to adjust your VTF.

[tabarddn]

Hi, When upgrading the Rega end weight. The counterweight is not the problem. It's the flimsy plastic End Stub that has to be replaced. You could easily re-use the original end weight, however most people prefer to get a dropped counter weight as it does lowere the cetre of the arms gravity.
Spotted a new version on Ebay yesterday by Temaadaudio, S/S dropped end weight and stub for US$65. seems great value compared to some prices asked

[harwoodspark]

John R, the guy that does the Sole subchassis for the Linn Sondek does a little known counterweight for the RB300. Looks very SME as it follows the offset of the bearings. I've heard this counterweight in action and it works. Bass gets better as it goes lower and the treble seems to smooth out a touch. You'll find him here Analogue Innovation
or on Pinkfishmedia.