Frontend upgrade path

[argyle]

I used the 103 on an RB300, and used a weighted shim to give me a little more weight and also the extra VTA. It sounded great, which is the opposite to what I usually hear of RB arms vs DL-103 carts.

[magiccarpetride]

Well, you're in good company here -- there seem to be a lot of 103 fans here. One of these days I may have to try one and see what all the fuss is about

You may be better off not trying it. You could end up in the same situation I'm in -- become a prisoner of one flavour. I'm so in love with that special DL-103 flavour that any other cartridge I try I go 'hmmm, not even close!'

But I'd love to play with other cartridges, however the grip of DL-103 is too strong...

[Svend N]

Alex, you do know there is an easy solution to your dilemma, don't you? Build a second system with another turntable . One with a tonearm having a removable headshell. That way you play with different cartridges to your heart's content.

Argyle, do you happen to recall how much your headshell shim weighed? Would be good for Alex to know...

Cheers,
Svend

[Svend N]

Alex, have you tried the penny test yet? Just curious to know if there's any improvement. And I see that in the other 103 thread it's been suggested that you upgrade the tonearm...that seems a bit premature, don't you think? From what Argyle says, you should get the RB300 to work quite well with your cartridge just by adding a bit of weight. A $10 tweak, which would leave your entire budget for a better phono amp, or a MusicKraft DL-103 mod. Food for thought....

Svend

[magiccarpetride]

Alex, have you tried the penny test yet? Just curious to know if there's any improvement. And I see that in the other 103 thread it's been suggested that you upgrade the tonearm...that seems a bit premature, don't you think? From what Argyle says, you should get the RB300 to work quite well with your cartridge just by adding a bit of weight. A $10 tweak, which would leave your entire budget for a better phono amp, or a MusicKraft DL-103 mod. Food for thought....

Svend

Yes Svend, tried the penny test. Trouble is, when I tried to apply the penny test, I had to reset the VTF as well as reset the anti-skating. After doing that, I placed the penny and readjusted the VTF using the electronic scale, but also readjusted anti-skate.

The final result -- the sound got better, which is good news. The bad news? Not sure if the the sound got better due to the added weight, or due to a different anti-skate value?

Goes to show that, when doing tweaks, it is of vital importance to only change one thing at a time before evaluating.

[Svend N]

Well, good news that there was an improvement. As for the anti-skate, I think it depends on how it was set as to whether the difference in sound can be put down to that alone. Doubtful, I expect. To expand on that - there are several ways to set the AS, depending on who you read, so if you set it to the same criteria pre- headshell weight and post-, then it should be a moot issue. E.g. - I set it using an LP with a large lead-out groove area, and try to set the stylus down at the beginning of that and watch how it tracks (it should move very slowly inward if set correctly, before it snaps into the groove)....so theoretically the R-L forces should be more or less equal no matter how heavy the arm and cartridge are, thereby negating this as a significant variable. Not sure if I'm explaining this well or just muddling it all up But in short, I suspect the improvement was far more a result of the extra headshell weight than any difference in the AS value. Remember, there are some people who recommend using no AS at all for cartridges that have a high VTF value, claiming it makes no difference to sound quality (not sure if they're right, as I've never owned a cartridge that needed that high a VTF). Perhaps others here will have more experience with this and will chime in.

Bottom line, though, is that things keep getting better, which is great. Keep at it

Cheers,
Svend

[magiccarpetride]

Well, good news that there was an improvement. As for the anti-skate, I think it depends on how it was set as to whether the difference in sound can be put down to that alone. Doubtful, I expect. To expand on that - there are several ways to set the AS, depending on who you read, so if you set it to the same criteria pre- headshell weight and post-, then it should be a moot issue. E.g. - I set it using an LP with a large lead-out groove area, and try to set the stylus down at the beginning of that and watch how it tracks (it should move very slowly inward if set correctly, before it snaps into the groove)....so theoretically the R-L forces should be more or less equal no matter how heavy the arm and cartridge are, thereby negating this as a significant variable. Not sure if I'm explaining this well or just muddling it all up But in short, I suspect the improvement was far more a result of the extra headshell weight than any difference in the AS value. Remember, there are some people who recommend using no AS at all for cartridges that have a high VTF value, claiming it makes no difference to sound quality (not sure if they're right, as I've never owned a cartridge that needed that high a VTF). Perhaps others here will have more experience with this and will chime in.

Bottom line, though, is that things keep getting better, which is great. Keep at it

Cheers,
Svend

Aah, great, thanks for clarifying, Svend

One of the improvements I've noticed with this change is that on certain 'problematic' passages I used to get some audible distortion in my left speaker. Now that problem spot seems to be minimized. I've initially ascribed the remedy to a different anti-skate value, but like you said, it could all be down to increased weight.

Another question: how do I move the counterweight on my Rega RB300 arm? It seems bolted in its position, no way to move it either backward or forward.

[amati74(Artur)]

You know... of all the upgrades and crazy tweaks I've heard of throughout the years, this one sounded the most outlandish. Remove the bottom plate? Like, really? Why?

So this evening, for a lark, I did just that. Removed the bottom plate and sat down to give it a listen, with a smirk. Played Van Morrison "Moondance".

Holy molly! My jaw dropped to the floor! What the...

I couldn't tear myself away from Systemdek. One LP after another, rediscovering the music, basking in the sonic marvels. How's this possible? A stupid lowly bottom plate robs this turntable of such precision. I'm stumped.

Could you give any pictures please (bottom plate)

[Svend N]

Another question: how do I move the counterweight on my Rega RB300 arm? It seems bolted in its position, no way to move it either backward or forward.

I recall you mentioned you had upgraded the CW for this arm -- which one did you put on there? There are a number of aftermarket weights for this arm, all of which probably have their own way of fastening. Is there a small grub screw somewhere that you can loosen? Assuming you put the CW on there, you should be able to now move it(?). If you're stumped, post a pic of it and someone here will surely recognize it and be able to help....

[magiccarpetride]

I recall you mentioned you had upgraded the CW for this arm -- which one did you put on there? There are a number of aftermarket weights for this arm, all of which probably have their own way of fastening. Is there a small grub screw somewhere that you can loosen? Assuming you put the CW on there, you should be able to now move it(?). If you're stumped, post a pic of it and someone here will surely recognize it and be able to help....

Yeah, the dealer upgraded the CW, so I've no idea what he did there. I'll post the pic soon. Thanks!