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Counter weights on your turntable...another dirty little secret?

This is more of a public awareness post for us Mid Hifi peeps who have recently made the  dive back into vinyl. I did back in 2020 and did my research and decided on a packaged deal- please be gentle on me- from one of the two biggest online sellers out there. They set up too and provided some simple instructions to finish the set up when it arrived.

Fast forward a couple year down the road and I am thinking I should bring the table to my local audio repair guy in Northern Litchfield County, CT for a check up. I was concerned that maybe something was off, and man was I  glad I did.

My turntable is ProJect Classic SB- you know that 1970's vintage looking one,  coupled with the second generation Sumiko Oyster Blue Point II. This guy is extremely  busy with endless warranty and service work- so it sat for time before he could check it out, but he knows  what he is doing. He soon discovered that the most he  could track the cartridge was at 1.47 grams-the Sumiko is supposed to track at 2 grams.

The problem was the counter weight. Next challenge was finding the right one and it was not an easy task, as tech support was tough for ProJet and he ended up fining something posted online back in 2018 on counter weights for ProJect turntables. He also reached out to a peer, who has a very  reputable brick and mortar store here in western Connecticut for assistance.

 

As many of you may know most online sellers do not even sell counter weights.

 

He eventually found what I needed- for only $35 too, but I was  shocked that this turntable was paired up with this cartridge-and this was not a cheap one either, it could not even track it properly. Why would that even happen? So for over two years I have not  gotten the  best  performance I could from this set up.

 

So as they say buyer beware and add this tale to the long list of questions when sourcing a table, verifying settings, if your new table was set up at the  factory correctly, or upgrading your cartridge

 

idigmusic64

Showing 2 responses by idigmusic64

idigmusic64 OP
56 posts
 

@dadawada  I will have to double check the box to see what may be in there. I don't recall  extra counter weights.

 

Yes, learning to do the cartridge set up can be a natural next  step, but for many -myself included, who are living very  busy lives and somethings are not going to be at the  top of the to do list. This was one of them for me.

@fuzztone  so with your logic if you don't own a vineyard then  you can not enjoy a  glass of wine?

@baylinor  that is an interesting comment, but to treat your cartridge with so much variance to get it to your" sweet spot?" That can be  very subjective. You could hypothetically do that every time when you  change a genre of music.

 

The settings on the phono stage are a similar comparison. I would prefer not to be changing all these settings every time I spin an album. I want it to be set up correctly and then properly maintain that-which regrettably I was not doing. It is clear that I need to at the very least invest in a stylus weight.

 

Thanks for everyone's comments. I  hope to get it back this week and will report back.

idigmusic64 OP
56 posts
 

-UPDATE-

Thanks for all the comments and the insights- and the well deserved lashings by a  few of the elders, as the table is  back and spinning records again.

I definitely have noticed sonic improvement right out of the gate- the vinyl is very quite, even on  older pressings. Mid-range are bright and crisp. I did a play a wide variety of albums this morning including of Judi Collins(White Bird), Steely Dan (Royal Scam). Coltrane( My Favorite Things Mono), GD( Light Into Ashes) and  others to get a  good overall impression. The bass is slightly  lacking but that may have more to do with my phono stage settings. That  unit is a Jolida JD9 II tube phone stage and my  integrated amp is a Rogue Sphinx V3.

One thing with the  added 0 .5 grams it  seems the Cueup does not work as effectively as it once did- as now it does not raise the cartridge completely off the record as it previously did. 

I will be investing in a stylus  scale and will  educating myself on being able to verify the settings.

 

Any other insights- along with colorful commentary, one liners, and appropriate memes, will be  greatly appreciated.

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