RB-300:help ;I think I'm wacked


This thing cracks me up. I just replaced my old immedia rpm arm with my rb-300. Now, I know it sounds good, I knew that. But yet it still blows my mind, enough to make me laugh uncontrollably, like when I eat chicken from the barbaque and it taste better than I can comprehend.
And here is more to laugh at. Not only are these things all over used, but the most expensive rega arm is 1000 bucks. ONLY 1000 bucks. Brand new retail.
O.K., forget about price. I would like your help in taking this thing to the limit. I have already done the following; rewired with a single run of cardas from cartridge directly to M. Yee phono parked right along side of table, added weight to the counter weight, not much, (about 50 percent of origional small weight), and backed off the spring pressure as to not have it touch or bind (can't have that, right?), and stuffed the arm with foam, and replaced the silicone insert at the headshell, you know the one, the one those origional cheesy wires come out of.
Does anyone know of any more succesful, or popular mods that have ever been done? Any different ones? Any experience with different wire? Nothing is too rediculas for me. I wonder if this arm might eventually become close to the best possible. Sound absurd?
basement

Showing 2 responses by basement

I will look into these with interest.
I have heard it rumored that the rb-300 has better bearings than the rb-250. The same, just better. I don't know if it's true, but it would be good to know, just the same. Other than that, is not the only difference between the rb-250 and rb-300 the spring, and if that is the only thing that makes the rb-250 a better candidate, than why not remove it altogether?
Also, I understand that the rb-900 uses completely different bearings than the rb-250 and 300. I can see why it not be a good candidate, as it has that different base. What is a rb-600 axactly? A rb-1000?
Thanks, twl, for all that info. Thats the kind of stuff I like. tons of ideas.
And david99, I will take your dare. I'm not afraid.
I am beginning to see. I checked out some webs. It would appear that the reason the rb-250 would end up being better after mods is because it is coupled to the base on both ends of the vertical bearings, where the arms built with the springs are coupled on on side only; the are not coupled where the spring is attached(except by the spring itself).
Furthermore, it seems the reason rb-300's and above are better "out of the box" is they use better materiels on the end stubs, where the rb-250 uses plastic.
What I can see is the importance of the end stub & counterweight, as this is a place where resonences can reflect and the mass is significant as to compete or interfere with the mechanical grounding of the arm.
What I don't see is how couplng the counterweight rigidly with a set screw would make a improvement, or coupling the end stub solidly, for that matter. I understand that the origin mod is supposed to be solid with "less" coupling. The expressimo end stub appears to be the same as a stock one, with the exception of having a allen screw to torque it down, I can't see how the origin is attatched.
Question; is there something about a rigid mount to the end stub/counterweight assembly that makes a tonearm perform better? (as opposed, for instance, to coupled with some sort of damping?)
Question 2; is there something to the "torque" involved that makes the end stub behave differently, as to perhaps be better than further or appropriate "decoupling" of the whole assembly?
Has anyone done any exploring with the attatchment of the counterweight, either before or after the mods? Or with other tonearms?
I am sure there is something to this that can help us build a better tonearm. I am especailly curious as it appears that there is knowledge in this area that I may have been previously unaware existed.