Shun Mook Record Weight

Careful, there are a lot of fakes around.

Thanks for the info. Now the big question......I recall the Shun Mook being quite expensive. What compares to it today that is less expensive then the Mook???

Shun Mook fakes are good as long as they are made out of dried gabon ebony and you DON'T pay Shun Mook prices. A lot of TT owners are going center weight with a periphery rings for resonance control.

Try the Moo Goo Gui Pan.

A shun mook is a shun mook. A fake is a fake. Just like everything else. I own one of these along with many other high end record weights/clamps. By far my favoirite in terms of music reproduction.

My now dead former neighbor Lars had the entire Mpingo disk treatment in his isolated sound room...installed by the Shun Mook dudes...absolute expensive audio exotica stuck to speakers, walls, on little stands...I'm not sure if it made much difference, but I now think I almost sort of semi understand it maybe.

A complicated subject to say the least. As I recall, the Shun Mook retailed for something like $2400.00 some years ago. I don't know what they go for now even on the used market if you can find one. For those willing to spend the money, it often was the preferred weight. I have seen them in systems over the years but I never had the opportunity to compare it to others. I use the HRS Record Weight which I find to be not invasive of high frequencies, too heavy for my TT motor/bearing, or too much wieght causing record "dishing." Unfortunately this is an area of high end audio that requires endless listening to endless weights, in endless weights and made of endless materials.

Just saw an ad in a Hong Kong audio mag, Audiotechnique, that there is a distributor in Hong Kong for Shun Mook products - www.wiwitubes.com. I know that Shun Mook was operated by a few guys from Hong Kong here in the SF Bay Area. But I also recall some report many years ago that this place had sold some fake tubes.

I had tried several record weights and found the results to be surprising. It affects the sound more than the outer ring. I had purchased a DIY weight made out of some African Ebony and it sucked out all the bass. HRS is the most benign one. It sounded good on almost any type of music, and on any table. I had recently purchased a Malaysian Ebony weight from eBay. It sounded very nice. It added some air to the sound, and the texture of wood body on instruments like guitars, violins, and cello. A friend of mine, after hearing it, bought the heavier one, and he preferred it over the Kuzma ebony weight.

FrankC

Always wanted to try a Shun Mook record weight but never did. I've tried over a dozen and the best so my ears has been the Harmonic TU-812. They now have a MK-II but have not heard it. Others I've listened to but have not liked are those from TTWeights (have tried several of them none to my liking), Sota Reflex Clamp. There was this European hard wood weight that did a nice job, don't remember the name but it made the music sweeter sounding but lacked bass control.
Anyone hear the newest Harmonic? Would be interested in hearing how that differs from original.
(dealer disclaimer)

Agree with Sksos1 on the TTWeights.

Too expensive, poor build quality, and lousy performance.

FrankC. I m from Malaysia & have various type of clamp including Kuzma clamp. Do u have any link to the Malaysia ebony wood clamp ? Never heard of it & would like to try it if possible

Audiofeil, I never said the TTWeights has poor build quality, just lousy sound! (and yes too expensive IMHO)

Skos1 wrote:

"I never said the TTWeights has poor build quality, just lousy sound! (and yes too expensive IMHO)"

But $1350 for the Harmonic TU-812 Mk II is reasonably priced?

I have the Harmonix TU-812 as well. On some music, it sounded pretty good, much more airy and clean on high frequencies. But on others, it seems to be taking away some of the lower frequencies. It had similar effect as the DIY African Ebony, but just not as much on the bottom end.

The name of the eBay seller is hk-gadgets. He only lists in the UK eBay site. He also sells ebony feet, other audio stuff, and Chinese tea. I didn't see any record weight listed at the moment. You can e-mail him for more info. I have a suspension table, so I bought the smaller one. My friend bought the heavier one and says that the effect is better on his table with the heavier one.

FrankC

The original Harmonic TU-812 was around $400 (or that's what I remember paying) so yes the new MKII model is expensive and can't tell you if it's worth the asking price.

I owned the Harmonix TU812 original. Did not like what it did to the sound. The shun mook is a totally different beast. And yes, the bass digs deep. I use other gabon ebony planks and blocks in my system and if not used properly, it will suck up some bass.

As for the price, its entirely up to you. Is it worth it? Depends on what you own. If you can drop 10+k on your analog front end, Im sure it will do justice.

As far as i know, Bill does not have lots of lumber to make these clamps anymore so getting one can be a challenge.

The HRS analog disc is one of the better record clamps i can recommend. iMO, it does better than the original Harmonix TU812. Another clamp worth recommending is one made by Audio Tekne. Very open sounding.

FrankC,
Thanks for the feedback. I thk hk-gadgets is fr HK not Malaysia based on their site in eBay . Will check out their clamp if any. I have bdr clamp, audio tekne ( listed for sales ), Kuzma , harmonix & a DIY slate with brazillian kingwood , quite good & cheap- checkout lencoheavendotnet.
Off all the clamp, I like Kuzma the most & would love to have shun mook clamp

Genesis,
Any idea if the HRS analogue disk can be ordered on line or do you have to go to a dealer?

Give HRS a call. The Audio Tekne weight audioblazer has for sale is quite
a nice weight. The only shortcoming is the bass is a little on the leaner
side of things compared to the Harmonix but does not muddle things up
like the harmonix will. The Harmonix is fat sounding so if thats what your
system lacking and need a Iittle help in the bass region then its the weight
of choice. Entirely system matching.

I like the price of the HRS Analog Disc. It sounds like it holds it's own against the others at a much lower price. It seems to be available on line from a retailer in Canada for $208. Seems like a good alternative to a TT Weights product at a similar price. $2800 for a Shun Mook I just can't justify. The Harmonix TU-812 mkII is available at needle doctor but is around $1300. The HRS seems like a safe bet all things considered.

I ordered the HRS Analog Disk from the Cable Company (www.cableco.com)in November and it was directly shipped from HRS to me. I received it in about two weeks - pretty fast!

The only weight I have tried is the Shun Mook, but the small, not the large weight. As I am sure you know, the company made 2 weights. I think it does work, not night and day, but I definitely prefer it. Is the benefit worth the full retail price? Not to me, but I bought mine second hand on E bay

I miss Bill Feil (Audiofeil)

Just got my Shun Mook weight it is truly a revolutionary  change in the sound.The changes in timber,sound stage and depth are truly amazing worth every cent.Wow!!

I have heard just one Shun Mook Mpingo disc, which is a little bitty thing, transform a system. And not some average system but a big old monster system. I admit it takes a little while to find a place in the room that produces that transformation. Nevertheless....

William Ying is THE Shun Mook guy and he lives in Oakland, CA. I’ve been to his place a few times and spent a few weeks with various Shun Mook products, including the crazy little discs. It’s kinda crazy how moving these discs around changes the sonic presentation. 

You can contact him at [email protected]

Smoke gets in your eyes.

Smoke follows the fool. Shun Mook stuff rules! Seriously.

Any experience with the basis relex clamp compared to the Shun mook or others? I just grabed one from ebay since Raul recommended. I will just like to hear other opinions about it, its going to be my first clamp.

My husband was very fond of Bill Ying and traded records, etc., with him in the late 80s and through to, probably 2002 or so. I have his Shun Mook Record Weight/Clamp and perhaps 6 or 9 of the Diamond Resonators. I’m needing to downsize the system mow that my husband is gone so I’ve put the Well Tempered Table and the ML CLSs here on Audiogon. I’m replacing the system with easier to use, much smaller components and a new table. I have in mind, a Pro-Jet Debut Carbon table. In your opinion(s), will the Shun Mook be too heavy for the Debut Carbon table? And if I were to sell these items, which I believe do NOT have the branding but am certain that Bill would authenticate, what kind of price range would I be looking at? Your thoughts would be most welcome. ~ Alexis (username chrialex)

I met the Shun Mook guys briefly at the Vegas high end show in ‘97. I was a little embarrassed because there was a knock-off of their Mpingo disc sitting right in front of them on the floor. Ha ha. The Shun Mook Record Weight goes for $3200 new, so condition and provenance most likely influence value. The Diamond resonators came in four sizes, Original, Super, Ultra, and Giant was the largest. Condition probably enters into the value but I suspect they all bring a very good price.

Chrialex, the Shun Mook clamp will definitely work with the Project table you have. It’s not overly heavy. All Shun Mook pieces came laser etched with the logo on it so there wont be much trouble to have them authenticated. And yes the price of the clamp has easily tripled over the years from the early days due to the scarcity of the wood. I visited Bill 2 years ago and he told me that he only had enough wood to make less than 10 of the clamps.