Warped record playback


I have recently bought so many new LPs that turn out to have, to some degree or another, edge warp that I am wondering what to do. Equipment-wise the situation is now this: I bought a new Rega P9 and Kontrapunkt B a few months ago and put my venerable AR ETL One up for sale. Despite some discussion, it has not sold. I am always leery of damaging what is for me an expensive cartridge with a nonuser replaceable stylus by playing warped records. I am also leery of doing harm to the stylus by playing records (whether new or used) that have, to use a polite term, imperfections. What if I kept the ETL One, sold the Rega RB 300 arm and bought a different arm and a new cartridge optimized for tracking of warped records. Am I wrong in thinking that an arm with lighter effective mass can negotiate warps better? What would you recommend insofar as such an arm and relatively inexpensive cart to go along with it? I might have done myself a favour by not selling my Shure V15 V mr, but it's too late now, it has found a new home. The other problem also being that my phono section only has input for one turntable. Any suggestion, short of plugging and unplugging as needed, to get around that one. Thanks.
pbb

Showing 1 response by lugnut

Patrick,

First, I don't think you will damage the stylus on a warped record unless the warps are so bad the arm goes airborn. A good record clamp should help flatten them. Second, I would never optimize my table to play the worst of my vinyl. Last, can the albums and move on in the direction you meant to take. You'll never be happy with severely warped records anyway.

It seems that you wrote in another thread that these were new albums from a manufacturer that you later found out was notorious for warps. If so, is the record vendor standing behind the product he sold you?