Turntable accessories, want to chime in?

Rodrigou

New Member
Hello good people,

I have a simple setup, TT is a Yamaha YP-B2 with Ortofon FF15xe MkII stylus, Receiver is a Yamaha CR-820 and Design acoustics (PS-55) speakers. Probably not top notch but very nice sound all around. Question for you guys regarding mats and weights/clamps.

I am looking to get a weight to improve bass sounds (specially having small speakers) and overall performance, any recommendations? is there s weight limit I should be looking at before damaging the TT or maybe is there a weight so light that wouldn't bring any benefit to the setup?

Likewise, mats. The YP-B2 came with a rubber matt that is in absolute pristine condition, is there an advantage to use felt/cork over rubber? It seems to be a pretty subjective topic (at least on the mats).

Any recommendations/comments will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

R.
 
Everything you change has a definite effect on the final signal. Your system just isn't good enough to allow you to define it. Weights keep the vinyl from vibrating. Cork, hide, rubber, and urethane mats alters any noise transmitted from the platter. The better the table the less you have to kill. If you want better bass, do your research and find a QUALITY used power sub, for $150, you will be rewarded. The Yammy is a bit light on power, so that will also hurt your bottom end.
 
Another vote for record cleaning equipment and solutions. Night and day difference. You don't have to go "all in" for a vacuum or ultrasonic cleaner, but a few bucks spent on cleaning goes a long way.
 
Most of this stuff is just snake oil, whether we want to admit it or not.

Start with clean records, get the best cartridge/stylus you can afford (make sure it's installed/aligned the best you can) and run it into a good system. We make it more complicated than it has to be to justify all the crap we accumulate over the years. "Oh yeah, that cork mat improved the bass response by 14.74%, I can totally tell the difference!" Bollocks.

Really -- getting vinyl to sound good does not require fancy mats, weights, clamps, $200 Japanese headshell wires crafted on Mount Fuji by celibate monks who're fed a strict diet of local fish, and other such nonsense.
 
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Hello good people,

I have a simple setup, TT is a Yamaha YP-B2 with Ortofon FF15xe MkII stylus, Receiver is a Yamaha CR-820 and Design acoustics (PS-55) speakers. Probably not top notch but very nice sound all around. Question for you guys regarding mats and weights/clamps.

I am looking to get a weight to improve bass sounds (specially having small speakers) and overall performance, any recommendations? is there s weight limit I should be looking at before damaging the TT or maybe is there a weight so light that wouldn't bring any benefit to the setup?

Likewise, mats. The YP-B2 came with a rubber matt that is in absolute pristine condition, is there an advantage to use felt/cork over rubber? It seems to be a pretty subjective topic (at least on the mats).

Any recommendations/comments will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

R.
The mat you have is fine
As for a weight I assume you mean a record weight
A good solution for that is to drill a hole in the exact center of a practice ice hockey puck, or the heaviest puck you can find
For a few dollars you'll know how much a weight will help your system if at all
Cheap and effective
 
A weight or puck doesn't do anything for a not so flat records witch is a lot of records, it doesn't cuple the record to the platter evenly or good for that matter, and just adds weight for the motor to spin.
 
I will give you some advise that will allow you to save a lot of money.

1) weight's look good but (in my experience) do not do anything for sound
2) Mats make a difference in static electricity. I recommend using a cork or leather or rubber mat. Avoid felt.
3) For certain non-automatic turntables a Q-Up or Arm levitator is a good accessory.

You really don't need anything else...
 
A weight or puck doesn't do anything for a not so flat records witch is a lot of records, it doesn't cuple the record to the platter evenly or good for that matter, and just adds weight for the motor to spin.
Sure it does, drill it snug and it'll grab the spindle same as the old Pig did
 
Thanks for the replies, good info here.

Primary complaint the way I read it is his system is BASS SHY

Hi Collin, not really complaint, I understand the limitations of my system, yes it is naturally bass shy but still good, just trying to improve performance if possible.

I do have a VPI cleaner so records are pretty and sound great, but after reading around I got curious about the clamp/weights and their potential benefit. Ill try the clamp an see how it goes.

Thanks again, loving reading over these forums..
 
Thanks for the replies, good info here.



Hi Collin, not really complaint, I understand the limitations of my system, yes it is naturally bass shy but still good, just trying to improve performance if possible.

I do have a VPI cleaner so records are pretty and sound great, but after reading around I got curious about the clamp/weights and their potential benefit. Ill try the clamp an see how it goes.

Thanks again, loving reading over these forums..
Sounds good
"just trying to improve performance if possible" is a pretty big target, was trying to focus on the only specific in your post
"performance" means many things!
I think experimenting with speaker placement might help you more with the bottom end than a record clamp or weight.
Have fun!
 
None of the aftermarket accessories, mats/weights/clamps, will have any noticeable impact on increasing the bass out put from your DA PS-55 speakers with 5" woofers. The Yamaha CR-820 should be sufficient to power these small book shelf speakers. As another AK member has suggested a powered subwoofer will be able to add the low end bass that's impossible to get from your present speakers. Seeing you have a VPI RCM your well ahead of the curve and your records will sound as good as their condition allows. I'v heard some smaller systems like yours and they sounded surprisingly good if set up properly. A lot of money can be spent and wasted on what amounts to audio eye candy accomplishing little in improving the performance and sound quality. Get the basics right, speaker placement, cartridge alignment etc, a stylus or cartridge upgrade can deliver more potential performance. Recommend you check AKs speaker forum for advice on a decent subwoofer, to keep everything on a level with your present equipment after getting advice check your local Craigslist for a preowned subwoofer.
 
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None of the aftermarket accessories, mats/weights/clamps, will have any noticeable impact on increasing the bass out put from your DA PS-55 speakers with 5" woofers. The Yamaha CR-820 should be sufficient to power these small book shelf speakers. As another AK member has suggested a powered subwoofer will be able to add the low end bass that's impossible to get from your present speakers. Seeing you have a VPI RCM your well ahead of the curve and your records will sound as good as their condition allows. I'v heard some smaller systems like yours and they sounded surprisingly good if set up properly. A lot of money can be spent and wasted on what amounts to audio eye candy accomplishing little in improving the performance and sound quality. Get the basics right, cartridge alignment etc, a stylus or cartridge upgrade can deliver more potential performance. Recommend you check AKs speaker forum for advice on a decent subwoofer, to keep everything on a level with your present equipment after getting advice check your local Craigslist for a subwoofer.
Agree on the clamps-bass observation
And the rest is all fine, solid post.............but I think it would be smart to exhaust speaker placement options first, before you BUY anything, unless you have already done so
If Rodrigou is interested in anything that might actually be of help (wants to pursue this thread) define more clearly just exactly what "performance" means - beyond the bass complaint which is now reported as NOT a complaint
There are plenty of compact monitors with 5" & 6" woofers that don't "need" subs, like the L20T, B&W DM302 etc but I have to admit I have never heard the OP's speakers
All depends on the genres of music you listen to how satisfied you'll be
I have noticed the trend here at AK that about 75% of the time, right out of the gate, the answer to any and all general questions is to go buy something before all the facts are even known - technical and restoration threads notwithstanding
Like what's the room you got your stereo in look like? How big is your room? How loud do you play your system? Where do you have your speakers?
I like to see a room and the set up before I start recommending purchases
 
80/20 principle, 80% of your results come from just 20% of the things you do. First look for the things that you can change that are going to make a big difference, not things that are going to make some 0.0001% difference that you won't even hear.

In this case:
- Speakers
- Cartridge
- Phono preamp
- Turntable
- Source

Would be the things to focus on. Mats, Weights, and all that jazz aren't what you need to be looking at. They aren't going to give you any of the bass improvement you're looking for.

So let's go through those:

- Cartridge: You have a solid cartridge, and I've never heard anyone make any complaints about the bass response it offers. In fact I've heard several people claim it's one of the best cartridges they've heard in that department. Make sure the stylus isn't damaged or worn, but assuming it's not, you're fine in the cartridge department. No changes need to be made here.

- Turntable: Providing it works, keeps speed, etc, it should not for all intents and purposes be having any significant noticeable effect the bass response you're getting, so we can rule out any changes needing to be made here.

That leaves the source, the phono preamp, and your speakers as things where there could be room for improvement.

- Source: You mentioned that you have a VPI cleaner, so we can assume your records are kept in good condition. However, that doesn't say anything for the actual source material itself. Low frequency material requires wider grooves to be cut, which places limits on other information that can be stored and on the overall length of the record - so with many records, some low frequency information is cut off to prevent these limitations. So in some cases you might find the bass response isn't what you're used to if you previously listened to digital - that isn't always the case though, it just depends on how it was cut etc. Try a wider selection of records and see if the bass is more pleasing to your ears on any of them than the ones you've been listening to - if some sound as good as you like, but others don't, then it's an issue with the records and not your system.

- Phono Preamp: Your phono preamp can definitely have an effect on the sound that you're getting, but the effect should be a subtle one, and unless there's something wrong with the phono stage in your receiver it shouldn't be killing your preamp.

Which leaves, the obvious culprit:

- Speakers: Bookshelf speakers generally don't have that good a bass response, period. There are some exceptions to the rule, but even then there's a limitation to how far a 5 or 6" woofer can really go. If you're someone that doesn't care much for bass, then you can go without ever noticing this limitation - but if you like some music where the bass reaches deeper, and with more authority, you'll probably find such speakers on their own will let you down. This is why a lot of people, like myself, choose to pair their bookshelf speakers with a subwoofer - and this is likely the solution to your problem. Find a decent sub, hook it up, and you should find the bass response much more to your liking.

The only other thing I can suggest is to check if your speakers are rear ported (I couldn't find any info) and if they are, position them close to a wall. Depending on the speaker it may sound better or it may sound worse, but there should be more bass. If they are and it helps, see how you feel about the better bass response - is it enough? If so, great, you're sorted. Still not enough? Then look at getting a sub like I suggested.
 
A record weight does not do anything other than flatten dish warps. It's not going to magically make very small speakers sound like large ones with chest thumping bass. If you want speakers to sound better, just buy better speakers.

If you must use a weight, see what the manufacturer recommends. Some turntables should not be used with a weight. A clamp might be a better choice or nothing at all.

Re: mats, lots of snake oil in this area. Many of the aftermarket mats do not perform any better than stock stuff. If your TT came with a paper thin junk felt mat, I could see wanting to replace it. If your TT comes with a heavy rubber mat, it's included for a reason. Usually to dampen the sound of a ringing metal platter. Stick with that.
 
As recommended try speaker placement in multiple locations, sometimes just a few inches in/out/sideways will make a noticeable difference. Also consider speaker stands as an option, they can also impact a difference in the sound. As for a subwoofer if your used to movies with exaggerated bass this will not be appropriate for most music, you want to add a subtle amount of bass where it's appropriate for the recording, start at the lowest volume setting for the sub. A photo of your listening space/room showing your present speaker placement would go a long way in getting good advice from AK members. Work with the equipment you already have, don't add anything until you have exhausted checking your present components and their setup/location.
 
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