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My New Record Clamp

pioneervato

pioneervato

Lunatic Member
Just got this today from AKer Soundgarden. A very good looking and well made record clamp machined out of solid aluminum. It would also look great in a black anodized finish but I imagine that process is expensive to have done.

My first record clamp ever and I couldn't wait to try it out. It fits perfect right over the spindle and really does a great job of pushing the record nice and snug against the mat. Here is a pic of it working on my Dual while spinning some John Mellencamp.



RecordClamp2.jpg
 
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This is what my ears perceive so far. Not a "day vs. night" difference but to my ears it appears that the bass sounds a little tighter. It does flatten out the record and that has to be a good thing. As I spin more vinyl with it I should get a better feel for its impact on SQ with different LP's.

There is a thread here about whether to "clamp or not" and no where did I read that it made a significant difference but either you are in the camp that it does or it doesn't. I decided that I would spring for the clamp and give it a go. God knows I have spent enough money over the years on stuff that turned out to be crap but I don't feel this is the case with the record clamp. The clamp will be part of my routine when spinning vinyl and it certainly looks good on the TT.
 
pioneervato said:
The clamp will be part of my routine when spinning vinyl and it certainly looks good on the TT.
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It does look very nice, and I can readily understand how it could add sonic benefits. Btw, it's not a clamp, it's a weight. It would be nice if the manufacturer donated one to AK to introduce himself, and possibly pass one around to the members, rather than hide behind his two dollar listing in our classifieds. He is a vendor who sells on the 'bay. His only 3 posts have been in the classifieds.

Just my two cents.

Ken
 
cornhulio said:
I have one just like that made out of solid gold :D
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:jawdrop: ...really? Wow!

Okay, so I know you are kidding. But I'd bet you could find some takers for one, if you made it. To sell it you might have to add some psycho-babble nonsense marketspeak about how gold's "amorphous crystal micro-structure peaks the resonant-harmonic vibrations of the vinyl" or some such nonsense, but mostly play on the ego of the nouveau riche. Maybe take the reverse tack and simply address the benefits of adding weight/mass in general, and then "Why not get the very best - .995 pure gold, alloyed with XX for..(reasons).. Because you deserve the very BEST. Show you've arrived! Blah blah ego-stroke!" I'd bet a few dozen Mainland Chinese would buy them, along with a few Japanese, perhaps a few other Asians, a few Middle Easterners. At a thousand bucks or more over the raw gold cost (for precision machining, etc...) it might be worth doing.

Of course, any normal person could get the same function (probably better) and looks at a fraction of the cost. It's called plating...
 
Urizen said:
It does look very nice, and I can readily understand how it could add sonic benefits. Btw, it's not a clamp, it's a weight. It would be nice if the manufacturer donated one to AK to introduce himself, and possibly pass one around to the members, rather than hide behind his two dollar listing in our classifieds. He is a vendor who sells on the 'bay.

Just my two cents.

Ken
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You are correct. It is a "weight" and not a clamp. Either way, it does well to hold the record flat and it's easy to place and remove. My direct drive Dual has no problem spinning the platter but I have not tried it on a belt drive.
 
pioneervato said:
You are correct. It is a "weight" and not a clamp. Either way, it does well to hold the record flat and it's easy to place and remove. My direct drive Dual has no problem spinning the platter but I have not tried it on a belt drive.
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I'd love to try one, but his marketing technique makes me skiddish.

I've just bought this 1 lb. weight for $51.80, shipped. It has a felt pad to protect the label. I'll report back if it makes a sonic difference. I've been using the KAB rubber clamp.
 

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I should add that I wasn't knocking your clamp/weight as I am full aware of the benefits from personal experience.
 
Urizen said:
I'd love to try one, but his marketing technique makes me skiddish.

I've just bought this 1 lb. weight for $51.80, shipped. It has a felt pad to protect the label. I'll report back if it makes a sonic difference. I've been using the KAB rubber clamp.
Click to expand...

Felt pad? That's a good idea. Maybe just some of those round self-sticking felt pads or cork pads strategically placed around the bottom of the weight would do the trick as well to protect the label and add a better non-slip grip to it. I'm glad I thought of it. :D
 
I have one of these too, from the same guy. I like it much better than the clamp I had before. The clamp was a pain with my suspended AR. I just adjusted the springs a bit for the extra weight.
 
I'd like to hear how this compares to the Rek-O-Kut clamp, as they are approximately the same price.

I imagine both do well with their fundamental job.

Rek-O-Kut gets a plus for the felt pad, and for the black chrome finish.

Soundgarden gets a plus for an angled center hole for easier placement (I don't think the Rek-O-Kut has this) and a plus for financially supporting AK.


I'll buy a clamp soon, and will get one of these two- depending on which matches better to a Technics direct drive and possibly a Rega P3.

I'd love to know the weight of both brands too.
 
Just like Urizen, I use the KAB unit.

I got so used to playing my LPs with it, I´m almost afraid it will damage my records if I don´t.:D

I´ve been following a few of the Thorens gorgeous "Stabilizers" at ebay Germany. I´ve been holding back because they always end up around the €70 mark ( over $100 ). My TD-124 screams for one, and I will get one, eventully.

Jorge
 
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I remember reading somewhere that it wasn't just the weight, but the material it is made out of, that can affect the sound. The theory is that the weight itself may resonate with vibration, and therefore its own resonance characteristics are important. Somewhat logical, I think, but whether it is relevant in terms of anything you could actually hear in the audio play-back is debatable. This might well be over-thinking and worrying about things with so little impact as to be irrelevant, but for the "anal tweak-o-phile" type, it could be a consideration.

The writer said that lead was preferred, not just for its weight-to-size ratio, but because of its low resonant frequency. Metals like steel were too "bell-like" and would not be as good, he argued. [I don't think he was selling a lead weight!]

IF --a big if-- that theory really matters in audible terms, then adding felt to the bottom would affect the coupling between LP and weight, and hence the ability of the weight to handle vibrations properly. Then again, so would the paper label on the LP, and I would rather give up the theoretical fraction of a percent of audio quality and not have sratched labels. That said, I use a weight with raw (but smooth) metal bottom, and haven't noticed any label wear or damage.

This could open up a whole new area for tweaking and marketing: what is the best material to "couple" your TT weight to your LP? It must be very thin, of course, but thin what? Felt? Sorbothane? Cork? Plain metal? If so, what type? Is a copper plate different from a silver plate? Hhhhmmm....
:D
 
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