the Durand Record Weight; love it!

mep

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Do you really think you could evaluate audio improvments via an a/b comparo on a YouTube video ?

Nope. But if Peter was in the room when they did the comparison with the record weight and without, Peter could have given us his impressions. He is a reviewer after all.
 

PeterA

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Dec 6, 2011
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Nope. But if Peter was in the room when they did the comparison with the record weight and without, Peter could have given us his impressions. He is a reviewer after all.

Good comment, but I think this interview is more like a press release, which is fine. It's always nice to hear from a designer about his product. And in video format, it's even better than reading an ad.

I just attended a demo at which two reps from ultra high end companies discussed their respective designs during the introduction before the music was played. Unfortunately, they each made not too veiled comments about how their designs were much better than those from unnamed competitors, but it was pretty clear about whom they were speaking. A lot of this stuff is marketing.
 

mep

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One thing that I want to clarify is that I don't mean to pick on Peter. I happen to like Peter both as a person and as a reviewer. It just would have been nice that while a table was spinning with an LP on it with a Durand tonearm set up with a mega-expensive cartridge that Peter would have said, "Hey Joel, how about dropping the arm on the record without your weight and then dropping your weight on the table so we can hear the difference?"
 

Peter Breuninger

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One thing that I want to clarify is that I don't mean to pick on Peter. I happen to like Peter both as a person and as a reviewer. It just would have been nice that while a table was spinning with an LP on it with a Durand tonearm set up with a mega-expensive cartridge that Peter would have said, "Hey Joel, how about dropping the arm on the record without your weight and then dropping your weight on the table so we can hear the difference?"

I'll take this as a request for "next time". :)
 
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mep

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Good comment, but I think this interview is more like a press release, which is fine.

Or is it? This brings up a good point worth talking about. Should reviewers be doing press releases for manufacturers or should reviewers be covering press releases paid for by manufacturers? I think there is a not-so-subtle distinction there.

I do think that some high-end magazines have blurred those lines by being *free* mouthpieces for the marketing department of manufacturers. TAS for one has a section in the front of some issues where they do exactly that. Do high-end rags really need to be in the business of announcing new products that are coming out from manufacturers?

Every 4 years during the Presidential elections, both parties have their separate conventions. During these conventions, Congress suspends all ethics rules so they can make their down-and-dirty deals with their wealthy contributors from the business/corporate world. The press is kept far away from the yachts and exclusive hotels where the private parties are being thrown so they can't see what is actually going down during these events. You have to pay to play, and this is partly where the "paying" part goes down.

I don't mean to insinuate that any reviewers have been bought by OEMs. All I'm trying to say is that magazines and reviewers should maintain their credibility by reviewing products in a manner that engenders trust in the readership. Leave the fluff pieces to the OEM's marketing department. When reviewers cover audio shows, I think each room should be treated as a mini-review which many of the reviewers do. They talk about the sound of the system and the room and give their opinions on what they heard and then pick out their favorites in different categories. I have no problem with that and I actually like that.

A record weight that retails for $3500 deserves some very special scrutiny. Some people (even on this forum) might not have that much invested in their entire system. Many people outside of this forum damn sure don't have $3500 invested in their whole system. If you want to cover Joel Durand talking about how magnificent his $3500 record weight is, make him put it on a table and show you how magnificent his record weight is and tell me what you hear. That's all I'm sayin'.
 
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BillWojo

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I bought a 3 in 1 record weight for my Technics SL-M3. It's a 280 Gram weight, has 33 and 45 RPM strobe lines etched in it and a bubble level on top. Nicely machined from aluminum with a very nice finish and a thin rubber pad on the bottom. Cost less than 35 bucks shipped. Did I expect it to improve the sound? Heck no, I bought it because it looks cool on my table. Did it improve the sound? Not that I could tell, but it looks cool.

BillWojo
 

howiebrou

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Jun 29, 2012
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So my Clearaudio Master innovation has just been installed with a Thales Simplicity II and Anna Cartridge.

I don't know if it needs a weight, although Clearaudio does make quite a number of them. What would anyone recommend I try, given that I would have to buy it and if it does nothing or hinders the sound quality it might become a very expensive paperweight! Rings are a no no for me for reasons of arm safety and visual aesthetics.

Thoughts would be welcome.

Thanks

howie
 

bonzo75

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My Dalby Lignum Vitae D8 is for sale. Retail 4400 GBP, selling for 2k GBP, with flight case that comes with it.

Posted from London. Selling because I don't have a TT
 

XV-1

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May 24, 2010
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So my Clearaudio Master innovation has just been installed with a Thales Simplicity II and Anna Cartridge.

I don't know if it needs a weight, although Clearaudio does make quite a number of them. What would anyone recommend I try, given that I would have to buy it and if it does nothing or hinders the sound quality it might become a very expensive paperweight! Rings are a no no for me for reasons of arm safety and visual aesthetics.

Thoughts would be welcome.

Thanks

howie

Howie. How do you like the combo. Thales you know I love, but never heard anyone putting it on a Clearaudio. Very interesting.
 

howiebrou

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Howie. How do you like the combo. Thales you know I love, but never heard anyone putting it on a Clearaudio. Very interesting.

It is sounding very clean and neutral to me compared with the Avid Acutus which i have used for over 10 years and has an LP-S on it which has much more romantic and thicker sound. I haven’t had enough hours on it (read;about 5) to gauge the difference. Different TT, different tonearm and different cartridge. I have no idea which is contributing more but I like what i hear so far.

For someone who has used a screw down clamp for the last decade having nothing on the spindle feels weird to me, hence my question. It might not be necessary at all but the thread piqued my interest. The techdas one looks interesting as does the Clearaudio Statement TT weight.

Cheers

Howie
 

Tango

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It might not be necessary at allThe techdas one looks interesting as does the Clearaudio Statement TT weight.

Dont know about CA, but Techdas weight is mind boggling expensive. A fraction of this money can be used to play with some magic feet under phono that might yield greater sound improvement imo.

Kind regards,
Tang
 

howiebrou

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Dont know about CA, but Techdas weight is mind boggling expensive. A fraction of this money can be used to play with some magic feet under phono that might yield greater sound improvement imo.

Kind regards,
Tang

Thanks for that Tang. I have no idea how much the Techdas weight is. The CA one is US1k which seems way too much for something that I have no idea of the potential benefits.

Howie
 

Tango

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Thanks for that Tang. I have no idea how much the Techdas weight is. The CA one is US1k which seems way too much for something that I have no idea of the potential benefits.

Howie

Hi Howie,

My dealer told me around $4,000.

Tang
 

howiebrou

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Hi Howie,

My dealer told me around $4,000.

Tang

Ok that’s a lot. I think I’ll pass unless someone lends me one...having said that if it does as much as a good tonearm cable does, then it could be worth the money.
 

rockitman

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Hi Howie,

My dealer told me around $4,000.

Tang

Whether I use a record weight or not depends on the particular record title and the TT I am using. I tried a ridiculously priced Harmonix against the stillpoints LP1. The LP1 smoked it. The techdas did not impress me either
 

howiebrou

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Whether I use a record weight or not depends on the particular record title and the TT I am using. I tried a ridiculously priced Harmonix against the stillpoints LP1. The LP1 smoked it. The techdas did not impress me either

I guess the weight of the LP, with the same albums made by different companies, would make a difference as well. 180g vs 140g vs 200g vs 7". One could have a nervous breakdown if there was a different weight for each category!
 

Mike Lavigne

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I guess the weight of the LP, with the same albums made by different companies, would make a difference as well. 180g vs 140g vs 200g vs 7". One could have a nervous breakdown if there was a different weight for each category!

I love my Durand record weight. been using it for 4-5 years now. it simply 'loads' the record, even warped records, and allows the life to come through, but removes the distortion from resonance. it's about the balance of things. I did try some other record weights, and record mats, and a screw down clamp......preferred a naked platter and the Durand.

I had a Rockport Sirius III with vacuum holddown, and I prefer the record weight and the composite platter of my NVS tt. can't say that the Durand record weight is equally good on all platters as I would expect the platter material might effect the musical equation with a record weight......or not. I've heard it used on a number of other turntables to good effect.

I've not seen any variance of effectiveness of the Durand with different weight pressings. but that does not mean there might not be......I've just never seen a recognizable relationship that way.

oh, and btw, I started this thread in April of 2013. so this has been a long term solution for me I still prefer to other choices I've heard.
 
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howiebrou

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oh, and btw, I started this thread in April of 2013. so this has been a long term solution for me I still prefer to other choices I've heard.

Good to know. That kind of statement is worth a lot more than marketing talk.
 

harleyguy

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Whether I use a record weight or not depends on the particular record title and the TT I am using. I tried a ridiculously priced Harmonix against the stillpoints LP1. The LP1 smoked it. The techdas did not impress me either

I love my tech das record clamp
 

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