First of all, thank you Kingman for sending your record clamp for testing. My observations were captured after a few days of using it with a Dual CS-5000 wearing a Stanton Epoch II cart. The final test was done using Command Records "Stereo Check Out" - a great 1960 recording, listening to "Hernando's Hideaway", a track I have listened for years in different setups (and the rest of side B - it is all good).
1. This weight looks very cool. Even if it did nothing, it looks cool.
2. For even slightly warped records, it helps tracking. The connection between the vynil disc and the spindle can be loose without the clamp, and clicks, cracks and prats are more frequent (I did this ten times on music and ten times on quite inter-track spaces - there is a difference). The clamp helps here.
3. Probably because the record is less wobbly overall, the sound is tighter with the clamp (the fewer/lower amplitude chirps when clamped may have something to do. Also, I had several beers on me during this test, so that may have impacted perception)
So the net of it is, I would buy a clamp. The weight of it may tax the motor and bearings a bit, but it seems well worth the price of repair every few years if that is the consequence.
Who is the next in line to test the weight? Will ship as soon as possible?
Thanks again, Kingman!
OBG
