RB250/300 mods

[Richard]

Hi Greg, I thought I'd given you the valves so no need to return!

Thanks for all the info guys. It seems the RBs have most of the middle ground and based on weight of numbers I should try it again perhaps with the weight mod at least.

What about other arms? There is the retro option with SME 3009, Mayware and Hadcock I suppose. Has anyone swapped between any of these or can compare them with RB? Are there any others not too hard to obtain?

Rich

[david counter]

If you're considering other arms then the Roksan Nima at a similar price to the Technoarm should be looked at, I haven't tried one but it has a good reputation,

I know a lot of people will not agree but the 3009 is still a good arm, really well built and a solid performer, the series II non improved is the one to go for, or a 3009R if you can get one,

I've got a Mayware formula 4 unipivot to try, the initial impression is very good , well built, a lot of people here use them to good effect, IMO better than the Hadcock of a similar age, I had one, it was very flimsy and a real pain to set up,

I've also just bought a Grace G-704 unipivot, a beautiful example of Japanese engineering, although a bit on the light side to take a Denon 103 it will take a wide range of cartridges, I'm looking forward to trying this one, it cost a lot less than a technoarm as well,

there are others like the Grace G-940 unipivot which is a high mass arm if using a 103 is your goal,

[G.Axiom]

[quote=Richard;50285
....

What about other arms? There is the retro option with SME 3009, Mayware and Hadcock I suppose. Has anyone swapped between any of these or can compare them with RB? Are there any others not too hard to obtain?

Rich[/QUOTE]

Some time ago I had a similar project underway. I bought an RB250/300, cant' anymore recall which it was. It was meant to be second arm in my TT, to cope with some fancy Benz Micro and new/modern recordings, leaving older recordings for my DL103/Ortofon RF-229 combo.
I also planned upgrading it little by little, first counterweight, wiring and so on.
I had it less than two weeks in my set up, and then swapped it to a good box of RCA greyplate 5U4GB:s. I think it was an excellent trade.
So you might guess, my vote goes to the "retro" route. I dont know any other older arms well enough to recommend them, but compared to that RF-229 -supposedly SPU's original arm- RB250(300?) underperformed in a way which has since then prevented me to desire any new arms, and also halted that planned Rega upgrade project.
My second arm is at the moment DIY balsa unipivot. That's my second advice, if you just need a good arm, go build one.


There is a certain Japanese company building today a pretty precise copy of this Ortofon RF-229/309(12''). Unfortunately it is _bloody_ expensive one. Furthermore, Ortofon Japan has started again production of their RG-series, RG-229 and -309. They are perhaps not _that_ expensive ones, altough I have not received yet any opinions of them, so cant comment their performance, not even with hearsay.


Oh, almost forgot: I just found one of those Decca unipivots. Have not yet had time to mount it. Some comments will follow, as soon as I've got it installed.

[Primalsea]

Sorry to go back to the RB250 but heres a link to a post about mine which I have extensively modified.
http://www.wduk.worldomain.net/forum...ead.php?t=1445
The arm was a bit knackerd when I got it so I just modified it stright away and so don't have a full comparison. However it does sound rather good and doesn;t seem to have the greyness that stock RB250s have.
IMHO I would say change the following things which can be done cheaply first.

New wire, I got mine from ebay, not tonearm wire but it is thin enough for purpose. The seller does sell it as tonearm wire though. Not everyone here likes it if I remember other posts properly. However I used the shortest length I could, just long enough to reach the phono sockets on the back of the deck.

Dampen the arm by drilling holes on the bottom of the tube, or stuffing it with sponge or wool, or a scalextric tire cut through and cliped on the arm close to the headsheel (reset tracking weight of course).

However much of the sound of the arm is probably down to the very stiff and light cast alloy arm. If you are able to associate your dislike of the sound of the RB250 to the arms construction chances are you will never like it no matter what you do.

Off on a tangent, my mate has a 2nd hand Zeta arm on his Gyrodeck and it sounds great, even with the cheap Glanz cartridge he has on it at the moment.

[Greg.]

Hi Richard,

Many thanks for your generosity on the valves! I didn't realise they were a gift. That's very kind of you. That means I must resurrect the original post and write some impressions on sound difference.

Best wishes,

Greg

[Richard]

Hi Greg, All,

You're welcome, be interesting to hear what you make of them!

A bit of an update; friend Gerry kindly sold back to me the arm I sold him earlier this year(!) which helps with a starting point. It's an RB250. Ebay then provided a local seller of an OL counterweight so that's now installed as well.

Looking over the arm I contemplated a re-wire but perhaps not yet. I did check out the earthing arrangement though and have removed it from the left channel and installed a separate earth wire. The original arrangement I remember from both Thorens and Rega Planar days is not good and results in a little hummmm.

Deck is deeply untrendy so we won't go there just yet . Suffice to say Gerry also has one with a Formula4 fitted so we will compare the 2 setups soon.

Cart is a question. It needs to be good enough to show promise but not mega rexpensive as it will be grinding vinyl of unknown condition (except Ray's of course). Decent MM or cheap MC, is anyone familiar with DEnon DL160? This might also fit with Gerry's 103R for our comparison, if there is such a house sound, it's a range I don't know.

Rich

[bigbill]

I did a lot of listening to my Lenco 88, alternating RB300 with a Mayware arm...goodbye RB300. No contest !!! Mayware is now a permanent fixture. Cartridge is a Pickering MM.

[richardcooper2k]

i went from rb300 to OL modded r250 (stub and rewire). it was a while back but i do remember thinking i had a clearer, more lively sound. unfortunatly because both mods were done at once, what the relative effects of each were i don't know. i then part exed this for an OL silver II which i really felt made a huge improvement in all areas - tone, air, prat( pace, rythmn and timing), etc.

but then i was spurred into action by the news that vic was about to put the price up on his evolution arms and i had been wondering about them for some time....the result is after the evo arm, going back to the silver it still somehow seems mechanical and less organic somehow in its presentatio of music. now i wonder were i put the silver arm after i last took it off ?

[Richard]

Originally Posted by bigbill

I did a lot of listening to my Lenco 88, alternating RB300 with a Mayware arm...goodbye RB300. No contest !!! Mayware is now a permanent fixture. Cartridge is a Pickering MM.

Mmm, I've had both but on different decks and back BCD (before cd ). I will trust what I remember from back then though and have scrapped the Rega plan and bought a mint boxed Formula 4 MkIII. I suppose, if nothing else, I will at least be able to start from where I left off....

Rich

[david counter]

good choice Richard,
I can't believe how good mine is on my 401