Expressimo widget for Rega RBx00 arms

To try on one of these:

Mainly because it looks so much neater than one of these:

Although initially skeptical of the somewhat over-the-top claims by the manufacturer, I'm convinced that the Expressimo "Heavy Weight" counterweight is a good thing -- in the context of my system and given my priorites.

The first thing I noticed was that needle noise virtually vanished. The stylus was in the groove and the platter was turning but I couldn't hear any surface noise. Yeah, the volume knob wasn't pegged but whatever surface noise I usually have with stock Rega weight was that much lower with the HW.

My cartridge (an XX-1L) also tracks substantially better with the HW, even though tracking is one of its strong suits. On heavily modulated stuff -- whether insane bass on drum 'n' bass 45-RPM LPs or orchestral finales -- the stylus tracked the groove just that much better, leading to a smoother and more refined presentation. Normally, "smoother and more refined" is code for "boring" but in this case it was more like the way an Ekos is more refined than an Ittok.

The HW also does stuff to the soundstage and image but I really don't care about that. Suffice it to say that the presentation got "bigger".

None of this would matter, of course, if the HW killed the music. For me, in my system, it most definitely does not. The separate instrumental lines become easier to follow, the bass is tighter and more controlled, the mids and highs are cleaner, dynamics have more kick, and the music is more coherent.

At first I mistook the smoother presentation of the HW as being less fun. But after living with the HW for a couple of weeks it's clear that the "excitement" of the stock weight (probably caused by slight mistracking with the stock weight) is falsely adding to the mix. It's a lot like the way that with a quick A/B an Asaka can sound more impressive than a Troika. But listen over time and it becomes patently obvious that the Troika is the better, more accurate cartridge.

Maybe you'll love the HW, maybe you won't but it's an easily reversible tweak (just take it off and put the stock weight back on) and the manufacturer does have a money-back policy if you're not happy. So, if you don't like it you're out only the cost of shipping to and fro.

Definitely worth a try on an RBx00.

Joe

P.S. The HW has a set screw to keep it from sliding off the arm. I experimented with different levels of torque, from just tight enough to keep the HW from falling off, to finger tight plus a tiny nip, to finger tight plus a bit more of a nip. I definitely prefer it firmly attached to the arm but I would caution obsessive tweakers to not overtighten the screw. It could damage the arm, bearings or both.