Rega arm setup preferences

Posted by: Tim Williams on 18 June 2002

For those (few?) of you who use a Rega RB250 or 300, how do you prefer to set up the tracking force?

Do you, 1) Set the tracking force dial to zero, adjust the counterweight so that the arm floats freely, and then 'dial in' the tracking force making small adjustments with the dial and checking with an accurate balance (as per Rega instructions),

Or, 2) Set the dial to its highest position (thereby effectively 'bypassing' it) and make the necessary tracking force adjustment solely by positioning the counterweight on the arm tube and checking with an accurate balance,

Or, 3) Use some other method, possibly involving snake-oil, candles and secret handshakes? wink

The perceived wisdom of the group would be very much appreciated
Posted on: 18 June 2002 by Tony L
I have tried both methods with my RB900, and have settled on using the arm as it was intended, though I do have an Expressimo Heavy Weight (which is very good).

I found very little to call between the two methods other than convenience. I just like being able to fine adjust tracking weight easily and quickly, small amounts make quite a noticeable difference to the sound, and attempting to remember the before and after sound accurately when dealing with stylus scales etc is hard work. Playing a track and then turning the dial slightly and deciding which is best is well within the grasp of my audio memory!

Tony.
Posted on: 19 June 2002 by Tim Williams
Thanks Tony. That's a fair point. I know that Origin Live are advocates of the second approach, but I've never fully understood why!

Does anyone else have anything to add, or is all just too dull for words?!!
Posted on: 19 June 2002 by Ed R
No, honestly it is an interesting subject!

When I had an RB300, I tried the dial set to "3" and set the tracking using a gauge and could definitely hear a difference. My joy was short lived when talking to one of the guys at Infidelity, who told me that the way to disable the tracking spring was to set it just off one of the extremes (I can't remember whether it was near 0 or 3). Sure enough heard a difference again but by this time I thought it was my ears playing silly buggers and went back to that which Roy Gandy intended.

Now that I've got the OL modded RB250, I hanker for something as user friendly as a dial to adjust.

Regards,
Ed.
Posted on: 19 June 2002 by Ron The Mon
According to Roy Gandy the reason for disagreement in method is that stylus force gauges aren't totally accurate. In other words in my instance, the Rega tonearm dial reads 1.7 grams when my Goldring measuring device reads 1.8 grams. The correct VTF always sounds better than the method or gauge used.

The best results are obtained this way; first do as Tony suggested and balance the arm statically at zero, then while listening find the tracking force (and bias)which gives the best sound to your ear. This is now the time to use your external tracking force gauge to find this value. Then put the counterweight as close to the pivot point as possible and set the dial to "3", then back-off the dial until you've reached the desired force. Your dial may read "0" or "3" or somewhere in between but what provides the best sound is the counterweight as close as possible to the pivot point. For this reason it is important to use the Rega protractor as it aligns the cartridge body farther back in the arm than any other device allowing the counterweight proper positioning.
Depending on cartridge model, a different size balance weight may be necessary to maximize your cartridge's potential.

Ron The Mon,
Arch Kan defender and wall driller.