Saturday, December 1, 2012

Record Clamps

                                                           Mpingo crazy weights
                                                                           The Pig (!)
                                                               Monitor Audio Pod
                                         ADC Pro Grip (later Monster bought the rights to this).
                                                          The famous Sota Superclamp




A typical record weight

I could have addressed these in my last post, but then I would have one less thing to banter on about. These basically are divided into two schools, clamps and weights. A floating subchassis table is typically better suited to a clamp, as the excess weight of a weight  might require you to re-adjust the suspension.I have had most of these over the years (shy of the crazy Mpingos) and currently use the Pro Grip (branded Monster) and the Sota.(arguably the best). They work well with or without vacuum, and almost every audiophile table sold today includes or at least offers a clamp of sorts. I also still have a Pig, believe it or not, not really sure how it got its name. Those crazy English! Depending upon the mat or whatever else is under the record these can provide a synergy to the sound, more stability and fewer audible flaws.Some companies like Oracle and VPI have made the clamps an integral part of their tables, they screw down on a threaded spindle, as opposed to the reflex action of many of the others. While not as universal, they can be equally as effective.

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