Vinyl Asylum: REVIEW: Kerry F2 Titanium Counterweight for Rega Arms F2 Titanium Counterweight Tone Arms by tubesforever

Model:	F2 Titanium Counterweight
Category:	Tone Arms
Suggested Retail Price:	$125.00
Description:	Rega Tone Arm Modification
Manufacturer URL:	Not Available
Manufacturer URL:	Not Available

Review by tubesforever ( A ) on July 05, 2005 at 16:18:38
IP Address: 66.214.221.92

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for the F2 Titanium Counterweight

Rega Tone Arm Addicts UNITE!
I have listened to music both live and reproduced now for 43 years. I play violin, viola, piano and guitar, so I have some idea of how music actually sounds live versus recorded on any variety of media.
I have abandoned Vinyl for over 10 years while I was working on other projects that took up a considerable amount of my time and attention. But recently I found myself compelled to return to my vinyl roots. I must say that I have had a really good time rediscovering the good, the bad and the ugly side to vinyl recordings. I must say that I feel as if my life is renewed by the beauty of so many great vinyl recordings that are out there for us to explore.
I am particularly lucky in life because I have physics, chemistry, material applications, electronics and music as my background. I have played the great classical pieces and many of the rock and pop songs you hear on the radio today. I have sold and set up many high end music systems for over 5 years. With many pieces of awesome gear I hear you extolling or cursing. Such is the life of any audiophile.
So I guess you could describe me as a renaissance eclectic in musical taste.
Today I am reviewing a tiny piece of a big puzzle. Namely, when I jumped back into vinyl I made a conscious decision to use the Rega RB250 as a tweakerâ€™s platform to see just what I could ring out of a great and ubiquitous tone arm design.
For those of you who own a Rega, I am certain you know four things as fact. First, this arm does a wonderful job of midrange sound. Second, it is wooly and uncontrolled in the base. Third it is laid way back in the upper midrange. And fourth, it is colored throughout with a honey, syrupy type sound quality that detract from its otherwise world class quality midrange.
I purchased my RB250 knowing it would do some and not all what I required stock. When I got my arm I was alarmed by how bad the RB250 does real music. It is terrible. Really. It is aweful. So I looked at the giants out there like Michell and ClearAudio, and Origin Live and said, â€œwhat have they done to earn their reputation for improving the sound of this arm?â€
I started my modifications by testing the stock arm to make sure the bearings were performing up to standards. They are, with some room to spare.
Then I completely removed the stock wiring which was just the lowest quality puke I could imagine in a turntable. Really terrible sound is what you can expect from stock Rega wires. I replaced the wire with A-M Systems 99.99 pure solid core silver wire from cartridge lead to the preamp. I have solid core silver tipped RCAâ€™s from Home Grown Audio so it is pure silver from cartridge to preamp.
What can I say to you other than JUMP IN. If you don't want to DIY as I did, simply buy a quality rewire job from Van Den Hul, Cardas. or Clearaudio. A rewire is simply your best first investment in your Rega arm.
Next I removed all of the carbon paint from the arm. In my experience, paint just mucks up the sound of a tone arm. If you do not agree I will not argue with you. Just sand off the junk and then tell me your opinion! In my opinion the black carbon paint adds an unwelcomed dark coloration to the midrange and just ruins the upper midrange.
Then I added the Pete Riggle VTAF (vertical angle on the fly system) to my table. I was not expecting such a great increase in sound and smiles. With just a turn of an adjustment wheel while listening to the song, I can adjust the VTA and just nail it every time. It is easy to hear the sound just snap into place. Bass, midrange, vocals all improved in every area describable. This Pete Riggle VTAF is the real deal and should be considered strongly by anyone who truly loves vinyl.
So now it is time to explore a variety of counterweights.
The first victim is the stock RB250 counterweight consisting of a screw in plastic end stub and a steel counterweight. My immediate reaction regardless of the 100 or so cuts of music I used in this review is simply statedâ€¦the bass is big and bloated. The bass really is loud, very smeared, and sounds completely uncontrolled.
Contrast that with real live music where the bass is fast, tight, and with lots of detail. My favorite expression to my friends is that real bass growls at youâ€¦it does not go boom boom. The stock counterweight does not growl the least little bit, it simply goes boom boom.
My first aftermarket counterweight purchase was the Michell Technoweight. I purchased mine new for 125.00 USD plus shipping. This product is a gemstone. The machining and the beauty of the Michell counterweight is so impressive. The boom boom bass disappears with this counterweight. It is fast as lightening, with great articulation. However the speed and incisiveness are a bit too much of a good thing.
What I mean here is that the Technoweight does some pretty impressive things. Decent midbass--tight, clean and very incisive. The vocal range becomes very surrealistic. It is like someone put a spot light on the voice, but then also made it very thin and shallow in perspective.
In live music voice does not sound thin and shallow EVER. Human ears are meant to hear human voice. The vocal range is usually very well fleshed out and highly detailed not thin and shallow.
Moreover, in my system the Technoweight placed such an emphasis on the leading edges of attacks, and the thin and shallow detail of the sustains, that I felt something sounded broken.

I was very disappointed with the overall sound of the Technoweight in my system, even though it tamed the otherwise boom boom bass quality of the stock counterweight. Maybe the solid core silver wire and the Technoweight were working against one another? Maybe my Ortofon X3-MC cartridge was too dry and laid backâ€¦. Whateverâ€¦.
So I purchased a Kerry F2 Titanium counterweight. I saw the product listed in the AudioGon site and send out some emails for information. Mr. Kerry was very kind to answer all of my questions however mundane. The item was shipped to me well packed and arrived soon after placing my order.
When I first mounted this item, I had to detach the Michell Technoweight. This was difficult. The Michell is drop dead gorgeous looking. A real machining masterpiece.
Off came the Michell then on went the Rega stainless steel end stub necessary to mount the F2- Titanium counterweight. With the new end stub and F2 Titanium counterweight installed I was immediately taken by how my beautiful Michell was replaced by an ugly duckling!. Really this item is not anything at all to look at! It is peanut butter and Jelly compared to anything cooked by Emerill!
After carefully setting up the F2 Titanium counterweight, I dropped the needle and was rewarded by a sonic transformation. Closing my eyes I could see the ugly duckling change into a beautiful Goose.
This F2 Titanium counterweight is a little bit of voodoo magic. Mojo is working here in spades. This is one miraculous Rega tweak! The stock counterweight exhibited big and bloated bass. The Michell had bass that was tight and lean. Now I could hear something really fun. The F2 Titanium counterweight provided even deeper and extended bass. However it was quick, nimble, with all kinds of midbass detail that just sucked me into the low register. Most importantly for meâ€¦.the bass just GROWLS.
But as nice as the bass quality of this F2 Titanium Counterweight, what I did not expect was how natural it sounds to live music. I have lots of music recorded in studios, but I also have lots of live music events recorded on Mono and Stereo LP's.
Look, if you are a real musician and not a musician wanna be, you know that most every instrument in an orchestra, band, or rock group lives between 65 hz and 3,000 hz. This is where the meat and potatoes of real music lives and breathes. This is where the soul of the music comes alive and dances before you.
The F2 Titanium counterweight just lays out the entire sound spectrum from 50 hz to 5,000 hz better than the stock or the Michell counterweight. How much better? Well lets say a big bunch better, and I am still not exaggerating. As good as the Michell is to a stock counterweightâ€¦The F2 Titanium moves this forward by a mile or more.
Seriously. I could easily hear the timbral difference between the first and second violins. These instruments usually play melody and harmony. With the stock counterweight you cannot hear this intricacy. With the Michell it is hinted at but not exposed. With the F2 Titanium counterweight you can hear all the various harmonic threads in an orchestra in all their grand detail. All this detail comes without any sacrifice or cost to the musical expression of the recording. This sound is so natural in timbre that it takes my breath away. With the F2 Titanium counterweight all you hear is totally seductive sound!
Another reviewer said he found the F2 Titanium counterweight to have more overall weight and tonal richness. I fully second his opinion on this quality of the counterweight. Being a musician I would say that it allows you to hear what the musicians hear as they play the music. They hear a level of music communicated in real time that most recordings fail to capture. Well this counterweight lets you recapture that beautifully complex and intoxicating sense of real music in real space and time.
The upper midrange, and the highs are just as good in the Michell. You will hear great improvement in these areas over the stock counterweight.
I heard the most natural voices out of the F2 Titanium counterweight. It is hard to describe something that sounds brutally honest and real. There was no syrup, no honey, no warmth. Just voices like they sound from a stage. PERFECT!
I heard electric guitar that just groans like the real Mac Coy. Not a reproduced electric guitar but a natural electric guitar.
I heard room ambiance and real clues as to the length, width, and depth of the recording venue.
For those of us that highly value natural, realistic, soulful sound, you owe it to yourself to order one of these F2 Titanium Counterweights. What it does for the sound of real music is just unbelievable. What it does for your system I hope you will share with me in the near future.
In my system, with world class speakers, decent amps and preamps, a quiet and articulate table and a desire for musical truthâ€¦.I lucked out.
One last tribute to this great design! One thing I love about my Pete Riggle VTAF is that the device lets me hear huge differences between almost great VTA and perfect VTA. The sound snaps into clear focus. Everything just sounds right.
Well with the Kerry Audio F2 Titanium counterweight, I could clearly hear huge differences in sound quality from .05 gram weight changes in VTF. Meaning if I was at 1.8 grams, I could hear huge changes in sound from changing between 1.75, 1.8 and 1.85 grams. HUGE changes. Not subtle changes. So if you have a thick sounding recording I used to just angle up the VTA and the sound would thin. Still I knew the VTA adjustment was a big bandaid.
Now I do not have to bandaid my sound. I just nail the VTA and then slight changes in the VTF give me just what I am hoping to hear. I can pick the thickness or thinness of the sound of a voice, a hall, or a poor vinyl recording.
This is just way too cool!!!
What causes the magic in this counterweight. I am not certain. I have my opinions and here they are. First, for the stylus to dig out this detail requires that the counterweight do an exemplary job of keeping the stylus in better contact. This is what I think. This counterweight just does a better job of planting that ol diamond where it really matters most.
Second, I think the material of the counterweight and end stub work together to properly integrate the cartridge, arm, and counterweight to make for the most natural sonic characteristic I have so far heard on my Rega arm. On a violin, the top is spruce wood and the sides neck and back are generally Maple. An all spruce violin would sound pretty aweful.
For those of you who play guitar like I do, you know that mahagony, cedar, and spruce all sound very different. Each makes a great guitar but the sound is warmer or more detailed.
With the F2 Titanium counterweight I think that the materials in the arm, stub, and counterweight all work together to make a more synergistic sound than the stock or Michell piece. I love the Michell piece and it may be your ticket to the best overall sound but in my system the F2 Titanium wiped them both.
So please give this F2 Titanium counterweight a try if you own a Rega Arm. I just love how it works with the cast aluminum to get just the right harmonic mix to make my music more alive and vital. This is no small feat.

I am so impressed with the F2 Titanium counterweight I am not sure I can fully describe how great it truly sounds. Try it yourself. You will not be disappointed. I am enjoying every minute of vinyl playback now. This counterweight was the third best thing I did to the Rega arm. 1. Wire; 2. Pete Riggle VTAF; 3. Kerry F2 Counterweight.
If you own a stock Rega arm you really need to follow this map for improving your sound. You really do need to do all three of these upgrades. And then tell me if my ears are wrong!
What customer might not like the F2 Titanium counterweight? Well if you like only the most laid back sound quality, like sitting in the very back seats of a theater or concert hall then you should stay with a stock counterweight and keep your volume WAY WAY down.
If you like steely and detailed sound, the Michell Counterweight might be a great match.
Or if you need to ameliorate some sonic catastrophy in your system the stock counterweight or Michell Technoweight might help you get your sound back in line.
I promise you two things in life. Music is soul, and vinyl is king. If you want the most soul and want to feel like a king, then the F2 Titanium Counterweight may not be the beautiful Goose, but it will sound like PURE GOLD!
Here is to tweaking in the 21st Century.

Product Weakness: Not a beautiful creation like the Michell Technoweight. Not as easy to balance or adjust as the Michell is.
Product Strengths: Lets you hear music as if real and alive with detail, soul, and emotion. Just awesome in every frequency range.

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Precision Fidelity M7A strapped in mono
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Precision Fidelity C7A modified
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Kenwood KD 550 modified
Speakers:	Sonus Faber Cremona Auditor DIY
Cables/Interconnects:	A-M Systems solid core silver DIY
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Everything from Midevil to Eminem
Room Size (LxWxH):	25' x 13' x Vaulted
Room Comments/Treatments:	None needed, very neutral
Time Period/Length of Audition:	3-12 weeks depending on the counterweight
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	Panamax, Monster, Isobar
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner
Your System (if other than home audition):	Cartridges were Ortofon OM-20 and X3-MC.

Product Weakness:	Not a beautiful creation like the Michell Technoweight. Not as easy to balance or adjust as the Michell is.
Product Strengths:	Lets you hear music as if real and alive with detail, soul, and emotion. Just awesome in every frequency range.