Anroj

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $402.00 from eBay

Summary:
I recently purchased a Roksan Xerxes (original) and purchased the RB 300 to mate with that and a Shelter 501 MKII. I love the rich, deep soundstage and can hear details that I didn't realize existed in albums I had heard many times. I think this can be attributed to the quieter motor of the Roksan and the quality RB300. I was previously using a Music Hall MMF-7 with the Shelter with good results, but when I switched to the Xerxes/Rega/Shelter combination, I was really surprised by the lack of background noise and of how the whole soundstage opened up.

Very impressive.

Strengths:
Easy to install and mount cartridges.

Weaknesses:
None noted.

Similar Products Used:
Project arms

KitR

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $205.00 from ebay

Summary:
Since I bought my Systemdek new in '85 after selling my Linn/Syrinx/Koetsu rig, I always hankered after fitting it with a RB300 or at a pinch, the 250. Eventually I discovered that's what the 'dek had to begin with! Found this on ebay and investigation leads me to believe it had a Cardas re-wire. Also it came with damping strips which I left on. Thinking about the VTA problem I put my engineering training on the problem and came up with a very simple solution. I bought a Michell finger adjuster. I put the Rega nut above the Armboard and the finger adjuster beneath, leaving it loosish. I then adjusted the arm height/VTA with the nut on the screwed shaft, got first my Grado Gold and then the Rega Elys at the right height and at the preferred VTA position and then tightened the finger nut. According to both Rega and Mark Kelly of OL, the Rega Arm prefers not to be tightly secured. Seems so! The Gold did not seem to perform well in the Rega, but the Elys with it's 3-hole mount - does THAT make alignment easy - a few seconds only! It sounded superb. Really well balanced throughout the spectrum and the bass in particular was much better than I expected: surprisingly deep. Stereo imaging is excellent; nicely 3D(but I am using tubes in the signal path). dynamics and attack were excellent as appeared to be transients: the Arm being more dynamic than I expected. I'd been very happy for a year and then the Elys needed replacing. I got a Dynavector 10X5. I expected a lot, considering the reviews, but didn't really get it and I'm not sure why. It is only a slight improvement on the old Elys 1 except for stereo imaging and transient response which granted is definitely better. But I hanker for the Elys2 to be frank. This arm not only lives up to the reviews but betters it: whether that's the re-wire/damping I couldn't say. But I have no urge to change this excellent arm. It has a robust quality only equalled by the Ittok I once owned. I particularly like it's arm holder: VERY secure. This arm won't fly all over the place if you're slightly clumsy. Get one if you can afford it, you won't be disapointed unless you've had one of the super-arms and even then it's only a matter of the last 1/10 missing.

Strengths:
Rock solid, detailed,dynamic. 3-hole mounting for Rega cartridges. No sonic weaknesses - with the upgraded wiring and damping strips at least. Best Arm for any money IMO.

Weaknesses:
Seems slightly fussy cartridge wise. Bias setting is a bit imprecise. Need to experiment for Arm height/VTA.

Similar Products Used:
Linn ITTOK LVII SYRINX PU3 Profile ARM

ausdave

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Price Paid:  $500.00 from jim tate stereo good

Summary:
my rb300 i just purchased is the most well put together product i have owned. the 2nd best was my rb250. i have my arm mounted on a thorens td160mkll and brings out the best from most lp's and is built like a sherman tank that will accomidate any cartridge.

Strengths:
build quality. brilliant tracking. easy set-up.

Weaknesses:
needs spacers or shims for vta.

Similar Products Used:
rb250

unclescotty

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.67 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I purchased the RB300 as a package with a VPI HW19-III table back in 1993; have used it ever since -- although the system has been supplanted by an Aries/JMW combination since 1999 -- the HW19/Rega is now in a second system downstairs. But the arm has, both functionally and sonically, been a real pleasure for the last dozen years it's been in service. I've used a number of cartridges with it; except for one exceptionally low-compliance unit (a Kiseki Blue), every cartridge has matched well with the RB300. Presently an Audio Technica AT-OC9 is residing in its headshell; like the others before it, it sounds quite good in this arm. I can't see another sub-$500 arm bettering the performance of this one. And -- this is VERY important -- the arm is easy to set up, balance, and adjust (except for that old Rega "bugaboo", the actual arm height; if you use a cartridge with a particularly tall vertical profile, you may have to remove the arm and add shims or washers to set up accurate VTA. But the arm is quite well damped (cast aluminum will do that for you!), so resonance originating at the cartridge -- or transmitted through the arm mounting -- will be effectively "sunk" within the armtube structure -- kudos to Roy Gandy for expediting the obvious and not resorting to dubious damping methods to accomplish this goal. All in all, a fine and classic piece of engineering.

Strengths:
Compatibility with most cartridges; does not seem to add any sonic character of its own; setup is quite easy, with tracking force and antiskating adjustment as simple and straightforward as can be. Construction quality is outstanding; seems to be little if any "play" in the bearings.

Weaknesses:
While not "additive" in nature, the RB300 seems to lack the ability to wring micro-details from cartridges, resulting in a perceived lack of "air", particularly in the high frequencies, which sound, overall, very slightly recessed in comparison with more costly arms -- particularly ones featuring an unipivot bearing system. Also, the lack of VTA adjustment, while compensatable with some effort, can be annoying during the setup process.

Similar Products Used:
VPI JMW-10 (unipivot arm on Aires TT) Sumiko MMT Grace G-840, G-940, G-707 Audio-Technica AT-1009 SAEC 308