Why A Bronze Record Weight?
The Record Weight from PTA, now offered in solid bronze. Bronze is a copper-alloy, and has been used for war (swords and shields) and worship (church bells and horns) for over 5,000 years due to its particular and peculiar properties.
Today, bronze is rare. Far more popular is simple copper or common brass, both of which are cheap, easy to work, and easy to source. Bronze is fickle. Hard to make. Hard to work. Due to the high copper content, bronze will age, changing color, patina in unexpected and unique ways. Each piece becomes its own unique thing. And when in the hands of master craftsmen, bronze can become heirloom objects of novelty, art, and quality. That’s why you’ll find bronze in the most unusual, most rare, and most exclusive watch brands today, like Tudor, Christopher Ward, Zelos, Glashutte, and Shinola.
In the world of hi-fi, you’ll find that bronze is used only by the very best and most elite brands. You’ll find bronze as a key differentiator in the flagship offerings from artisan loudspeaker companies Living Voice UK and DeVore Fidelity.
In the hand, The Record Weight is massive. It weighs 800 grams, and is machined from a solid bar of industrial bronze. The sides are gently convex to make it easy to lift, hold, and place. The bottom carries our logo, and the logo of our partner in this venture, Fern/Roby. A tiny hole has been carved out to counter-balance the opposite side — the PTA Roundel, our logo since founding back in 2009 — to create a perfectly balanced presence. That logo sits on a raised disc — and yes, that is exactly the size of a 45rpm adapter! Just flip The Record Weight into the larger 45 hole, and you’re off.
The weight is massive for a reason. As you know, wow and flutter in turntables can lead to odd and unpleasant sonic artifacts — as can record warp. A good weight can help counteract both by keeping your vinyl flat, your turntable mass-loaded, and playback smooth. It is not a clamp — no fiddling with or possible damage to your spindle, here. Just place and go.
The size is also on-purpose. Some turntables can feature large head-shells (think those fantastic SPU-style styli from Ortofon!), and a large weight runs the risk of contact. The Record Weight from PTA is smaller than the record label for this reason — the only contact here is with the vinyl!
We did extensive testing at AXPONA 2023 in Chicago, putting our weight up against the very best offerings in the market today, some many times more expensive than The Record Weight. In every test, in every listening group, with every record, and in every system, The Record Weight was at least as good as most elite offerings you could buy — and in most cases, substantially better.
But don’t take our word for it. Try it yourself. The size and feel of this thing are impossible to appreciate until it is in the hand and on the turntable. We bet that you’ll have the same reaction that those AXPONA testers had — “Wow, this thing is incredible.” “It feels amazing.” “Never heard better.” “You could put a hole in a tank with this thing.”
The Record Weight is a special, limited edition. When they’re gone, they’re gone.