Rega arm counterweight upgrade

[Roadster25]

Gentlemen,

Does anybody have any experience of the Origin Live structural upgrade / Tecnoweight / something similar?

I have a stock RB250 on a Systemdek II which sounds a little bit thin and drab to me, so I'm trying to come up with a way of injecting a little more life and body to the sound for a relatively modest sum. If you read all the online reviews then of course these upgrades are all wonderful, but to be honest I take those with a pinch of salt.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

[Le TVR]

The only one where I can honestly say there was a difference was replacing the counterweight stub with the OL metal type.

[SteveO...]

I've used a Michell Technoweight on an RB251, in the past. It's a bit fiddly to adjust, but I preferred it to the stock item (subjectively).

[selym]

I've had the Michell Tecnoweight and Groovetracer counterweight (a bit of a strange looker), and I preferred the Groovetracer. It's still used on my Planar 3 now.

[Roadster25]

Thanks for your thoughts.

It would seem that you're agreed that they do make a difference and that the end stub upgrade is essential (makes sense as I believe the better Rega arms have this).

The ISOKinetik upgrades have caught my eye - mostly on price grounds, but also because the arm is already fitted with their VTA adjuster.

[Watermead]

Bit of a resurrection I know.........currently looking into Origin Live full rewire and modification upgrade as my original RB300 arm from my Planar 3 (1983 model!) has been suffering a bit lately. I've just had to re-solder one of the RCA plugs, but with the age that it is I'm guessing more potential failures are not too far away. To get the rewire and upgrade done is around GBP300, or I could go for a new RB330 arm for an additional GBP160 which would require some additional changes to the base as it uses the 3 screw mount design rather than the single stem mount as per my current set up. Not interested in changing the whole turntable as I recently changed the motor as well.....and it has served me well so far.

Anyone else had any experience of this situation or recommendations?

[Watermead]

Just an update in case anyone searches in the future........so I had the rewire and counterweight modification carried out by Origin Live. First off, their service is great - comms and advice through the whole process were spot on. They carried out the requested work and posted it back in about 48 hours of receiving it. They provided full instructions for refitting and setting up. I did change the cartridge as well while the arm was off and have gone to an AudioTechnica VM95SH which has helped also I guess.
I hadn't realised how poor the sound from my turntable had gotten - it had gone really "thin". I think I really noticed something was off when I was listening Black Sabbath Paranoid and it just sounded so weak. The work carried out has made huge difference to the soundstage and separation. I've been listening to a fair bit of Supertramp lately and the sound is really open now and shows off the multi-layering of the instruments. Quieter albums such as Nick Cave Idiot Prayer which is just him and a piano at Ally Pally sound like you are in the room with him.
Overall, I can highly recommend them if you need some work doing on your turntable arm. I believe their own turntables and arms are pretty highly rated also.