A few years ago I was over at Jeffery Catalano’s home <AKA Highwater Sound> in NYC to see what kind of new toys he was playing with. With his help, I had purchased what has been my “endgame” turntable/phono pre setup earlier that year (see my system description in my profile/signature). While I was there, I asked him his thoughts about record weights and stabilizers. I’d experimented with a variety of clamps and weights in the past with previous systems and had found that a lot of such additions were a bit of the Emperor’s New Clothes but since it was now the 21st century, I thought that there might be more than a few improvements to the technology. That’s when he said something that has stuck with me since; “Whatever you do to your turntable, tunes it”. It was an observation that I’ve heeded since, extending that concept into the cabling as well as the addition of isolation for both the turntable as well as the phono pre and its power supply.
That said, he mentioned that Trevor of Massif Audio in Waterloo, Ontario had been developing his own take on record weights. Something that Jeffery also feels strongly about is value. Tempering your purchases with the relative gain of results. I mention that because he felt that, for what you paid for Trevor’s weights, you got a great return for it’s addition to the system. Being the kind of guy he is, Jeffrey offered me a Mpingo weight that Trevor had sent him, one of Trevor’s early designs. He suggested I give it a try before I went too far into that rabbit hole (my words not Jeffery’s).
I had already purchased two racks and an amp stand from Trevor and was familiar with his workmanship so I took the weight with me and was impressed right off the bat with the results. I wasn’t expecting a dramatic improvement since I’d felt pretty secure that I was in a good place with my current set up. I was more than pleasantly surprised when I realized the weight not only worked to bring the highs and mids together with a dramatic improvement in transitions but it added a new depth in sound stage to both the stereo and mono cartridges reproduction.
Fortunately, Jeffery was willing to part with the weight (Thanks Jeffery!) and then I reached out to Trevor and let him know that the Mpingo weight was a remarkable design and this began a long term discussion between us about his evolving improvements over the last few years as he continued his deep dive into exploring woods with greater density as well as resonance. One of those efforts was his working with Lignum Vitae. He sent me one of those early models and the things that the Mpingo did sonically became even more refined. I know that there’s a point where improvements, such as they are, become more and more incremental so when I discovered the Lignum Vitae, I was content that I had an addition to my that was “end game” for me.
Recently, Trevor told me that he had been experimenting with adding different materials, internally, to his weight designs and sent me one to try out. It was clear, after listening to a few selections, both stereo and mono, that Trevor had, once again, moved the goal posts.
The weight he sent me is a beauty, composed of Pale Moon Ebony with a slice of Mpingo. It was clear from the moment I took it out of the black Pelican-style storage case he ships in and I held it in my hand, it was a different animal (see attached pictures). The two other weights of his I have were both about 320 grams, give or take. The ebony/Mpingo model he sent me weighted in at a robust 468.5 grams and yet was a bit shorter and narrower.
When I asked, Trevor was willing to give me a few details but, understandably, was protective of his exact recipe. Without giving anything away, the design incorporates the needed mass while maintaining the resonance of the various woods used to further tune the response. All of the things that made his previous offerings unique to my listening were all enhanced without losing their clarity.
As big a fan of his racks as I am, the design evolution with his weights has really been getting a lot of well deserved attention. After listening to this latest offering, I’m betting that his orders for record weights is going to start cutting into his rack time. It was and still is a game changer
That said, he mentioned that Trevor of Massif Audio in Waterloo, Ontario had been developing his own take on record weights. Something that Jeffery also feels strongly about is value. Tempering your purchases with the relative gain of results. I mention that because he felt that, for what you paid for Trevor’s weights, you got a great return for it’s addition to the system. Being the kind of guy he is, Jeffrey offered me a Mpingo weight that Trevor had sent him, one of Trevor’s early designs. He suggested I give it a try before I went too far into that rabbit hole (my words not Jeffery’s).
I had already purchased two racks and an amp stand from Trevor and was familiar with his workmanship so I took the weight with me and was impressed right off the bat with the results. I wasn’t expecting a dramatic improvement since I’d felt pretty secure that I was in a good place with my current set up. I was more than pleasantly surprised when I realized the weight not only worked to bring the highs and mids together with a dramatic improvement in transitions but it added a new depth in sound stage to both the stereo and mono cartridges reproduction.
Fortunately, Jeffery was willing to part with the weight (Thanks Jeffery!) and then I reached out to Trevor and let him know that the Mpingo weight was a remarkable design and this began a long term discussion between us about his evolving improvements over the last few years as he continued his deep dive into exploring woods with greater density as well as resonance. One of those efforts was his working with Lignum Vitae. He sent me one of those early models and the things that the Mpingo did sonically became even more refined. I know that there’s a point where improvements, such as they are, become more and more incremental so when I discovered the Lignum Vitae, I was content that I had an addition to my that was “end game” for me.
Recently, Trevor told me that he had been experimenting with adding different materials, internally, to his weight designs and sent me one to try out. It was clear, after listening to a few selections, both stereo and mono, that Trevor had, once again, moved the goal posts.
The weight he sent me is a beauty, composed of Pale Moon Ebony with a slice of Mpingo. It was clear from the moment I took it out of the black Pelican-style storage case he ships in and I held it in my hand, it was a different animal (see attached pictures). The two other weights of his I have were both about 320 grams, give or take. The ebony/Mpingo model he sent me weighted in at a robust 468.5 grams and yet was a bit shorter and narrower.
When I asked, Trevor was willing to give me a few details but, understandably, was protective of his exact recipe. Without giving anything away, the design incorporates the needed mass while maintaining the resonance of the various woods used to further tune the response. All of the things that made his previous offerings unique to my listening were all enhanced without losing their clarity.
As big a fan of his racks as I am, the design evolution with his weights has really been getting a lot of well deserved attention. After listening to this latest offering, I’m betting that his orders for record weights is going to start cutting into his rack time. It was and still is a game changer
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