Oracle silicone damping kit for 9cc arms

[frenchmon]

Jim...which 5.1...Pro-Ject are Music Hall?

[frenchmon]

Besides the headshell being aluminum on the 9c, the only other thing is the tonearm mass being 11g for the 9c and 8.5 for the 9cc. Do you guys think that makes a difference?

[Jim C]

I should have said Project 5.1.. the kit should work if our arm has the heavier arm rest not the wire one .

[moon unit]

Besides the headshell being aluminum on the 9c, the only other thing is the tonearm mass being 11g for the 9c and 8.5 for the 9cc. Do you guys think that makes a difference?

The effective mass for the 9c is 9.5g, only the all aluminum 9 is 11g. Pro-Ject erroneously listed it at 11g.

The big advantage with the 9cc over the 9c was that Pro-Ject had touted superior bearings in the 9cc. I suspect (but don't know for sure) that the 9c on your table may have been upgraded to the better bearings as well. I doubt you would be able to hear a difference between the two on your table, but of course if you fitted the damper it would blow away the 9c as well as the stock 9cc. The clamp that comes with the damper is too large to fit on the 9c.

[moon unit]

I'm running a 5.1 with the Ortofon Bronze ,Tizo Acrylic 38mm platter,Xperience sorbothane footers..

Hi Jim,

2M Bronze, Rondo Bronze, Cadenza Bronze???


Also, I had considered fitting the Xperience sorbothane footers to my RM-5.1 before I got an isolation base. Did you find that they made a difference? Are they any more rigid than the stock rubber footers which can be a bit too "squishy?"

[Jim C]

It is a 2M Bronze(will probably upgrade to the 2M Black in the vary near future ) ,as to the footers I would say they( sorbothane) reduce air born vibration somewhat they are not going to replace a good solid base or platform, to this I will say they look really nice under the RPM 5.1. Regards Jim

[JonP]

It will be interesting to get feedback from owners regarding counterweights once this kit is fitted. It seems that the kit adds sufficient weight forward of the pivot such that some users will have no choice but to use a heavier weight (one way or another).

[Jim C]

I think that putting on the heavier counter weight keeps the mass closer to the pivot point helps to stabilize the arm.

[moon unit]

I tried using the 95g counterweight and the sound quality suffered a bit. It was subtle, but I could hear a difference. I ended up blu-tacking a penny to the back of my 80g counterweight and that worked perfectly. I think the reason for this is that the Rondo carts like a little more effective mass than the 8.5g that the 9cc arm provides, and having the counterweight towards the back bumps up the mass and improves the sound. Having the counterweight towards the pivot will decrease the effective mass. We're not talking a big change in mass here, but it was enough to make a difference.

A 2M with its higher compliance (and lighter weight) may well respond positively to the lower effective mass.

I think all users should experiment with this and adjust to what sounds best to their ears.

[Kamtopus]

This upgrade sounds like a no brainer for my Pro-Ject 9.2. I'll be ordering it next week.

[moon unit]

This upgrade sounds like a no brainer for my Pro-Ject 9.2. I'll be ordering it next week.

I would call Jacques at Oracle directly to confirm that it will work with the Evo arm. I previously assumed that it would work without a problem but taking a good look at the bearing housing the Evo arms use (I've seen and heard them in the past but can't remember exactly how far the housing juts out), it just might interfere with the proper placement of the trough. My guess is that it will still work but I can't be 100% sure of that. The clamp should fit properly without problem.

There is the possibility that the reason they went with the 9cc vs. the 9cc Evo on the Paris table is for this very reason.

[waynefi]

Hey Moon Unit, I see you did get one of those kits from Oracle. Still have it ? I had been in and out of a few tables since I told you about this kit. You may be one of the few who ever got one !

[moon unit]

Hi Wayne,

Yes, I still have it. If anything, my enthusiasm for it has grown in the 1+ year since I started using it. As an example, I adjusted the VTA, re-checked cartridge alignment and VTF last week and sometimes back out of the silicone when making adjustments. When I played a record I knew something was wrong right away and it took me a few minutes to realize that I had forgotten to dial the "paddle" back into the silicone.

I'm a little puzzled that after the thousands of views to this thread that more people are not using it. Possibly my review was not positive enough? I did try to be conservative and avoided using (often idiotic) "audiophile" catchphrases.

I have to admit though, I haven't talked to Jacques in over a year so I'm not even 100% sure that they are still selling it. If not, lucky for me that I got one and I have to thank you for informing me about it in the first place. I would have been shopping for a much more expensive table (and planned on it) without fitting the damper and you saved me at least a few thousand dollars!

[waynefi]

Glad you like it. I do not see it advertised on his site, so who knows ? I have bought and sold my Music Hall 9.1, 2 VPI Classic 1's and now have a Traveler. I actually have a new 9CC arm here still.