Rega Tonearm Upgrade Modifications by Origin Live

What are the differences between the “badged” RB250, RB251 and RB300, RB301 arms (such as Moth, Michell etc. RB250 or RB300 arms) and the versions that Rega supplies?

There is no difference between an rb250 and rb300 arm supplied by Rega and their “badged” OEM equivalents supplied by Rega to other manufacturers such as NAD, Moth, Michell, Audio Note, Basis etc. Rega simply supply their standard arms to other manufacturers who then have their own badges placed on the arm. In all other respects the arms are identical. There is the occasional exception to this rule, in that some manufacturers prefer the Rega bearings not to be glued in as this enables removal and repair in the case of the vertical base bearings. Variations of this nature make little or no difference to the performance of the Rega tonearms.

Warranty

A badged tonearm manufactured by Rega, has no Rega warranty as Rega specify that the arm is now the duty of the OEM brand to support. In other words the warranty on any badged Rega arm is up to the supplier of the arm.

What are the physical differences between the rega rb250, rb300, rb600 and rb900?

Rega Rear end stub:

The most significant difference between the arms is that the RB300, RB600 & RB900 have a stainless steel stub at the rear end where the rega counterweight is mounted. The rear rega stub on the RB250 is plastic. This difference alone explains the RB250’s inferiority to the RB300 RB600 and RB900. Once modified this difference is removed and the modded RB250 is superior to the RB300, RB600 and RB900.

Rega Counterweight:

The counterweight on the Rega RB300 RB600 and RB900 is either tungsten or stainless steel. The rega counterweight on the Rega RB250 and RB251 is black in colour and made from steel..

Rega Tonearm Bearings:

The rega tonearm bearings in the RB300 and upper arms have a higher grade ABEC specification. The bearings are also graded for tighter dimensional tolerance as the arms increase in price.

Tracking force adjustment:

The Rega RB300 RB600 and RB900 have a spring dial system to set tracking force. On the Rega RB250 and RB251 tracking force is adjusted by rotating the counterweight. Once modified you will need a stylus balance to set the tracking weight on the RB250.

The spring mechanism is removed by some audiophiles as it is found to introduce resonance and the arms sound better without it. We do not recommend this course of action as it devalues the resale value of your Rega tonearm and the Rega spring cannot be replaced once it is removed.

Rega tonearm base:

The mounting body of the Rega RB300 is made of stainless steel, whereas the mounting body of the rega RB250 is made of brass. The arm base on the rb900 is very different and is held by 3 bolts which has a better decoupling effect than the standard arm.

The latest generation of arms all use the 3 point mounting system on the base. The lower arms use plastic to form the base but upper arms use metal. The change from threaded bases was not popular in many quarters as it makes adjusting the vta laborious. The old Rega threaded bases can be fitted with threaded vta adjusters which gives them infinite adjustment.

It is difficult to say what prompted Rega to change from the threaded base to the 3 point mounting. Some think it was a cost issue and moulded plastic is easier but it is also likely that there was a performance gain for some people. In our view the perceived performance increase was observed because most Rega tonearms with threaded bases are tightened hard onto the armboard. Tightness is surprisingly detrimental to performance and a totally misguided practice, based on intuition rather than proven comparison results.

For Rega arm and Origin Live OEM arms

The names of the various arms we modify and supplied in the past can sometimes cause confusion. In addition to this reviewers have sometimes used their own terms so we have produced this page is for clarification purposes.

The RB250 (& RB251 – 3 point mounting version) is a Rega arm offered by Rega dealers – the equivalent that we used to offer was the OL1 – an OEM tonearm manufactured by Rega – The OL1 is built to the same specification and standards as the RB250 but carries an Origin Live warranty not a Rega warranty – therefore all support should be referred to Origin Live or Origin Live dealers.
The RB300 (& RB301 – 3 point mounting version) is a Rega arm offered by Rega dealers.

The OL RB250 is a used Rega RB250 that an owner has requested to be modified by Origin Live.

The OL RB300 is a used Rega RB300 that has been modified by Origin Live.

OL1 is an Origin Live OEM tonearm manufactured by Rega for Origin Live – The OL1 is built to the same specification and standards as the RB250 & RB251 but carries an Origin Live warranty not a Rega warranty – therefore all support should be referred to Origin Live or Origin Live dealers.

The early Silver arms (up to MK3 version) is a tonearm supplied by Origin Live although it shares the base design of the RB250 or RB251.
The Exchange Silver is the same as the Silver tonearm but carries a substantial discount as the arm utilizes a used Rega RB250 base part that has been sent in as part exchange – this option is no longer available.

Badged OEM arms are supplied by Rega to a large number of different manufacturers such as Michell, Nad, Moth, Audionote, Basis, Thorens DNM etc – these arms carry the suppliers logo but are all recognisable as being manufactured by Rega since they look the same as Rega arms. OEM arms are called by many different names (usually prefixed by the suppliers name) but all can be modified by Origin Live.

For Origin Live & Rega arms – critical for optimising performance

Origin Live & Rega tonearms are sensitive to various adjustments – some of these secrets are not well know to owners or dealers. This page is designed to help you get the most out of your tonearm.

– Treat the arm with care as some parts can be broken. To this end ensure that all tightening of any bolts is carried out gently and without causing undue strain.

– When bolting the arm to a deck you only need tighten the large bolt to finger tightness or very slightly tighter (“nipped tight 1/16 turn”). It is best to experiment by listening to music. This may seem laborious but you will be richly repaid by improved performance. The mistake of over tightening this nut is often made, with the result that the music is deadened.

– Ensure that the TOP side of the tonearm is Parallel with a FLAT record, if not then use the threaded integral VTA adjuster on Origin Live arms or packing washers in the case of Regas. Tonerms are best tuned in by ear- if the tonal balance is bright and bass light them lower the base of the arm. If the balance is dull in the trable then raise the base of the arm.

– On the RB300 RB600 & RB900 set the tracking force dial adjustment to exactly 3 gram and leave it alone. It is best not to use the dial to set tracking weight. Instead set the arm tracking weight using a stylus balance and moving the counterweight. The reason for this is that the tracking dial uses a spring to dynamically load the arm – however this also feeds vibration into the arm and has been found to be disadvantageous to performance although it is more convenient from an adjustment point of view. Rega set the dial to be effectively disengaged at its 3 gram setting (this may sound strange but it’s logical if you think about it for long enough). The simple test to see if this is correct is to try it! If you find however that your counterweight is not heavy enough then set the dial at 2 grams and try again – Alternatively you can superglue on steel washers.

– Always use a cable clip to secure the arm cable and leave a slight droop on it so that it isn’t “tight”. This again is helpful to “earth” vibration in the cable.

– The tip of the stylus should be 240mm from the pivot. In approximate terms, the armboard mounting hole should be such that the cartridge stylus will “overhang” the record centre (spindle) by a distance of around 17-19mm for an arm that is of 229-250mm Effective Length (distance from stylus to armboard mounting hole centre). Roughly check this by swinging the stylus over the record spindle.

– It is recommended to place a special cork washer (supplied by Origin Live) under the arm base nut.

– Lastly the sliding control for tracking bias should be set to be approximately equal to the tracking weight value. You can then fine tune this by ear using the centre track of a record. There are various methods from listening by ear to watching whether the cartridge cantilver deflects to one side or the other (you want to see not the slightest deflection when the stylus touches down on a centre track. This technique is only possible on cartridges with softer suspensions and longer cantilevers.

Additional notes for Origin Live modified arms

– On the modified OL1 or RB250 you will need to use a stylus force gauge (balance) to set the arm tracking weight. If your gauge measures in mN then 1 gram = 10 mN.

– Always use a cable clip to secure the arm cable and leave a slight droop on it so that it isn’t “tight”. This again is helpful to “earth” vibration in the cable. (Please note that the occasional rewired arm makes a slight “rustling” noise through the speakers when it is lifted across the record. This should not be a cause for concern as it only caused by microphony of the internal silver litz cable – under normal playing conditions this is inaudible. For rewired arms the additional earth lead should be connected to the earth of your preamplifier or amplifier. This earth lead is best separated slightly from the main leads so do not wind it around them for best performance. Avoid pulling the external wires at the base of the arm as they are not indestructible and can become detached if excessive force is used to manipulate them.

– When tightening the counterweight, set it so that the Allen bolt is at the side of the arm (not at the top) and tighten firmly.

Low effective mass 11 grams
Effective length 240 mm
Overhang 17.2 mm
Offset angle 23 degrees
Mounting distance: platter centre to arm hole centre 221.7 mm
Diameter of mounting hole 23 – 25mm but 24mm is preferable as it allows threaded VTA adjuster to be fitted
Size of base mounting nut 32mm A/F (across flats)
Maximum armboard thickness 27mm
Total Weight 436 grams
Capacitance 0.002uF
Resistance 0.002 ohms

The tip of the stylus should be 240mm from the pivot. In approximate terms, the armboard mounting hole should be such that the cartridge stylus will “overhang” the record centre (spindle) by a distance of around 17mm for an arm that is of 240mm Effective Length (distance from stylus to armboard mounting hole centre). Roughly check this by swinging the stylus over the record spindle.

Using the standard Rega or Origin Live counterweight the arm will take cartridges up to 15 grams – which covers just about all cartridges.

Using the “heavy” counterweight supplied by Rega, the arm will take cartridges up to 20 grams but will have trouble balancing lighter cartridges.