Vinyl records can be tricksy. You might have the best record player that money can buy, equipped with a stylus that would make the angels cry, connected to audio equipment that would make the wealthiest audiophile wince, and that warped copy of 1997’s Spiceworld you bought from a second-hand record shop will still sound off.
That’s where a record weight comes into play. It helps flatten records so that you can be rid of all the sound strangeness that comes from lightly warped records. I’ve got one here — it’s the Pro-ject Record Puck S, and it’s a $40 must-have for any vinyl record fan.
The warped vinyl conundrum
Vinyl doesn’t like heat very much. It also doesn’t really like getting warm or damp. To be honest, its not really a big fan of being used. Mix all of those things together, and you get the inevitable warping that plagues most records that you might buy at the cool second-hand record shop with the nonchalant salesperson at the desk.
What is warping? To put it simply, it’s when a record gets all “wobbly.” There are varying degrees of warping, from light to heavy, affecting the sound depending on how warped the record is.
It manifests during listening in the timing, speed of playback, and literally ‘warping’ the sound of your music. It’s immediately noticeable and extremely annoying. I have countless warped records — and it completely puts you off putting them on your player.
That’s where the Record Puck E comes in. Thanks to some extra weight, it flattens warped records slightly so that they don’t sound as ‘off’ anymore. It doesn’t completely eliminate the issue — there’s only so much a 190-gram lump of metal can do — but it makes a big difference to records with slight to medium warping.
I’ve found that it doesn’t work for heavy warping. Those records are basically done for, resigned to forever live on the collection shelf.
More than a metal hockey puck
There’s not really much to the Record Puck E itself. It is a very well-made thing, a milled block of aluminum with a felt covering on the bottom so that it doesn’t ruin the surface of your records. It looks nice in use as well — or as nice as a spinning hockey puck can look.
You’ll want to use it for more than its good looks and unwarping ability. For records that aren’t warped, it makes sure that they stay in place throughout playback, avoiding unnecessary skipping and movement during playback. It can also reduce resonance from around the room, so you’ll hear less of those irritating noises when something thumps.
It’s one of those “must-haves” for any record collector. It doesn’t cost the world, and makes a meaningful difference to the way that your records sound. When so many turntable accessories can seem like irritating snake oil, this one most definitely is not.
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