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  3. 161137-245

TONEARM DAMPING : DAMPED OR NOT ? ? USELESS ? ? WELCOMED ? ?

Dear friends: This tonearm critical subject sometimes can be controversial for say the least. Some audiophiles swear for non damped tonearms as the FR designs or SAEC or even the SME 3012 that is not very well damped in stock original status.

Some other audiophiles likes good damped tonearms.


In other thread a gentleman posted:


"  If a cartridge is properly matched to the tonearm damping is not required. " and even explained all what we know about the ideal resonance frequency range between tonearm and cartridge ( 8hz to 12hz. ). He refered to this when said: " properly matched to the tonearm ".


In that same thread that a Triplanar tonearm owner posted:


" This is the one thing about the Triplanar that I don't like. I never use the damping trough...... I imagine someone might have a use for it; I removed the troughs on my Triplanars; its nice to imagine that it sounds better for doing so. "


At the other side here it's a very well damped tonearm:


https://audiotraveler.wordpress.com/tag/townshend/


Now, after the LP is in the spining TT platter ( everything the same, including well matched cartridge/tonearm.  ) the must critical issue is what happens once the cartridge stylus tip hits/track the LP grooves modulations.

The ideal is that those groove modulations can pass to the cartridge motor with out any additional kind of developed resonances/vibrations and that the transducer makes its job mantaining the delicated and sensible signal integrity that comes in those recorded groove modulations.

 That is the ideal and could be utopic because all over the process/trip of the cartridge signal between the stylus tip ride and the output at the tonearm cable the signal suffers degradation (  resonances/vibrations/feedback ) mainly developed through all that " long trip " .


So, DAMPING IS NEED IT AT THE TONEARM/HEADSHELL SIDE OR NOT?


I'm trying to find out the " true " about and not looking if what we like it or not like it is rigth or not but what should be about and why of that " should be ".


I invite all of you analog lovers audiophiles to share your points of view in this critical analog audio subject. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT?


Thank's in advance.



Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.






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millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
Of course they need to be damped. The question is in what way? And how much?
fuzztone's avatar
fuzztone
5,613 posts
 
Probably better off with a CMan Isolator
noromance's avatar
noromance
9,788 posts
 
Put it this way: My knife-edge sounds better than my Well Tempered clone.
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
Comparing two different arms makes it awfully hard to be sure what is responsible for what. Damping works but like I said it depends what we are talking about and how- and how much.  

For example take fO.q tape. This stuff is pretty much pure damping. Even a little bit of it placed just about anywhere on the tone arm is an improvement. Even on the arm base, which isn't hardly even the arm. But the whole turntable and everything on it is one big vibrating system. So stands to reason anything anywhere will affect it. The question is in what way. And how much. 

With the tape its greater resolution of fine detail, that greatly improves presence, yet without adding any harsh edge. One of the rare times damping actually improves things this way.
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