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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.






Ag insider logo xs@2xrauliruegas
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rauliruegas OP
13,055 posts
 
Dear @antinn  : Yes, to many variables to be really precise but in any case damping is welcomed.

I tested silicon oil in diferent viscosity grades from 10K to 1,000K cst and I can tell you that only the 1,000K cst is really an obstacle for cartridge/tonearm tracking.
 We have to test the viscosity grade according the tonearm/cartridge combination and we have to have a tracking test evaluation proccess to be able to make comparisons about.

It's way interesting these kind of tests evaluation. Common sense tell me damping is need it, level of damping is what each one of us have to determine/decide. 
Unfortunatelly audio analog is not really a science and do not exist inviolable rules.

R.
kps25sc
149 posts
 
Here are some recommendations on viscosity for tonearm dampening, came upon this site when i was trying to find a supplier of Townshend "trough fuel" that i have been using for years.
http://www.turntablebasics.com/silicone.html
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rauliruegas OP
13,055 posts
 
Dear @kps25sc : Thank's for the link. What is the Townshend advise about?

Mainly I use the silicon paddle to damp the cartridge tracking and found out that 100K cst is not " enough " so I gone to 300K cst and works fine with out " any " obstruction ( I can detect. ) to the tonearm movements but each one of us have to test to decide which viscosity level need.

As @antinn  said: to many variables.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
I think Raul raised an interesting issue with airborne vibration. Even if a turntable and arm are isolated mechanically from whatever they are sitting on sound waves in air will tend to vibrate them exciting whatever resonances remain. There are many tonearms now with superbly damped arm wands. I think the best have permanent head shells with the exception of Kuzma. The main resonance that remains is the one that should be around 10 Hz. There is not much in music down there and a properly suspended turntable should be isolated down to 2-3 Hz. Anything above that will not get to the cartridge and arm by mechanical means. A well damped tonearm should not pass on any vibration in the audio band. So, in this situation a damping paddle in silicone can only affect the one resonance point. In the ideal situation there is nothing else to damp. It would seem to me then that if using a voluntary damping mechanism makes an improvement in the sound then either the turntable and/or tonearm are not correctly isolated or internally damped and there are now other resonance points in play. In which case isolating the turntable and tonearm from airborne sound waves might also make an improvement. But, if there is only the one resonance point, 10 Hz where not much happens nothing will improve the performance of the system other than perhaps changing the cartridge. A fixed turntable also has to contend with vibration passed on mechanically. A good example of this is the foot fall problem. Just because a turntable is on a granite slab does not protect it from all mechanical vibration and does nothing for airborne sound waves. I had some correspondence with Mark Doehmann creator of the Helix turntable. He is working on a dust cover system for the Helix that will isolate it from airborne sound waves. It is the final frontier for him.
Right now it is so heavy he will be using gas shocks to lift and counter balance it. 
kps25sc
149 posts
 
rauliruegas
Townshend sell a 10 ml bottle without specifying the viscosity.
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