Dover, thanks. It appears to me that re coupling/decoupling of the I-beam/weight we are dealing with two issues that, on the surface, may seem to be one and the same, but are actually two separate considerations. We have 1. the degree of coupling due to the stiffness of the spring, and 2. the degree of coupling due to how tightly the I-beam is secured to the arm. I make this distinction because, although I would have thought that the two are effectively the same, I am experiencing different and unexpected results from each approach. I suspect that each has different ramifications as concerns resonance, hence the very different results. As I mentioned above, I have almost always preferred (after much going back and forth) the double spring with most of the cartridges that I have used over the years; these, of every persuasion and compliance. The less compliant double spring usually yielding a more controlled, defined sound with tauter and faster bass. More compliant springs have produced sound that is generally fuller, but less-well defined; fuller mids and lows, but less-well integrated highs.
I usually approach system tuning with the idea that there is always a theoretical ideal, but a necessary practical compromise. I prefer fuller sounding tube amplification, so the perceived leaner sound of the double spring has suited my system well.
This leads me to the issue of perceived bass speed. This relates to (in my fairly non-technical mind, anyway) to the above issues and to the issue you brought up re energy storage of soft dampening. In my experience, perceived speed cannot be completely separated from perceived tonal balance. To be clear, for me speed refers to the ability of a component to let music (or, for the sake of this discussion, the bass range) move as it should; to allow it to swing, rock, crescendo, whatever, with the swagger that it does live. I have always found this aspect of reproduced sound to be THE most elusive of all. I have heard components that were unacceptably dark and excessively full sounding that let the music move as it should with great dynamic nuance; and others that were tight, defined, and sometimes too bright overall that sounded dead, as if the musicians were half-asleep. At the same time, since how a component handles the leading edge of transients has a profound influence on the perceived speed, a system tuned to the darker/fuller side of things can benefit (speed-wise) from a little help by way of what the double spring brings to the table.
A long-winded way of saying that I am a little mystified as to why the loosening the I-beam yields a superior result than simply using a more compliant spring. BTW, I am speaking strictly about bass performance; I need to spend more time, and experiment more in the ways that you suggest, to get a better handle on things.
Thanks again.
I usually approach system tuning with the idea that there is always a theoretical ideal, but a necessary practical compromise. I prefer fuller sounding tube amplification, so the perceived leaner sound of the double spring has suited my system well.
This leads me to the issue of perceived bass speed. This relates to (in my fairly non-technical mind, anyway) to the above issues and to the issue you brought up re energy storage of soft dampening. In my experience, perceived speed cannot be completely separated from perceived tonal balance. To be clear, for me speed refers to the ability of a component to let music (or, for the sake of this discussion, the bass range) move as it should; to allow it to swing, rock, crescendo, whatever, with the swagger that it does live. I have always found this aspect of reproduced sound to be THE most elusive of all. I have heard components that were unacceptably dark and excessively full sounding that let the music move as it should with great dynamic nuance; and others that were tight, defined, and sometimes too bright overall that sounded dead, as if the musicians were half-asleep. At the same time, since how a component handles the leading edge of transients has a profound influence on the perceived speed, a system tuned to the darker/fuller side of things can benefit (speed-wise) from a little help by way of what the double spring brings to the table.
A long-winded way of saying that I am a little mystified as to why the loosening the I-beam yields a superior result than simply using a more compliant spring. BTW, I am speaking strictly about bass performance; I need to spend more time, and experiment more in the ways that you suggest, to get a better handle on things.
Thanks again.