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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
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,252 posts
 
1++ @cleeds 
 
Cartridges come critically damped. That is what their suspensions are all about, but they are damped to work in certain types of arms as characterized by mass. If you go outside the mass they are "critically damped" for you will get into trouble. For on arm that is too light you simply at weight (mass.)  For an arm that is too heavy, you can take a hack saw to it or you can try and damped it further by various methods to spread out and flatten the resonance peak so that it might not interfere with playback. 
My own rule of thumb is to discount variables which are highly subjective. Hearing is one of them. Hearing is personal. You can only apply your own. Record playback is just a matter of very simple newtonian physics. Ok, maybe DS Audio enters the quantum realm. 
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,252 posts
 
As for mats I thought it was pretty well established that you want a material that has the same mechanical impedance as vinyl which is pretty hard. As for hold down vacuum is handily the best as it will perfectly flatten all records except the severely warped ones which should be thrown out any way. But what about those record flatteners? Really silly idea. When you warp a record you stretch the surface. Warps are caused by uneven heating of the record. The hot areas expand into the direction of least resistance forming the warp. If you reheat the record and compress the warp does the vinyl compress so that the molecules wind up in exactly the same place they started in? Highly unlikely. The surface remains distorted.
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rauliruegas OP
12,872 posts
 
Dear @cleeds : " Wow! That’s electrical tape. I’d never put gooey sticky electrical tape on a pickup arm. "

Your statement disappoint me because I know you are way better than that.

The issue is not if it is electrical tape or what ever, the issue is that any tonearm arm wand need it that kind of damping that always ( no matters what. ) gives you a better quality level performance to what you are listening if your room/system has the quality resolution need it for.

"" If my arm needed that, I’d dump it and buy a proper arm. ""

then you have to give up/dump on analog/LP alternative because all tonearms need it ! !

Do it a favor to us and post areal contribution in the thread that really can helps to all of us on the thread subjects. Welcomed.

And do it your self a favor and test the Analog Survival Kit by Sumiko designed expressely for that purpose or any kind of tape you like even teflon tape can works very good too.

R.
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cleeds
5,720 posts
 
rauliruegas
The issue is not if it is electrical tape or what ever, the issue is that any tonearm arm wand need it that kind of damping ...
I think the recommendation you made to wrap a pickup arm with electrical tape is an especially bad idea and very much the issue. There is no way I'd put that gooey, sticky product on any arm I've ever owned, and I wouldn't recommend it to others.
... you have to give up/dump on analog/LP alternative because all tonearms need it !
Sorry, I'm not abandoning LP based on your command.
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rauliruegas OP
12,872 posts
 
Dear @antinn : great Audio article. I started to read Audio in 1979 along Stereo Review and High Fidelity magazynes and with out any single doubt Audio was the best even against any today audio magazynes.
Pisha writer and reviewer down there has an alignment cartridge/tonearm solution similar to Löfgren A and almost no one knows about him.
Was in Audio where for the very first time appeared the wholeLöfgren geometry alignment and the whys about and that was many many years ago.

Btw, here another first hand experience with that " lifeless " issue and its true meaning:

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/best-harmless-signatureless-speakers-capacitors/post?postid=1...

That thread was and is one of the best and deep audio lessons through my audio life because I started it to find out the best " boutique " caps for my speakers and by my self I learned there by my self too that the cheap Wima, Kemet or Vishay ones are really the ONES. I owned Duelund, Mundorf, Sonicraft, V-caps, Jantzen and many more and nothing compares against what I stated in that thread.

I tested those humble caps, during the thread time,  in my speakers and in a really critical electronics position: rigth at the input of my 20.6 ML monoblocks where I was using teflon V-caps CU very good cap and extremely expensive and things are that the Wima outperformed even that in that input amp position the audio signal goes complete/all the frequency rangepass through.

In the other side, platter mat is way critical and the best I experienced ( and I owned/own " hundred " of mats. ) still is the original Sota that after less than 100 units were out of production and the " clone " was an inferior one.
I use it with the Sota reflex clamp and with the Basis that’s reflex too. As a fact , aswith mats, I owned/own several clamps that it’s a necessity/must in any TT.

With mat/clamp and with out is like day and nigth.

R.


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