2. analog
  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.






Ag insider logo xs@2xrauliruegas
Ag insider logo xs@2x
rauliruegas OP
13,066 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.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
cleeds
5,951 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.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
rauliruegas OP
13,066 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.


Ag insider logo xs@2x
rauliruegas OP
13,066 posts
 
@cleeds  : I said we can use it and can works for a test and if we don`t like it then we can take out with no single trouble and with no sign in the arm wand that there was that electrical tape.

Why such big deal?  my command? you certainly are joking because I don't command to any one of you and certainly not cleeds that not even test it with the ASK by Sumiko.

R.
lewm
13,070 posts
 
The thing about capacitors in speaker crossovers is that they generally operate without a bias voltage across them.  Thus, (1) they may take a very long time to "break in", if you believe in that sort of thing, and (2) it is not advisable to predict their sonic qualities based on their performance inside electronic equipment, where they almost always do operate with a bias voltage across them (and therefore usually break in faster as well). It is not surprising that cost may not correlate well with performance in a speaker.  Raul, where you use a capacitor at the input of your amplifier, have you tried the Russian SSG silver mylar capacitor there, assuming it is available in the needed size?  (They go up only to about 0.13uF.)  In my experience, the SSG is the single most transparent capacitor, even including the VCaps, which I also do like very much and which are made in a more useful range of values..
More to discover