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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
Ag insider logo xs@2x
rauliruegas OP
12,872 posts
 
Dear @dronepunk : Thank's, great contribution that cerntainly helps to all of us.

R.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,640 posts
 
What I learned there and thank's to my self developed test evaluation process was that I not even losted SPL but what I losted and that was the " culprit " of that LIFELESS were the distortion levels that gone way lower and from the " life " came: false life because was for the higher distortion levels.
I've maintained for years that a sign of a good system is that its a lot harder to tell how loud its actually playing. The lower the distortion the more this is the case.


If you are working with any mechanical damping I would be careful to remove any electrical damping (such as the loading resistor) which might be acting as a crude 'tone control' that might color your impressions.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
rauliruegas OP
12,872 posts
 
Dear @atmasphere  : Good that we agree about. Now: are you talking of th eamps resistor or the phonolinepreamp resistor loading?

R.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
rauliruegas OP
12,872 posts
 
Dear @antinn  : Good, unfortunatelly the original Sota Mat disapeared.

As a fact tghe Platter mat is way more important/crucial that what we could think due that is the " talking medium " between the LP surface and the stylus tip. a GOOD MAT WILL LOWER THE RESONANCES/FEEDBACK IN BETWEEN.

R.
atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,640 posts
 
The 'amp's resistor' does not make a lot of sense in this conversation. However the 'cartridge loading resistor' does and that is what I meant. If it is in place prior to the application of mechanical damping, it may well be found that the damping of the resistor was compensating for the distortion (which will cause brightness) present when the arm, vinyl or turntable was not damped.


So the result would be that by doing the mechanical damping it might sound dead and lifeless. I've found that if your electrical/electronic ducks are in a row, its impossible to overdamp a platter, overdamp an LP with a platter pad (although a platter pad causes changes in tonality all on its own) or by properly damping an arm tube (which admittedly is a bit of a trick,  as this directly affects the effective mass of the arm/cartridge combination).



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