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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
13,101 posts
 
Dear friends : All those changes that I posted and that I did it throufgh the years, including the silicon cartridge damping, not only gave me a better quality level systemperformance but in each case the room/system noise floor gone down too. 

Now, the silicon cartridge damping is not only to try to mantain all the time it can/permits the tracking cartridge job that the stylus tip stays in touch with the grooves always but that the suddenly changes in VTF and VTA/SRA due to LP surface macro and micro waves it can happens in more gentle way.

Additional to all those the silicon cartridge damping permits too that the anti-skate need it, normally, goes lower too.

So to many advatnges down there. A must to do it no matters whaT.

rEGARDS AND ENJOY THE music not distortions, 
r.
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
Éssential- versus conditional approach. The first mentioned is based
on Aristoteles who discriminted between ''essential'' and ''accidental''
properties of objects. It is similar to induction by which one ''deduce''
from one quality to all others. The other approach is by Tarski :
''truth by satisfaction of predictes'':  ''x satisfy conditions a,b, c..,n''
and if not the the statement is not true.
As Raul think that damping is essential property of tonearms so
does chakster about styli. 
The so called ''holistic'' approach is ''obviously'' conditional. Like,say,
 Lew and Dover.


mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
Nandric, assumptions are the mother of all F--k Ups

Raul, there is one variable in your assessment that has to give us all pause and that is what you "heard." Forgetting about psychoacoustics, How do we know what condition your hearing is in. Maybe you are an old person who is already rolling off at 8 kHz, presbycusis. Most old people do not even notice this!  Maybe you are on Lithium and have had your cochlea destroyed along with your kidneys and thyroid gland. You could even be myxedematous! 
Consequently, if your argument is based on "what you heard." It becomes almost (but not quite) totally invalid. Next time you do the damping experiment have a panel of friends present and get group consent. This is improve the validity of the argument a little but do keep them off the peyote:) By the way, this is true for ALL of us.    
Ag insider logo xs@2x
rauliruegas OP
13,101 posts
 
Dear friends: At the end the damping issue is to improve what we are listening and one way or the other in the analog alternative a must to have specially at TT mat/clamp, tonearm and cartridge.

Any tonearm including the SAT will improve its quality performance with that arm wand tape that the only " what? but " it has is that " change " the clean tonearm look.

Now, the tonearms that by design come with a silicon paddle/trough its real benefits is for the cartridge that always its improves its tracking habilities as some gentlemans posted here.

Improved cartridge tracking habilities means lower distortion levels and that the cartridge pick-up more recorded signal ( MUSIC. ) than with out that silicon kind of damping and through this thread were posted critical and important facts/information that confirms the needs to damps tonearm/cartridge combinations.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.



 
Ag insider logo xs@2x
rauliruegas OP
13,101 posts
 
Nandric: great contribution what you posted that helps a lot to all audiophiles and music lovers. Good ! ! Please follows in that way, it's what Agon needs. Congratulations.

R.
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