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
so @rauliruegas not only you  are not going to apologize for your offensive post, but you repost the same hate-filled nonsense after the moderators remove it! There is no place in this world for these comments and we should all petition audiogon to have you removed as a contributor. I certainly will stop reading your posts and boycott anything your are part of. I hope others will do the same.
Frankly, I am not interested in antique tonearms even if they are superbly made. All my favorite arms, the ones I would buy if I had the money, do not have damping troughs and these are totally unnecessary if paired with the right cartridge. Thes arm also happen to be on the light side with low moments of inertia. Larger arms like the 4 Point 14 could definitely use damping if paired with a high compliance cartridge and the 4 Points have both horizontal and vertical damping. They have fallen of my personal list. To bad Frank Schroder isn't here. I would love to ask him what he thinks of tonearm damping. Rauliruegas, is Frank Schroder OK?
At least he is not Japanese.
@fsellet : I was whom deleted 3 of my posts. Any one else.

Btw, you don't have to read it. Why should you?, makes no sense to do it.

R.
So what? japanese or not you can invite him to post. It will be a learning lesson if he decides to post.

That's the kind of gentlemans, other than the ones here, that can contributes to enrich our each one knowledge levels, especially in this regards.

In the past he posted in this forum, let me see if I remember his moniker and I will do it.

R.
Mijostyn, you are putting damping and effective weight into one bin. That is not correct.
All materials have some damping qualities and choosed by designer not only by desired weight.