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
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
Dover is perfectly correct. Most of the stuffs Raul just mentioned are also
band aides for poor design. Which means by this definition most turntables are poorly designed requiring numerous band aides. Some turntables like Technics Direct Drive and virtually all VPI table are so bad there are not enough band aides in the world to save them:-)
This is the reason many of us are drifting toward digital program sources. How are you going to put a damping trough on a DAC.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,804 posts
 
How are you going to play your LP's on a digital disc player?
Ag insider logo xs@2x
rauliruegas OP
13,066 posts
 
Dear @mijostyn : The worst deaf-man is the one that does not wants hear in the same way that the worst blind-man is the one that does not wants see.

Know you or not and rigth from your first post in the thread you did not posted any evidence, fact, true explanation that supported your posts and rigth from your first post you are wrong and you showed and still show your very low common sense levels.

" poorly designed " ? well everything is " poorly " designed because xist tube dampers too. Damping is used everywhere in the audio world: speakers, cables, amps, preamps and even DAC units to lower vibrations.

Now, the origen of what you said: " poorly designed " audio items belongs to the media it self bacause the design of the analog/LP alternative is way faulty and it's a " brutality " ( for say the least ) the existense of those recorded grooves in the way were designed in that black kind of vinyl material and that's why the media/alternative needs to many " bandaids " everywhere in the analog chain.

It's really " unimaginable " that the transducer ( mounted in tonearm. ) job is dependent of the extremely hard task in that tiny stylus tip ridding that extremely tortuose randomly grooves LP surface path,. It's  incredible ! ! !

All the evidence and facts ( almost. ) that supports the damping necessity are very well detailed through the thread including why M.Townshend choosed that damping design.

Again, you are wrong and trying to support your self by the high dover misunderstood on the main subject was a mistake from your part that only confirm the same: you are wrong, have nothing on hand.

Please don't try to justify your self  posting no true facts. Rigth now and maybe just from your first post you are acting as a simple troll and nothing more.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
rauliruegas OP
13,066 posts
 
Dear @bdp24  : ""  it addresses the issue of the tonearm/cartridge resonance that is inherent in the LP phono system, REGARDLESS of the specific arm and cartridge.  ""

That's the great contribution to the analog alternative but historically several of the vintage tonearm manufacturers, some way or the other, took in less " dramatica/effective " way the issue on the necessity of some kind of damping in their designs.

One way or the other all tonearm designers know the importance of damping and they try that their designs have it.

Triplanar, SME, Jelco, Technics, Schroeder, Reed, SAT, etc, etc did it. 
A non-damped tonearm is just out of question and today and with all respect a design stupidity.

R.
ihcho's avatar
ihcho
612 posts
 
I have Denon DA309 and DA401. They have dynamic damping mechanism. Well, pardon my ignorance, but I don't know a bit about dynamic damping. 
Do I need to care about damping for the proper functioning of those tonearms? If I do, what do I need to do?
More to discover