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  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
 

@dover  : Not wrong because the Technics blend in the MK2 is way better in the arm wand that sapphire.

 

" The EPA-100Mk2 arm was a titanium alloy tube with boron fiber surface inside and out. The fiber gets there by chemical vapor deposition (the method by which the EPC-100MkIV cantilevers were strengthened/stiffened). Because of the way the boron was applied, it created a super-stiff super-light arm tube, which had both longitudinal and torsional stiffness but which absorbed micro vibrations. "

 

R.

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rauliruegas OP
13,066 posts
 

Titanium is used by Lyra, Audio Technica, Ortofon, etc, etc and I think was used by Graham.

 

Cartridge manufacturers even in the cantilever.

 

So your history is only to hit me but youknow what? you never had and never will has success about.

 

R.

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rauliruegas OP
13,066 posts
 

lewm, posted yhe best answer to your stupid post.

 

"  not so much whether it can be bent by a human exerting strength to bend it. I doubt many arm wands of any kind except maybe steel ones could resist such an effort. "

 

R.

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rauliruegas OP
13,066 posts
 

Dear @lohanimal  : I did it in massive way to the point where the cartridge tonearm can't goes on after the last recorded groove, stop there and can't pass through the end of the non-recorded LP surface before the center label.

 

I can say that I tested everything you can imagine and in my " natural " well damped tonearm the best  trough is not trough at all. That's what my very high resolution system tells me and to my friends too. Diffreneces for the better are just obvious but as almost always depends on the whole room/system resolution and the kind of test proccess each one of us have for comparisons.

 

R.

lohanimal
659 posts
 

@rauliruegas 

you said you tried all permutations - therefore did you re-create the Townshend Trough? I have a Moerch DP6 which allows damping - and frankly i prefer it without damping - however - mounted using a Towsnhend front trough is an altogether different animal.

There's damping and there is damping and there is damping. 

 

 

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