Audioquest PT Arm Damping Fluid

Hey Mark how you doing
I thought you know longer had the Audioquest last time we emailed ? Anyhow, I called Audioquest and they sent me a small tube for nothing, though I don't know if they still will since they no longer sell the arm. It would be worth an email.

Hello Wayne, Good to hear from ya!
Yes, I still have this Arm, perhaps you were thinking of someone else?

I've done so much searching, I've even read a post from you 2 years ago on the Asylum asking similar questions.

Akin to asking a person to decipher the Dead Sea Scrolls, nobody really seems to know zip about this arm? Doubtful Audioquest would be much help at this point, but I suppose an email couldn't hurt?

All I'd like knowing is what viscosity was used, and not looking for any freebies from them.

I've read countless posts, and I gather that a damping fluid in essence, is nothing more than a poor band aid trying to either make a bad arm work better, or alter a good arm to work with a Cartridge of different-incompatible compliance perhaps?

Even with the right fluid, experimentation-results is iffy, and with the wrong fluid, this will really be a shot in the dark.

Most look disfavorably upon damping fluids, and I suppose it is largely dependent on what Arm. I know I've even read a post from Doug Deacon, about damping in a Triplanar, and I believe he said it sucked the life right out of the Arm. (sorry Doug if my information is vague, or perhaps erroneous?)

I'm actually not in desperate need for this Fluid, but it was just the tweaker in me, thinking about trying this again on this Arm for the heck of it?

The little Vials they supplied with this Arm was a one shot deal, and that's been gone from the kit, and used up over 10 years ago. Mark

Was wrong for me to say that Damping Fluids, and Damping Troughs are a poor band-aid for bad Tonearm.
I failed to recognize, and remeber that many of the finest Arm in the world come with this feature.

Perhaps it's more of what the market wants, akin to perhaps having VTA on the fly, that some feel if Arms don't have these features, they are less desireable, and lacking compared to others.
Mark

Mark, this may be too obvious but have you contacted AQ?

If they could not help, you might try Sumiko. Their Premier arms (long discontinued) came from the same OEM. I have a FT-3 and while the weight/type of damping fluid is not specified, instructions say to experiment with the amount of fluid to achieve proper damping.

If this too fails, I would contact Jelco in Japan, the OEM.

Good luck.

Hello Pryso,
Thank you for your advice. Yours is course the most logical, and I did earlier shoot an email off to Audioquest, not asking for Fluids-freebies, but if they can provide the Weight Specification for the Fluid?

If I have no luck with them, I will try as you say, to either contact Sumiko, or even Jelco in Japan.

If I can find out this information, I will share it here, so other owners of these Arms can find this information in the future in our Agon archives.
Thank again Wayne/Pryso for your help! Mark

Mark, another good answer from Pryso. Jelso has just released a new tone arm they are selling as a jelso with some new features, with damping. So they maybe able to tell you viscosity. I have emailed them and gotten a response about the new 750D arm.