Basis Vector 4 arm question


Hi all,first post here,appologies if this has been asked before.
Re the silicon arm damping,I followed the instructions and filled the well up to the bottom of the radial bearing, however I read somewhere that the level can be adjusted and this will alter the sound,has anyone any experience of this and what are the effects.
cypry

Showing 1 response by dougdeacon

Many people have had experience with it, in this and other unipivots. In general too much damping sounds, well, like too much damping! Dull, slow, attenuated highs, sluggish, flat, undynamic etc. Too little damping sounds bright, aggressive, edgy, etc.

Also speaking in general, TINY changes in the amount of fluid are audible. I've heard differences on a Graham 2.2 by removing or adding the smallest amount possible using the point of a pin. The sweet spot for damping fluid, at least on that arm, is extremely tiny. This was true with 5 or 6 different cartridges. Each one needed a different amount, as Stanwal suggested, and it took experienced listeners hours, not minutes, to find the right amount for each one.

Most important, until you've optimized VTF, SRA/VTA and Azimuth, playing with fluid damping is putting the cart before the horse. You can't tell whether you need ANY fluid until you understand the basic behavior of a specific cartridge on a specific tonearm. Fluid damping, if any, should wait until you're confident all setup parameters are optimal.