A Wand of a Tonearm will usually be supplied with an internal damping material which is commonly a foam insert.
I have friends who build their own Tonearms and these individuals have used various types of foam and in varying quantities.
The science used by the Larger Brands have created the knowledge about the importance of Damping a Wand and I am hypothetically suggesting that custom built Tonearm producers have adopted these principals of damping.
The Big Brands R&D will no doubt have produced data and subjective evaluations to select a damping method.
The custom built Tonearm producers will under most circumstances used their own subjective evaluations only to select a damping method.
This evaluations can be impacted on by the environment in which the assessments are being undertaken.
In this case the trials with damping materials is no different to trying out Footers, Sub Plinths, Headshells, Cartridge Isolators, Platter Mats in a particular environment.
The outcome of the evaluation will be subjective and possibly even bias influenced towards the favourable attributes that can be reported on.
One individuals preferences will certainly not be another's.
With the above in mind and if a curiosity is being raised, by all means have an extended experience by trying out a few simple to achieve trials with different materials added to particular ancillaries.
This is something I have been doing over a very long period, I do have the patience for it and am still involved with it.
My experiences have led me to the conviction a Platter Bearing is a critical interface and common used designs are impacting on the SQ in a manner that is detrimental. A simple redesign to remove the metal interfaces within the housing has very noticeable benefits, and the new experience is totally mesmerising as to where noise has seemingly disappeared.
There is a project I am involved in that is working towards a full bearing housing overhaul. The initial feedback on the partially complete bearing overhaul prototype is very promising. To further support the upcoming changes, an easier to achieve set of trials are to be undertaken, that should work and offer new insights to a original bearing and new bearing designs Platter Spindle / Platter Interface and definitely impact on the Stylus to Platter Interface.
To achieve these trials, I have recently purchased Two OEM Platters for my TT, these are to be sacrificial, in the sense that they are to be modified and used to enable the trials of being attached to different Materials, Configurations of Materials and Material Thicknesses, that are to be Bonded or Mechanically fastened to the Platter Mat or each other.
A Spindle Extension is being sought out to allow for the Thicker Materials to be used in the trials.
This approach is the antithesis of the usual loose lay a alternate material on the Platter.
Loose Lay is not ruled out as the owned Platter Mats can still be utilised on the New Structures produced on the OEM Platter.
Prior to the above I am quite keen to trial my latest acquired AT - 677 Platter Mat vs my Tenuto Mat.
I have learnt from my trial experiences that I can create a change to the SQ that is for the worse, but the change can be lived with as their are sonic traits being detected in the alternative presentation offering something new to ponder.
I can create a change to the SQ that is noticeably different but can't detect it as being any lesser in SQ to the preferred presentation,
the question is usually whether this is a change that is to be maintained.
I can create a change that is improved and enhances the overall systems performance and the SQ is much wanted to be maintained.
With the selection of ancillaries I have to be put into use, I can repeat the experiences quite easily and also demonstrate my finding to others as well.
Through taking some my owned additional ancillaries to other systems and having them trialled in a different environment with different devices, it has been learnt from doing this that many of my findings from trialling materials that are being referred to as attractors for my system, are not always transferrable to another system, this only occurs occasionally.
There are experiences where the ancillary that I thought was to be the least impressive in the new environment proved to be the preferred on the day.
