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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
lewm
12,543 posts
 

Rsf, thank for referencing that thread on WBF. Interesting to note that Kuzma rationalizes cartridge compliance/ tonearm effective mass mismatches, IF a massy tonearm (i.e., his Safir ) is mated to a high compliance cartridge. He points out that modern high end TTs and stands provide good isolation and very low rumble, thereby rendering a low resonant frequency (the result of combining high EM with high compliance) harmless. One comment on the Safir: seems you adjust azimuth by rotating the arm tube near the pivot, as with the Triplanar. This works but also introduces yaw at the headshell because of the headshell offset angle, which may not be such a good thing.

 

lewm
12,543 posts
 

I just googled “tubing made out of sapphire”. In the US there are at least two companies that will sell you lab grown pure Sapphire tubes of many different lengths and diameters for very low cost per tube. Who will be the first among us to make his own sapphire tonearm?

lohanimal
659 posts
 

@rauliruegas try and recreate a trough on a large scale. I did (i will email you a design i made once) I tried this out using a paddling pool and found that the water and paddle steadied the movement of my makeshift arm and significantly alleviated my strain. Always visualise and experiment - I'm sure you must be bonkers enough like me to try it out 🤣

Ag insider logo xs@2x
rauliruegas OP
12,842 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
12,842 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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