Silicone fluid for Moerch tonearm damping?

"I believe Hudson Audio has been hors de combat for a few years." Not sure what you mean by this - are they out of business??

I did hear back from Moerch - from Hans Moerch himself. He didn't answer my questions though, just said to contact Mehran. lol That was a waste of my time - and his!

Holly

Holly...I didn't know what "hors de combat" meant either. I had to look it up. It means "outside the fight".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hors_de_combat

Glad to hear you finally got your cartridge!

"Hors de combat" is French for "out of the battle."

Holly-

As the owner of two Moerch arms, I thought I would chime in about damping.

First you probably know that dampening is factory set in the horizontal.

Second, don't be afraid to experiment with dampening in the vertical.

Only 0.2ml of silicone fluid is needed. Forget about drops and such, it's all or nothing. Fluid is high viscous (think "like thick glue" and 0.2 ml of fluid in the well is really a tiny amount. You do need the applicator it comes in because of the limited space you have - to inject and flick the tip of the applicator against the well top.

The screw that the arm wand screws into can be adjusted if you want less dampening. Make sure that you do not go lower than the factory set level it is now set at. You can go higher (to lessen dampening) but never lower. In other words, as set, the screw provides the maximum level of dampening.

But my point is that dampening in this tone arm has gotten a bad rap on the web, and I don't agree with the general consensus. Also, if you don't like it after you have experimented, it is not the end of the world to get it out. In fact it is quite easy. I found it easier to get out than it was to get in.

All that is needed is a package of small, model glue applicators purchased at a craft store. You reach into the well, swell around once or twice and remove. After about five of them the well is clean. The process takes about 5 minutes. Simple. Since they are designed to apply small quantities of glue, they leave no filaments behind and the applicator itself is designed for exactly this purpose, only in reverse.

Wear headphones to evaluate the results. I happen to like the effect, and now use dampening all of the time. Just keep an open mind. To me, with a Dynavector xx2 cartridge, listening to classical music, I find that the timbre of the stringed instruments and the tympani are better represented and since I go to live orchestral concerts on a regular basis, I feel that my opinion is based on real musical experiences.

Anyway, don't let the naysayers affect your judgement. Part of the fun of this hobby is experimentation.

I'm not sure why you have had trouble contacting Mehran. He has always been very quick to respond to my email queries, even though my first arm was purchased used. I mean within several hours, too.

Good luck.

I tried the silicon in my DP6, and decided to take it out after a while. It just constrained the dynamics too much. Wich I knew about those sticks, because getting it out of the well with toothpicks was a big PITA.