Silicone fluid for Moerch tonearm damping?

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.

lol - I knew what hors de combat meant, just didn't know - and still don't know - what that means in reference to Hudson Audio. I never got a response from them so I will interpret it to mean that they are out of business.

Thank you for your thorough explanation of your experience with damping the Moerch DP-6, Rodrigaj - and I was wondering how you would remove the damping fluid if you decided you didn't like the results, so, like Ptmconsulting, I am happy to find out an easy method of doing so.

Unfortunately, I don't have a way to use headphones with my 2-channel rig; I would love to do so, but my power amp has only one set of outputs, for the speakers, and I don't really want to add another switch box to the mix in order to choose between speakers and headphone amp for the output.

I actually heard back from both Hans Moerch and Mehran, but neither of them answered my question about what weight of silicone fluid should be used. I don't understand why it is such a secret... lol

@Rodrigaj - You said the silicone fluid is of high viscosity - should I get the heaviest weight/CST available then?

Holly

Holly-
Are you saying that Mehran can't / won't sell you a syringe of the silicone fluid?

I have no idea of the viscosity of the fluid I have, but I do know that if I wanted to experiment with it, I would just buy it from Mehran. One syringe of the stuff will last you a lifetime of experimentation, even if you only get about a 6ml syringe.

If you don't want to or can't buy it from Mehran, then I would go with the medium viscosity of 30000cst offered by Turntable Basics. I don't think you could go wrong with this.

This is all pretty much trial and error anyway. As long as you can get the stuff out easily enough, you can experiment all you want. I think that in the end, one has to stop and "enjoy the music". Turntables can drive you crazy if you let them :-)

I don't know what is going on with Mehran. Hans Moerch apparently forwarded the email I sent to him about the damping fluid to Mehran, so Mehran had that email as well as the one I originally sent at the beginning of February. He responded on 2/19 by saying he had already answered my email, I told him the email he had sent to me only said that he couldn't answer my email until he returned from Belgium, again let him know what my question was....and he has not responded since then.

I will go with your recommendation of the 30000 CST oil. Thanks Rodrigaj!

Holly