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Journal Article

On the Damping of Phonograph Arms

Authors: Bauer, Benjamin B.

Journal of the Audio Engineering Society · Volume 11 · Issue 3 · pp. 207–211 · July 1963

Abstract

The low-frequency resonant rise of a pickup arm may be avoided by placing the resonance frequency below the lowest frequency of interest, which may result in exaggerated rumble; or by damping out the resonance by means of some form of viscous damping. -Dynamic damping- which does not contribute to the steady-state arm drag may be obtained by dividing the arm mass into two portions coupled by viscoelastic means. It is shown in this paper that optimum dynamic damping requires that the mass portion associated with the cartridge be vanishingly small compared to the mass of the arm proper and the counterweight. Some piezoelectric transducers fixed to otherwise undamped arms meet this requirement. Simulated steady-state and transient response characteristics of pickups with various types of damping are presented.

Details

Publication
Journal of the Audio Engineering Society
Volume
11
Issue
3
Pages
207–211
Publication date
July 6, 1963
Affiliation
CBS Laboratories, Stamford, CT (See document for exact affiliation information.)
Type
Journal Article