Krakin Posted October 22, 2013 Report Share Posted October 22, 2013 I have been looking through specifications of a lot of A/B amplifiers and when I get to the dampening factor I see a lot of >200. But I have noticed some high end tube amplifiers go as low as 20. How much does the dampening factor come into play from the amplifier for mid-ranges and tweeters? What are some personal preferences you SQ guys look for when entering this topic? Krakin's Home Dipole Project http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/186153-krakins-dipole-project-new-reciever-in-rockford-science/#entry2772370 Krakin, are you some sort of mad scientist? I would have replied earlier, but I was measuring the output of my amp with a yardstick . . . What you hear is not the air pressure variation in itself but what has drawn your attention in the two streams of superimposed air pressure variations at your eardrums An acoustic event has dimensions of Time, Tone, Loudness and Space Everyone learns to render the 3-dimensional localization of sound based on the individual shape of their ears, thus no formula can achieve a definite effect for every listener. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbeljefe Posted October 22, 2013 Report Share Posted October 22, 2013 In my opinion, tube amps are like $25,000.00 turntables and $100.00 fishing lures. They're made to attract ignorant yuppies who will go into debt just to say they have something you don't. Amps with low damping factors have less control over the driver(s) they're in charge of but that's perfectly fine if your source is a hunk of vinyl with little more bandwidth than a prefab 4th order box. Solid state amps are more efficient and have higher damping factors than tube amps, which is a good thing. Unless you're a pipe smoking (no offense to pipe smokers) yuppie writing reviews for a HiFi magazine that's geared toward ignorant yuppies. ;-) Likewise, higher damping factors will result in more precise sound than lower damping factors, all other things being equal. Facebook: facebook.com/audioanarchyllc Instagram: audioanarchyllc Youtube: youtube.com/bbeljefe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Lightning Posted October 22, 2013 Report Share Posted October 22, 2013 How much does the dampening factor come into play from the amplifier for mid-ranges and tweeters? What are some personal preferences you SQ guys look for when entering this topic? Simple ... Better dynamics, clarity, and driver control ... Kenwood / HELIX / Linear Power (For The Love Of Music) / Brutal Sounds / OverKill Electric Co Questions About Sound Quality ?? Try Here ... Sound Quality, What does it REALLY mean ?? SMD SOTM Winner "White Lightning" 1997 GMT400 Chevy Silverado "The Green Dickle" 1994 GMT400 Chevy "Phantom Dually" Randal's 2007 Chevy Avalanche (we haven't named this one yet) Dylan's "Brutal" 17 Chevy Cruze RS Hatch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krakin Posted October 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2013 Simple ... Better dynamics, clarity, and driver control ... So I'm going to try and relate to my woofer knowledge here. In a sealed enclosure an QTS of .707 Butterworth can be considered as the "Flatest response curve", the lower you go the higher your Fl is correct? I have seen some statements to where you can "overdampen" the driver. Is it possible to dampen enough to where you eventually get a less dynamic and less clear reproduction? Pardon me if I am not wording myself clearly. Krakin's Home Dipole Project http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/186153-krakins-dipole-project-new-reciever-in-rockford-science/#entry2772370 Krakin, are you some sort of mad scientist? I would have replied earlier, but I was measuring the output of my amp with a yardstick . . . What you hear is not the air pressure variation in itself but what has drawn your attention in the two streams of superimposed air pressure variations at your eardrums An acoustic event has dimensions of Time, Tone, Loudness and Space Everyone learns to render the 3-dimensional localization of sound based on the individual shape of their ears, thus no formula can achieve a definite effect for every listener. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Lightning Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 I run a flat response ported and tuned enclosure with very low FS drivers ... Simple ... I main emphasis is primarily with stage and image ... Kenwood / HELIX / Linear Power (For The Love Of Music) / Brutal Sounds / OverKill Electric Co Questions About Sound Quality ?? Try Here ... Sound Quality, What does it REALLY mean ?? SMD SOTM Winner "White Lightning" 1997 GMT400 Chevy Silverado "The Green Dickle" 1994 GMT400 Chevy "Phantom Dually" Randal's 2007 Chevy Avalanche (we haven't named this one yet) Dylan's "Brutal" 17 Chevy Cruze RS Hatch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jk13 Posted October 23, 2013 Report Share Posted October 23, 2013 Another thing to consider is that those numbers won't tell you how that amp sounds. Yes, amps have unique sound just like speakers and subwoofers. One sub in a ".707" box will sound different from another in it's own ".707" box. When we were selling all kinds of high end stuff back in the early 90s there were definite differences in sound. Even through all the cabling and switching on our display board. BUT if you would match a component set with it's own brand of amp they all sounded VERY similar. An a/d/s/ amp on a McIntosh speaker sounded totally different than a McIntosh amp on that same speaker. Same with PPI on Boston Acoustics speakers (before Boston made amps and PPI made speakers), Pioneer ODR, and some others that we had on the same board inches apart. Of course that was back when speakers and amplifiers were made and designed in house. Today's equipment and design processes seem to be a bit different--until you get to the higher end offerings from companies like Hertz or Audison and some others. What I am saying is just like anything audio related, do your best to listen to them first. Noise floor, head room, tonal quality etc. are all very hard to see in the numbers. Static drops are my bag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trumpet1 Posted October 28, 2013 Report Share Posted October 28, 2013 I don't know damping factor as well as others, but I've learned a bit about how it works with amplifiers and speakers. An article I reference is "Damping Factor: Effects On System Response". It's not very long, and while there is some math to understand, it shows that damping factor ratings on amplifiers are irrelevant as long as they're rated at 5 or higher. There are other reasons to explain why amplifiers sound different from one another. I've been told slew factor is important, but I don't yet understand exactly how it affects what we hear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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