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KAB Damper on Technics SL1200mk2: Before and After Samples. Can you hear difference?

ODS123

ODS123

Super Member
For months I've been pestering people to post .wav files demonstrating the improvements obtained by various modifications and tweaks. ..Well, I've decided to offer a few of my own. I've made four 60 seconds recordings of the following using my Technics SL1200mk2 with and without KAB Damper:

Suzanne Vega's: "Tom's Diner" - With and Without KAB Damper
Bill Berry and his Ellington All Stars: "Take the A-train" - With and Without KAB Damper.

I'll be anxious to read whether or not you can hear any improvement.

ODS

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vr8hjqmq6xsqwz8/TomsDinerWITHKAB.wav

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gut49gnxwipk16a/TomsDinerNOKAB.wav

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jfuecykw2lq4586/ATrainwithKAB.wav

https://www.dropbox.com/s/c3eht1gcm4th76p/ATrainNOKAB.wav
 
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ODS123 said:
For months I've been pestering people to post .wav files demonstrating the improvements obtained by various modifications and tweaks. ..Well, I've decided to offer a few of my own. I've made four 60 seconds recordings of the following using my Technics SL1200mk2 with and without KAB Dampener:

Suzanne Vega's: "Tom's Diner" - With and Without KAB Dampener
Bill Berry and his Ellington All Stars: "Take the A-train" - With and Without KAB Dampener.

I'll be anxious to read whether or not you can hear any improvement.

ODS

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vr8hjqmq6xsqwz8/TomsDinerWITHKAB.wav

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gut49gnxwipk16a/TomsDinerNOKAB.wav

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jfuecykw2lq4586/ATrainwithKAB.wav

https://www.dropbox.com/s/c3eht1gcm4th76p/ATrainNOKAB.wav
Click to expand...

Very nice, would it also be possible to get a silent groove, with/without?
gusten
 
ugh :) ..Wish I thought to do that before putting the dampener back on. ..I'll see if I can get to it later in the day.

Just to confirm, you mean recording the run out groove for 60 secs? ..Also, please confirm that you were able to hear these - this is my first time doing this.

thx,

ods
 
Nice bites. The samples with the KAB damper had less sibilance, better dynamics, bass presence and image focus.

What cartridge is this?
 
I'll pass as I own it and I greatly appreciate the benefits I've gained w it. Are you going to debunk cables and tubes next?

Thanks but no thanks I'm an adult I do not need your consumer protection
 
ODS123 said:
ugh :) ..Wish I thought to do that before putting the dampener back on. ..I'll see if I can get to it later in the day.

Just to confirm, you mean recording the run out groove for 60 secs? ..Also, please confirm that you were able to hear these - this is my first time doing this.

thx,

ods
Click to expand...

You don´t have to do it, there is enough silence in the files!
gusten
 
costerdock said:
I'll pass as I own it and I greatly appreciate the benefits I've gained w it. Are you going to debunk cables and tubes next?

Thanks but no thanks I'm an adult I do not need your consumer protection
Click to expand...
Wow, you sure are jumping to conclusions about the OP's motivations. Looks like he just wants some feedback from others, I'm not even sure where he stands.

I'm glad you're happy with your choice, but even if I came to a different conclusion doesn't imply I'm criticizing or questioning yours. I regard your mention of other "hot button" issues as unnecessary and provocative.
 
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gusten said:
You don´t have to do it, there is enough silence in the files!
gusten
Click to expand...

10-4.

As an aside, I wish I had remembered to turn-off the overhead lights in my room when I recorded these. ..Sometimes I can hear a very slight amount of electric hiss through the speakers from these lights if I pause the source and crank the volume all the way up. ..Only a tiny bit though - never noticeable while playing music. Otherwise, my system is pretty darn quiet.
 
costerdock said:
I'll pass as I own it and I greatly appreciate the benefits I've gained w it. Are you going to debunk cables and tubes next?

Thanks but no thanks I'm an adult I do not need your consumer protection
Click to expand...

Thanks for your valuable input. :thumbsdn:
 
costerdock said:
I'll pass as I own it and I greatly appreciate the benefits I've gained w it. Are you going to debunk cables and tubes next?

Thanks but no thanks I'm an adult I do not need your consumer protection
Click to expand...

I don't think the OP is trying to discredit anything. Fluid damping has removed something from the music I play, but I can't tell exactly what that something is.
 
illini said:
I don't think the OP is trying to discredit anything. Fluid damping has removed something from the music I play, but I can't tell exactly what that something is.
Click to expand...

I've read his posts in other threads over the past year - what other motive is there? - ex - Beatcomer announced he was getting the damper and ODS was all over - prove it makes a difference - I want before and after recordings etc. He has done that in other threads as well.

There is nothing wrong with that - I was skeptical as well buying different upgrades. If the outcome of this thread is that the damper makes little or no difference based on a couple of recordings - then fine - I'm not in agreement.

For me the damper has been a great benefit especially around albums that have skips - the following albums I have:

Live Earth Wind and Fire, Iggy Pop, and one other that doesn't come to mind - had a skip on one of the tracks that my cartridge couldn't get past - I always had to get up and lift the needle to get past that track.

The damper has solved this for me (at least for the albums I have with skips)- I'm not sure that was the aim of it - but I know it helps tracking with warps - and also from my experience with skips.
 
ODS123 said:
10-4.

As an aside, I wish I had remembered to turn-off the overhead lights in my room when I recorded these. ..Sometimes I can hear a very slight amount of electric hiss through the speakers from these lights if I pause the source and crank the volume all the way up. ..Only a tiny bit though - never noticeable while playing music. Otherwise, my system is pretty darn quiet.
Click to expand...

Great effort! I have only looked at the files so far. One can see that there is a bit more damping applied. Personally I think it´s a surprisingly small difference. To really benefit from the damper I would test with much more damping, I think.
gusten

Edit: Here are two plots from the silent beginning of TD. First NO, second WITH.
 

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  • Spectrum.Tom´s.Diner.NO.KAB.png
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  • Spectrum.Tom´s Diner.WITH.KAB.png
    Spectrum.Tom´s Diner.WITH.KAB.png
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The damper will have the greatest effect on a mismatched cartridge and a less than perfect record. (they all are to a varying degree) So if you were to put an ADC XLM for example, on the Technics arm and play a slightly warped record with an off-center hole, the difference would be dramatic, especially on speakers that reproduce lows well.

It allows a greater choice in carts and deals with record imperfections better than the stock arm.
 
Jeff K said:
The damper will have the greatest effect on a mismatched cartridge and a less than perfect record. (they all are to a varying degree) So if you were to put an ADC XLM for example, on the Technics arm and play a slightly warped record with an off-center hole, the difference would be dramatic, especially on speakers that reproduce lows well.

It allows a greater choice in carts and deals with record imperfections better than the stock arm.
Click to expand...

And there's plenty of imperfect records out there. :(
 
gusten said:
Great effort! I have only looked at the files so far. One can see that there is a bit more damping applied. Personally I think it´s a surprisingly small difference. To really benefit from the damper I would test with much more damping, I think.
gusten

Edit: Here are two plots from the silent beginning of TD. First NO, second WITH.
Click to expand...

Thanks for measurements Gusten. ..Very interesting. You may be right that adding more silicone may change performance. As per the instructions I have filled the trough to "only halfway.." I'm not too inclined to add more fluid as it would be a bit of a pain to remove. ...very gooey stuff.
 
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