Tonearm microphonics


When I have the volume at my normal level & tap the arm (not whilst playing vinyl) it is slightly amplified... Is it possible to significantly reduce/eliminate this?

Current set up - Roksan Xerxes 20plus, Origin Live Encounter tonearm (thin cork ring at the base) with Lyra Skala.

Apologies if this is a stupid question!
128x128infection
I'd think this would be undesirable.  While the turntable is playing music, sound waves are constantly "tapping" the tone arm.  Sure, it's at a microscopic level, but when you are talking about high end sound and the precision involved in playing grooves as accurately as possible every little thing matters. You'd want both the tonearm and table to be able to damp this as much as possible.
This is a gross simplification and distortion. Everything needs to be tuned as much as possible, not dampened. Try to dampen a guitar or piano. But tuning is so much more difficult than dampening. Sound must be alive.
@infection you are unfortunately misunderstanding two uses of the term dampening in the context of tonearm design. The silicone fluid is used to damp the movement of the entire tonearm for example in response to warps. Adding wrap to the arm will damp resonances in the arm itself but not damp the bearing type motion. My advice is to be very careful - the designers of your arm may well have tuned it to sound best as is and adding wrap to the arm may overly deaden the sound
@inna - interesting, thanks.

@folkfreak - thanks for elucidating...so perhaps Origin Live would suggest upgrading to a different model in their range...!


Inna — I disagree with your comparison completely. "Try to dampen and guitar or piano" — this is irrelevant. Those are instruments designed to resonate and amplify sound from the slightest stimulus — a tonearm has the exact opposite purpose, to produce no sound of its own, merely to transmit the signal from the stylus to the other end of the cable at the preamp input, adding Zero resonance or vibration of its own.