In general, manufacturer ratings for amps are pretty pointless. I highly doubt you will notice any difference to the ear, at least if it is your sub stage, between two amplifiers with different dampening factors given other factors are pretty equal.
TaylorFade
10+ year member
I fail.
Damping factor is hogwash.
But it sure makes me feel all SQ and what not running an amp with a damping factor of >1000
But it sure makes me feel all SQ and what not running an amp with a damping factor of >1000
pickup1
5,000+ posts
CarAudio.com Veteran
Its supposed to be the ability to control the speaker...who knows if the specs are right on money or made up..
It's more about the partnership of the driver and amplifier, combined with your preference for whatever character of sound you enjoy. Obviously, this would suggest applications in lower-powered SQ setups, but that doesn't mean guys who are wanting to get loud will want it to sound muddy or boomy (which can happen for many reasons, not just lack of damping).
If you're running low Q drivers at a low impedance (1ohm, .5ohm), damping factor won't mean much to you because the driver is already pretty well damped and the impedance magnitude at the driver's resonance will be relatively low and very easy for the amplifier to control. Especially if you're running high power as it helps overcome the back EMF generated by the driver's coil as it moves back and forth.
Now if you're running low-powered setups at somewhat higher impedance, and you're NOT using low Q drivers, you're looking at a situation were an amplifier's damping factor will be very important if you value good transient response and pitch definition. It will pretty much determine how well the driver's cone motion is controlled, even if it's in a sealed enclosure. Done correctly, you will hear 250-500w amplifiers sound MUCH more powerful than they are.
But yeah, high power at low impedance with low Q drivers... you'll be good with anything over a damping factor of 100.
If you're running low Q drivers at a low impedance (1ohm, .5ohm), damping factor won't mean much to you because the driver is already pretty well damped and the impedance magnitude at the driver's resonance will be relatively low and very easy for the amplifier to control. Especially if you're running high power as it helps overcome the back EMF generated by the driver's coil as it moves back and forth.
Now if you're running low-powered setups at somewhat higher impedance, and you're NOT using low Q drivers, you're looking at a situation were an amplifier's damping factor will be very important if you value good transient response and pitch definition. It will pretty much determine how well the driver's cone motion is controlled, even if it's in a sealed enclosure. Done correctly, you will hear 250-500w amplifiers sound MUCH more powerful than they are.
But yeah, high power at low impedance with low Q drivers... you'll be good with anything over a damping factor of 100.
trumpet
5,000+ posts
Barry Schanz
- Thread Starter
- #8
I kind of feel amused about all the different opinions that surround some concepts in the audio world. I have done my bit of looking up damping factor, slew rate, inductance, "fast bass", you name it. If you search enough about the topic in audio, you will find highly respected credible people giving opposing opinions. For example, take a look at the posts below.
E.g. damping factor is crap: DIYMA Car Audio Forum - View Single Post - Understanding slew rate and damping factor (from a former JBL employee)
Or here is a post that implicitly implies that damping factor is important: DIYMA Car Audio Forum - View Single Post - Eric Stevens new company?
E.g. damping factor is crap: DIYMA Car Audio Forum - View Single Post - Understanding slew rate and damping factor (from a former JBL employee)
Or here is a post that implicitly implies that damping factor is important: DIYMA Car Audio Forum - View Single Post - Eric Stevens new company?
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