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The Primers Damping Factor
The Primers Damping Factor
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Damping Factor Damping Factor Defined |
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The impedance of the speaker will also affect what is known as the
"damping factor". This is defined as the ratio of the impedance of the
speaker to the output impedance of the amplifier. Thus, if the speaker
impedance is 8 Ohms, and the amplifier output impedance is 0.05 Ohms,
then the damping factor is 8 divided by 0.05 = 160. High damping
factors usually mean that the bass response will be well defined
("tight"), whereas a low damping factor will result in a loose sounding
bass. Tight or loose bass is from an amplifier is not a matter of
preference. A low damping factor on an amplifier implies a high output
impedance, which means that the frequency response of the amp can
change by reacting to the changing impedance of the speaker it drives,
making results unreliable. The bass is just one area that might suffer
from a low damping factor, as it can also adversely affect other
frequencies where a speaker's impedance isn't flat. Some tube
amplifiers may have low damping factors, for example, 10, compared to
solid state, which may contribute to their typically loose bass
response (tube amplifiers are often described in terms of "warmth" or
"looseness", and it can be a very pleasant effect). Such an effect may
be very pleasurable, but it's also a good guarantee that you're not
hearing what the loudspeaker designer created. In any case, the
specification sheet for the amplifier will sometimes list the damping
factor, but so long as it's above 70 or so, it's not really a real
world issue.
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