Cables & Accessories

This DC1 plate from Soundeck uses Sound Damped Steel (SDS) and is fitted between the cartridge and headshell for the purpose of curbing physical vibrations that can be conveyed from the cartridge down the tonearm, through the turntable and platter and back to the stylus via the record. This unwanted mechanical feedback loop can result in sonic colouration, and the DC1 cartridge damping plate aims to effectively dissipate the vibrations by converting them into tiny amounts of heat.

The 1mm-thick plate is made from a vibration-absorbing aluminium laminate, which employs the principle of constrained-layer damping to convert vibrations into heat energy. Installation is a case of removing the screws holding the cartridge in the headshell, inserting the DC1 between the cartridge and headshell, and then re-fitting the cartridge. The pad is pre-drilled with three holes to allow it to fit with a selection of cartridges. The tracking force and alignment of the cartridge in the headshell will need to be checked, and the tonearm should be raised by 1mm to maintain the correct VTA (vertical tracking angle). 

Performance
With the DC1 in place between my Kiseki Blue NOS MC cartridge and a standard metal headshell fitted to my Jelco SA-750 tonearm, I play a half-speed mastered LP of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side Of The Moon. The somewhat menacing heart beat that precedes Speak To Me ramps in from nowhere and builds to a climax to herald the start of the music. The bass is firm and tight and perhaps even a little tighter than before the DC1 was put in place. There’s slightly less confusion with the complexities of the music as the album progresses and although it gives only a subtle sonic improvement with my arm and cartridge, I suspect it will yield greater results in other setups. NR

DETAILS
Product: Soundeck DC1
Price: £62.50
Type: Cartridge damping plate
Read the full review in May issue 449