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RanDOM Inquiry here⏷
So what the heck is damping factor anyways?
I'll do my best to explain it here. And this is by no means an exhaustive explanation. Also, feel free to reply via the form and give your feedback.
Damping factor is your amplifier's ability to control the movement of your woofer and thus the back EMF coming from it. It is expressed mathematically as DF = Zload/Zsource
Essentially the impedance of your speakers divided by the output impedance of what you're driving them with. Amplifiers with a higher damping factor will thus have a lower output impedance based on the formula.
If you've ever experimented around with speakers and microphones and things like that, you have probably found that you can hook up a little mid-range speaker as a microphone with a 1/4-in jack on it, plug it into a microphone input, and Bob's your uncle! You just created a 4" microphone. The speaker is essentially working in reverse from its normal function.
The sound waves from your voice hit the cone and cause minute vibrations within the magnetic gap, which then induce a voltage into the coil in relation to the amplitude and frequency of your voice. Keep this in mind, we'll come back to it.
Now think of that woofer in your cabinet. 10, 12 or 15 inches or whatever it is. It is much bigger than a mid-range or a diaphragm you would find in a microphone.
The natural in and out movement movement of your woofer causes what's called a back EMF, or electromotive force. This is fed back down your speaker wire into your amplifier's output stage. It is out of phase with the original signal coming in.
This is similar to our microphone story where the cone movement causes signal back down the line.
Every driver does this to some extent, but it is obviously most pronounced with your woofer because it is the largest driver and has thus largest voice coil and magnetic gap.
Now what happens when this voltage comes back into the amplifier when it is really not supposed to?
Well, if you have a well-designed amplifier it is going to have a very low output impedance. Also, some amplifiers employ what's called back-EMF snubbing diodes which conduct only for inverted signals, thus killing the signal coming back. The low output impedance is a real problem for the signal coming back. It essentially gets shunted and eliminated.
There is much discussion about how much damping factor is the correct amount. I am not going to go into that discussion here. You can find that answer easily elsewhere.
When discussing damping factor, you also have to take into account the mechanical damping from the cabinet and tuning of the box that the woofer is sitting in. But that is also a whole other discussion.
Insufficient gauge of speaker wire will cause poor damping factor because the return output impedance is increased due to copper loss.
I hope I have clarified some of the aspects of damping factor. As I mentioned in the opening, feel free to use a contact form and send me your feedback, pun intended.
I'll do my best to explain it here. And this is by no means an exhaustive explanation. Also, feel free to reply via the form and give your feedback.
Damping factor is your amplifier's ability to control the movement of your woofer and thus the back EMF coming from it. It is expressed mathematically as DF = Zload/Zsource
Essentially the impedance of your speakers divided by the output impedance of what you're driving them with. Amplifiers with a higher damping factor will thus have a lower output impedance based on the formula.
If you've ever experimented around with speakers and microphones and things like that, you have probably found that you can hook up a little mid-range speaker as a microphone with a 1/4-in jack on it, plug it into a microphone input, and Bob's your uncle! You just created a 4" microphone. The speaker is essentially working in reverse from its normal function.
The sound waves from your voice hit the cone and cause minute vibrations within the magnetic gap, which then induce a voltage into the coil in relation to the amplitude and frequency of your voice. Keep this in mind, we'll come back to it.
Now think of that woofer in your cabinet. 10, 12 or 15 inches or whatever it is. It is much bigger than a mid-range or a diaphragm you would find in a microphone.
The natural in and out movement movement of your woofer causes what's called a back EMF, or electromotive force. This is fed back down your speaker wire into your amplifier's output stage. It is out of phase with the original signal coming in.
This is similar to our microphone story where the cone movement causes signal back down the line.
Every driver does this to some extent, but it is obviously most pronounced with your woofer because it is the largest driver and has thus largest voice coil and magnetic gap.
Now what happens when this voltage comes back into the amplifier when it is really not supposed to?
Well, if you have a well-designed amplifier it is going to have a very low output impedance. Also, some amplifiers employ what's called back-EMF snubbing diodes which conduct only for inverted signals, thus killing the signal coming back. The low output impedance is a real problem for the signal coming back. It essentially gets shunted and eliminated.
There is much discussion about how much damping factor is the correct amount. I am not going to go into that discussion here. You can find that answer easily elsewhere.
When discussing damping factor, you also have to take into account the mechanical damping from the cabinet and tuning of the box that the woofer is sitting in. But that is also a whole other discussion.
Insufficient gauge of speaker wire will cause poor damping factor because the return output impedance is increased due to copper loss.
I hope I have clarified some of the aspects of damping factor. As I mentioned in the opening, feel free to use a contact form and send me your feedback, pun intended.
