Text: As applied to a loudspeaker, describes its ability to come to a complete stop the instant the electrical signal that is being fed into it ceases. In a system with poor damping, the speaker cone will continue to vibrate for a moment after the input signal has ended. This "hangover" blurs musical details. Amplifiers also have a "damping factor," which helps control the speaker. A high amplifier damping factor, usually above 10, is satisfactory for most speaker systems, although some speakers operate best with amplifiers that have lower or higher damping factors. Clarity in the reproduction of complex orchestral passages - particularly those involving heavy percussion - is an indication of good damping characteristics, since good damping contributes to a speaker's transient response.

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