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EAT Tube Damper

Just sharing one person's experience with EAT tube dampers. Wow. A great experience!

System:
- Zanden DAC 5000Sig
- CJ Act 2 Pre
- Gryphon Antileon
- SF Strads
- Velodyne DD18 (in parallel)
- Transp Ref Cabling
- PAD Ann Contego and Dominus Ferox PCs
- PS Audio Quintet (DAC/pre only)

Love my DAC but the Jan Phillips 6922 tube is exceedingly microphonic!!!...snap your fingers across the room, and the speakers ring! I had my DAC tilted on sandbags at a 30-degree angle to get it not to ring.

I replaced with a Mullard 6DJ8...better soundstage, dynamics, bass and NO microphony...but LESS musical to my ear...vocals not as organic...so I went back to the Jan Phillips and tilting the DAC.

Then a distributor recommended EAT tube dampers...just put it in...voila!

No microphony (so far) even on movie tracks with the Velodyne kicking. And sound technicals have improved:
- much greater instrument separation...like upgrading cables
- much clearer vocals
- greater soundstage and image solidity

So now I feel like I got the best of both worlds---the musicality of the phillips and the detail, presence, soundstage and depth of the mullard...now what would happen if I put in a mullard 7308 or a phillips holland 7308??? ;)

Thanks, EAT!!!
lloydelee21
lloydelee21 OP
1,202 posts
 
Wow...so I just hooked up a Mullard 7308 with the EAT tube damper to my Zanden. Better in every way mid-range wise. Bass is also much deeper and more pronounced...though with this has come a realization that the bass could use more definition...

...Thankfully when I ordered the mullard 7308 I also ordered an amperex 7308 which may improve on this. To be heard...

One way or the other, the EAT damper is doing wonders for my system...microphony, detail,

Lloyd
samhar
1,048 posts
 
Lloyd how did the Amperex 7308 Holland compare to the Mullard 7308, the bass should be tighter! Was it in your system?
lloydelee21 OP
1,202 posts
 
Hi Samhar,

I have only just received the Mullard 7308 and Amperex 7308. I have put the Mullard in first. So far, very impressive. The soundstage is fuller and stronger, the highs on a piano better, more natural. The bass feels like it is a half octave deeper...but i am curious to see when i put the amperex in whether i retain most of the above with tigher bass. will report back!

FWIW, i spoke with someone from Zanden who personally did highly recommend the mullard 7308 (and seemed to suggest his preference was over the amperex). I will report back! thanks.
samhar
1,048 posts
 
Hello Lloyd
On another note I just bought a quad of Electro-Harmonix 6H30Pi from The Tubestore for the Act 2. I read(but can't remember where) these have a fuller mid range but are a little less extended at both ends than the Sovteks. One more variable to try!!!! A friend who's opinion I respect didn't feel the DR's were worth the price( no big improvement) so I'll start here.
lloydelee21 OP
1,202 posts
 
I have heard far fewer success stories on rolling in the Act 2 with the 6H30P...not sure why. I will say that i have definitely heard plenty of good stories about the upgrade to Series 2...i feel confident i will do that some day. in fact, i have not heard one bad thing about the upgrade...only strong positives. Far more musical, lower noise floor, better dynamics...

let me know about cables when you can! Look forward to hearing more about your adventures. ;)
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