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Tube dampeners on ARC gear ... FREE TWEAK

Here's a cheap (free) tweak for owners of ARC gear using the black tube dampeners. If you move both dampeners as far up toward the top of the tube as possible without having the top one fall off, taking care that both dampeners are solidly touching each other, you will get better dynamics, bass, mids, highs and a lower noise floor. Try it ... you'll like it.
128x128oregonpapa
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oregonpapa OP
4,867 posts
 
bdb24 ...

Before I went to bed last night, I scored this on Ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/262358885962

I figured for $3.10 and free shipping how could I go wrong. Yep, like I need another recording. :-)

Frank
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,788 posts
 
Yep, that's a good one oregonpapa. I believe I have every J.S. Bach title HM put out. Some on LP and CD, which I haven't gotten around to a/b'ing yet. They have a world-class roster of Baroque specialists.
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oregonpapa OP
4,867 posts
 
^^^ Yes, they are wonderful recordings ... and many are offered at bargain prices on Ebay. Funny that audiophiles are paying $30 to $50 for an audiophile pressing when for a few bucks they can experience the HM sound. 
folkfreak's avatar
folkfreak
1,349 posts
 
Just wanted to add a wholehearted endorsement of the Herbie's tube dampers. I've now installed these on all tubes (signal and power supply) on my ARC Ref40 and Phono 2SE -- all I can say is wow!  Compared with the original rubber rings the difference is night and day, a whole layer of distortion disappears. Vocal tracks that I had written off as etched or edgy are now totally clear and a wealth of high end detail comes through that had been masked before. This is particularly apparent on leading edges of percussion making it much easier to distinguish between different types of cymbals

At first blush it may seem as if some of the "impact" is diminished but I put this down to removal of a sort of echo around major dynamic edges

Anyway wholeheartedly recommended and thanks for the tip oregonpapa -- now to get more for my power amps
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oregonpapa OP
4,867 posts
 
^^^ Folkfreak ...

I'm not the person to thank for the Herbie's recommendation, that's for sure.

I do have a question for you though:  Did you try the dampeners just on the signal tubes before adding them to the power supply tubes? Reason I ask is, I was wondering how effective the Herbie's dampeners were on the power tubes in addition to the signal tubes. 

By the way, I'm having fun with my friend Robert in that I haven't told him about the Herbie's dampeners in the preamp. He's been bringing over some of his "special stash" of outstanding sounding LP's and he just keeps saying that he knew they were good, just not THAT good. Hee, hee ... I love a mystery.  I'll spring it on him when the system is completed with the Herbie dampeners. 

One of the records Robert brought over the other night included a bongo player in the right/rear of the sound stage. I've got to say, those bongos were right there in the room in all of their natural sounding glory.  It was so real, we just about fell off of our chairs. An incredible recording indeed ... but who knew? 

OP
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