2. misc-audio
  3. 1242949154

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
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. ;)
samhar
1,048 posts
 
Lloyd I was putting new power tubes in the Joules this afternoon which requires disconnecting the speaker cables and wondered if you have your S/C reversed at the speaker because of the reverse polarity of the CJ Act 2?
samhar
1,048 posts
 
I meant to say phase inversion not polarity!!!!
lloydelee21 OP
1,202 posts
 
Hi Samhar,

Thank you. Yes, my speaker cables are reversed at the speaker end of the termination (correct at the back of the Gryphon amp). This compensates for the Act 2 inverting. This is what is suggested by CJ. (Just need to double check that the amp does not also reverse...which in my case it does not). Any more word on the cables? Thanks!!!
More to discover