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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
 
Hi Samhar,

So I finally put the Amperex 7308 (US...gold pins) into my Zanden DAC...replaced the Mullard 7308 which I think is a fantastic tube.

So here goes.

...It is hard to call anything 'better' when (as most of us would agree) the tube's sound is totally system-dependent. So in my system and to my ears, I am going to buy more Amperex 7308's. My system has a slight tendency to the dark-side...SF Strads, Gryphon Antileon, Zanden DAC, CJ Act 2 Pre and older Transp Ref cabling (pre-XL).

The Amperex maintains all the musicality, detailing and soundstaging of the Mullard but adds a 'light' in the upper register and voices that is providing me with precisely the balance I have been looking for...ie, balancing against a tendency in my warm system to be a tad 'dark'.

I was actually contemplating upgrading Transp Ref cables to newer Ref MM...now I am holding off. The Amperex 7308 made that much difference in adding "light" to my system.

And still so musical...and mind you, my Zanden warm-up is four hours, and I am writing this after sticking the tube in for 30 minutes. So one's man's experience. Hope that helps!!
In 4 hours, I will of course 're-check'...but I am pretty confident I am going to get a bunch of Amperex 7308s.

Lloyd
samhar
1,048 posts
 
Lloyd thanks for the update. While you're stocking up get a Amperex Holland 7308 to try, has the sparkle with a little more meat on the bones. Have you tried a Siemens Cca?
lloydelee21 OP
1,202 posts
 
Thanks, Samhar! Always great to get advice from experienced A'Goners! I will probably wait a bit on getting add'l Amperex 7308's...so in the meantime may well try to listen to a few others. All I know is with the Amperex 7308 US/gold pin, I am 'done'.
My system is reaching a point where I would call it 'fully evolved'...as I rent my apartment, dedicated lines are not possible.

So the only piece that must be upgraded is transport. And I am contemplating finding the best customized server...possibly taking a Sonos and have it fully modified (power supply, re-clock, etc) and high-speed NAS drives by a firm in california.

While I am tempted to go with transport...I am concerned about how much longer CD's will be made. The Zanden transport is tough to justify if in 5 yrs, they are being phased out.
samhar
1,048 posts
 
Lloyd that's that's AgoNer with "very little experience" compared to most here!!
samhar
1,048 posts
 
LLoyd
I put a quad of Dr's in the C/J today what an improvement!!!!

Ck what I wrote on my page!!
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