Do tube dampers really work?

I am curious about what people notice, too. What are people hearing as an improvement?

I understand how less vibration would help with sound and that heat dissipation might prolong the life of a tube. I really like any idea that is cheaper and works. Bigkidz offers the lead ribbon idea. That would get the weight but would not lead concentrate the heat in one spot?

I have seen the Hal-O things listed here a lot. Andy from Vintage Tube Services is highly respected and he offers gold-plated brass dampers. BUT, they are to the tune of FIFTY-FOUR dollars EACH for small tubes like the 6922. Has anyone tried these and are they better in relation to the price difference?

Marakanetz,

Tubes are microphonic in nature, try knocking anywhere near the tube socket.

Gnobber,
Up /down, lose/tight - the magnitude of damping.

Motdathird,

Can a metallic clamp added on a tuning fork prevent the tuning fork from vibrating when being stroke? A metal clamp will only change the resonance frequency.

If you want to know what HAL-O's do to the sound, check out their website. Many people describe what it does for their systems under the review section. You can find the website through the manufacturers list on Audiogon.

They have made a big difference in my system, particularly in 3D spacial characteristics.

I recently bought the new Pearl Tube dampers. I didn't notice any difference in the musical presentation, but what I did notice is the elimination of some minor microphonics of my NOS Telefunken E88CC's. Also, they significantly reduced the temperature of the tubes and this is a good thing - the tubes will last longer.

I have used the ARC rings with good results and as a result of this thread ordered the Hal-o rings from Herbie's, not to be confused with Herpes :)

These rings improve performance in several areas but might vary with the components they are used with. First there is a notable lack of microphonics in my new Supratek preamp which I recently received and which was a bit noisy at times, especially with those confounded but wonderful Ken Rad 6SN7 line tubes. The other area is clarity and image focus which I also noted with the ARC rings. They are well worth the expense and to answer your question, yes, they do work. As with all such things, YMMV. For the cost I would give them a try since there is no obligation if they don't. A cheap tweak worth the expense.