Tube dampeners on ARC gear ... FREE TWEAK

audiolover ...

I was just thinking about this last night and wondering if you had tried it.

Isn't it amazing how getting rid of certain micro vibrations can improve the sound of audio equipment? I've made a very serious attempt to attack micro vibrations throughout my entire system starting with my turntable, the electronics, extending through the equipment rack ... all the way to the speakers. The tube ring adjustment is just one example of what can be accomplished by paying attention to micro vibrations. There is so much smear to the sound that we don't know is there ... until we remove it. 

So glad you tried it an got good results. Thanks ...

OP

Honestly I would not have thought that the placement would have been so critical on such a small tube, but it is! I also notice that when the rings are low, there is a fattening of the midbass. At first I thought the bass had decreased from pushing the rings up, but then I realized, it wasn't less, but clearer, more tuneful bass, with better extension.  Listening to Bill Evans  live at the village vanguard portrays this well.  You don't realize that all of the bass frequencies are all compressed, and then, once you raise the dampers up higher on the tube, the bass becomes  linear and extended. Same goes for the treble.  This all adds up to seemingly better data retrieval too. And the dynamics- well, they are enough to startle you at low volume.

 Micro vibrations are evil.  I can only imagine just how much my cheap glass and metal rack is hurting my sound. It's not rigid at all. Because of its "avant garde" construction and the weight of the equipment that resides on it, I have 3'4 inch of lateral movement...ugh. I bought it years ago based on looks and it being cheap. 200 bucks out the door.   I was clueless. My equipment looks good on it, but any audiophile in-the-know would shudder at the sight of it. Oh well, a new one will have to wait. Trying to save for a new home. At least for now, I have some butcher blocks and herbies tender feet to help out. The ARC gear remains on stock feet. Thinking about upgrading the tender feet under the CD player. Suggestions? Looking for even more transparency...

Audiolover ...

If you take a look at my avatar, you'll see that I have an all ARC system. I've tried a whole bunch of aftermarket feet under each piece of equipment. Nothing seems to work better than the stock feet. In fact, everything I've tried has detracted from the sound in one way or another. I haven't tried the SR Mig's though. That 30 day return policy is tempting:

http://highend-electronics.com/products/sr-mig

Take a look at my equipment rack. Each shelf is made up of three layers of plywood with a constrained dampening material between each layer. Then the entire rack is spiked to the floor. Going from the rack I used to have ( a cheap one) to this rack was a major improvement. Expensive though. I had it custom made to my specs. 

If you have floor standing speakers, you might want to try putting the unfinished (cheap) Mapleshade platforms under the speakers. Spike the platforms through the carpet, then spike the speakers to the platforms. That was a huge improvement in bass articulation. Improved everything else as well. 

http://mapleshadestore.com/feedback_maplespeakerplinths.php

Another thing that helps is to get your speaker cables off of the floor/carpet. These are the ones I use:

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue36/elevators.htm

If you have floor standing speakers, try putting weight on the top of each speaker. I have one 12"x12" x3" finished, very heavy marble platforms on top of each speaker. It in effect adds mass to the speakers. They fit the top of the speaker's exact dimension  so they look good. Again, more clarity throughout the range and more bass articulation. 

There's tons of ways to attack those micro vibrations that rob our system of the music. I've just listed a few. 

Take care ...

I can attest that Marigo Mystery feet will certainly sound better, however the cost is somewhat excessive ($1500 for a set of the current F8). A further consideration is tha even with the removal of the stock feet there is not enough clearance at the front of my REF40 or Ref 2 phono for the feet to sit flat so it does take some finessing, the sound is worth it however. Much cleaner and crisper, less smearing of microdynamics

also do experiment with removing the top plate on your amps, in the case of the Ref40 this sounded better

^^^ folkfreak ...

Thanks for the input. I have the top plates removed from each piece of equipment, except for the CD player of course. No kids or pets in the household. Just a couple of old dudes. :-)

Those Marigo Mystery Feet look really interesting. I've subsequently read some reviews on the product ... and hey ... If Mikey likes them ... *lol*  I'll have to put them on the bucket list. Thanks for the heads up.

OP