Tube dampeners on ARC gear ... FREE TWEAK

 The Furman Elite 15 PFI. The difference is huge. But then it should be. The Furman Elite 15 PFI retails for around $700. The Shunyata Triton retailed for $5000.

 I will also say that the Shunyata Triton has much better isolation and noise reduction. I have had problems with compact fluorescent bulbs in another room causing hum in my preamp. The Furman did nothing to help the situation and I think may have been the cause. I had a cheap Adcom ace for a while which did not do this and the Shunyata Triton does not have this problem. As a matter of fact it never happened before I got the Furman.   

These threads have been so informative and helpful, my system just continues to improve. Not long ago I tried the black fuse in my power amp, then the pre/pro and phono stage. I was surprised that a simple fuse could make such a difference.

Recently I decided to buy a Furutech GTX-D Rhodium outlet and installed it in the outlet that my pre/pro and phono stage are plugged into, all I can say is WOW what a difference! Since it replaced a Gaofei Red Copper Rhodium plated outlet I wasn't expecting much, boy was I wrong. Moved the Gaofei Rhodium to the dedicated circuit/outlet for my power amp, just last night (late last night) and another big change.

Now to the main reason for this post, Herbie's tube dampers. I have a Fosgate Signature Phono stage that I have spent years trying to get "right" now I realize that is a subjective statement but I know what I like and the Fosgate has always been to dark for my taste. Tubes, Power cords, Black fuse, and the Furutech outlet have all combined for huge gains in my analog enjoyment....BUT just yesterday I installed six Herbie's UltraSonic SS dampers on the six gain tubes, then one UltraSonic RX on the rectifier tube.

Wow to say I am impressed is an understatement, I finally fell that my Fosgate is sounding like it should. Now I know that more time listening is required and also not saying this is all I will do, but for possibly the first time ever I turned off my system after listening to several albums feeling that my analog sounded about the way it should.

Thanks for the Herbie tip, I had been contemplating trying tube dampers but didn't know what to try. Anyone thinking about trying these, stop thinking and just do it. I can't imagine you wouldn't find them an improvement, besides your money back if your not satisfied!

Regards,
Gary

Hi, Gary ...

Such a nice report. :-)

Its really something when you consider just how much smear is produced by those micro vibrations and lack of solid connections in our systems. Something not realized until the offending situations are removed from the system. 

There are tons of these tweaks available that really make a difference. You might want to try the SR HFT's. I can vouch for their effectiveness. Way beyond what you'd expect:

http://highend-electronics.com/products/sr-hft-high-frequency-transformer

After I complete my system with the Herbie's tube dampeners, I'm going to try the SR PHT's on my cartridge. I've read some fantastic reviews on them too:

http://highend-electronics.com/products/synergistic-research-pht-phono-transducer

OP

Frank,

if the herbies rings are so great, do you think it would be even better with the ARC rings on top of them?  Thx

Allan

Allan ...

I don't have a clue. Honest.  However, I am getting such a natural musical presentation from the Herbie's tube dampeners by themselves, that I have no compulsion to try the ARC rings in combination with the Herbie dampeners. My audiophile friends are super critical and they are blown away by the system now, as am I. 

I have 12 used ARC rings that I can send you for free if you want to try it for yourself. :-)

Frank