Tube dampeners work best if the amp has good vibration control itself. That requires an effective combination of feet and tube sockets. In my experience EAT on small signal tubes and Duende Critura on everything else work best and their contribution is not negligible.
Tube dampener questions
I bought some tube dampeners and on when I put them on the tubes on the amp and DAC it seemed to suck the life out of the sound so I removed them.
Doing some tube rolling and while the new tubes sounded good the vocals were disconnected somehow. They seemed to distort during dynamics so I put a dampener on the input tube and it seemed to help at the cost of a little bit of life.
What is the correct way to use tube dampeners?
As vibration control are they like a guitar string and where they rest on the tube changes the frequency of the vibration?
Several burns later I think I got it right but I'm sure someone out there knows how to do this correctly.
Doing some tube rolling and while the new tubes sounded good the vocals were disconnected somehow. They seemed to distort during dynamics so I put a dampener on the input tube and it seemed to help at the cost of a little bit of life.
What is the correct way to use tube dampeners?
As vibration control are they like a guitar string and where they rest on the tube changes the frequency of the vibration?
Several burns later I think I got it right but I'm sure someone out there knows how to do this correctly.
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- 27 posts total
The best are not at all. I've tried those thing 10 times AT least. Buddies bring them over and it just KILLS the valve. For ME.. We used every material we could think of from BR, silicone, teflon backed, a silicone bead. I went through every O-Ring box on 5 service trucks, Thousands of O-Rings from different manufactures. Big ZERO for me.. I use a lot of Telefunken small valves It just kills that valve. Where I use a Mullard type valve same thing.. NO dampeners.. They aren't getting close to the power valves, 6V6, 6L6, EL34s, 6550s or KT88. It's like taking a shower with a rain coat on.. Regards |
What you heard is what they do, suck the life out of the music. Some people, their system is so harsh and grainy and fatiguing this over-correction may actually be slightly better. But that's about it. Ideally the best way to use them is return for refund. Second best is keep in a drawer with all your other mistakes (we all have em) and old gear. You know like my power cords. Keep them around for when you get tired of talking when it is so much more effective to show. So someone asks what you mean by how can something soft suck the life out? Instead of explaining you show them the tube dampers, slide em on, and let them hear for themselves. |
well, like most things..sometimes a firmly held belief often developed w a small sample read experience size, should now and then be revisited. The 6H30 tube does benefit imo. Albert has never heard this amplifier, nor the caliber of gear you would run with it. Zoom in on the tube damper that serves another function as well. Some parameters, very audible are a function of temperature, so why not kill two birds….w one damping block ? The ARC Ref series preamps using the 6H30 tube , using an elastomeric damper benefit also. Let me know when Albert creates anything better than an ARC preamp….. Notice the entire amp hangs from an HRS isolation truss. HRS like ARC and Vandersteen are measure and listen companies. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/3803#&gid=1&pid=5 none of my more mundane preamps benefit, well except for the CJ which…wait for it..dampens the entire board. carry on, but think and listen… |
- 27 posts total