tube damper help

Herbies makes good tube dampers. They can be effective in quieting microphonic tubes.

I mainly use O-rings bought at the hardware store for peanuts. Try 'em for a while to make sure they don't melt :-)

As with Tvad, I'm not at all sure they do anything much. And yes, I've tried the Herbies versions too.

Please don't do this.

Try 'em for a while to make sure they don't melt

If you want to try "o-ring" type dampers,use high temp silicon,available here in the classifieds and from several vendors on ebay.It's up to you to say if you can hear any difference,not someone else.Good luck.

Okay, no kidding. The black o-rings at the hardware store (take a tube along to get the right size) have never melted on me. Ever. But I use them only on small tubes such as 12AX7s and 6922s and should have said not to try them on power output tubes like El34s, 6550s, KT88s or anything else that runs really hot. My mistake.

Like Dopogue, I use silicone O-rings, but I purchased them online where I could be sure I got a formulation that would take the heat. They're available very cheaply and in my experience work as well as the Herbie's, the only others I've tried.

What effect they have is, like most things audio, dependent on the situation. I find they make more difference on octal tubes than 9-pin miniatures, and that they make more difference in units that have top mounted tubes rather than the tubes enclosed within the chassis. In some instances, they've made no discernible difference at all, but I still use them because it makes me feel better.

:-)

David