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Benefit of Tube Dampers/Coolers on 6H30?

A quick search of the forums led me to the belief that the effectiveness of tube dampers and coolers is dependent on the tubes used.

I'm auditiioning an Ayon CD-2, and want to really hear what it's capable of before deciding to keep it (which I'm leaning toward anyway).

I'm curious about how beneficial dampers and coolers are on 6H30 tubes. And if they are helpful, which to use? I saw Mrtennis recommended the EAT coolers/dampers (http://www.elusivedisc.com/prodinfo.asp?number=MHEATDAMP)in another thread, and he stated they tamed some of the mid/treble glare in his unit, which is exactly the issue I have with the performance of the CD-2 right now. OTOH, it seems Herbie's halos (http://herbiesaudiolab.home.att.net/)are the most popular choice, although I sense the EATs are fairly new.

Then there are these, with a choice of brass or copper: http://www.audiotubes.com/damper.htm

These, which look very much like the EATs, but cheaper: http://www.partsconnexion.com/Advertising/audiogon/pearl.html

These for the *really* brave: http://www.realhamradio.com/liquid-cooling.htm

And I recently saw some coolers/dampers somewhere that looked like the EAT and pcX, but longer, covering almost the entire tube, although I can't find them now.

I'm a bit lost. Are any of these products superior to the others? Do any of them change the sound in different ways than the others? Would it be beneficial to combine products, such as Herbie's and the EAT on the tubes?

Are the 6H30 tubes so good they don't suffer from microphonics and other common tube characteristics such that the use of any of these devices would render little if any beneift?

Thanks to all for your thoughts.

HC
aggielaw
aggielaw OP
267 posts
 
Slowly. I've had to travel quite a bit for work, and the unit is headed back to the dealer to have an XLR output repaired that was damaged in shipping to me.

I got the system to sound much better by adjusting the speaker positions. I'm still not sold on the unit, but a few days of listening and tweaking when I get the unit back and am home long enough - which should be about March 11 - and I should know something.
jafox
1,470 posts
 
Nos 6h30's are much better than the stock ones, just as nos 6922,6dj8,7308's are considerably better than stock ones
My experience with the 6H30 DR vs. the latter Sovtek labeled 6H30 tubes in a BAT 31SE indicated the differences were minimal at best. But differences between various 1950s and 1960s Amperex, Telefunken, Valvo, Siemens, Phillips 6DJ8/6922 compared to Sovtek 6992 in state-of-the-art gear like the Aria WV's line and phono stages, Aesthetix Io/Callisto and older ARC gear like the SP-10/MCP-33 are HUGE. The claims of major differences with 6H30 tubes are way overrated.
eee3
214 posts
 
Overrated to who Jafox? Just because you don't hear a difference doesn't mean that a difference is not heard by someone else. Everyone's system is different. The only person you can speak for is yourself and how it may have sounded in your system!
There obviously must be a huge difference or folks wouldn't be talking about it.
That's the problem with this site, too many folks speaking their opinion as if it were a universally accepted fact.
This hobby is and has been about how a specific component sounds to that particular person in their system period and as I stated to Samhar if you haven't tried all of the different variations, then you can't speak from experience.
elberoth2's avatar
elberoth2
1,223 posts
 
The claims of major differences with 6H30 tubes are way overrated.

I second that.
jafox
1,470 posts
 
Eee3, I did not say I did not hear a 6H30 difference. I said the difference was minimal compared to the major differences between 6922/6DJ8 for which you related to. Please note again that I wrote "claims of major differences", and not, "claims of differences".

If you read the various ARC LS26 and Ref3 threads where people have written about differences with 6H30 tubes, you will see that the consensus there that the observed differences are minimal. Again, my comment was not of absolutes but rather a relative vs. differences between tubes of other types.

Compare an Amperex 6922 PQ or Telefunken 6DJ8 vs. the stock Sovtek 6922 in your ARC PH3SE. And then compare the 6H30 DR vs. common Sovtek 6H30 in your ARC LS25 II. You will then know the point I tried to make before.
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