Herbies Ultra Sonic RX is by far the best with just enough damping for small signal tubes.Many dampers over damp these do not.
Best tube dampers that you have used
I currently have a Thor Audio monoblocks TP-150, 8 EL-34's Sovtek tubes for each amp.
Was wondering in anyone's experience will tube dampers improve the sound quality.
Am hesitant to proceed as I have read that tube dampers can melt from the heat of the tubes and sometimes
cause smoke. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Was wondering in anyone's experience will tube dampers improve the sound quality.
Am hesitant to proceed as I have read that tube dampers can melt from the heat of the tubes and sometimes
cause smoke. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
46 responses Add your response
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I use the Herbies Rx in my ARC Ref40 and the HAL-O in my VTL MB450III. They are well made and very effective but they will change the tone and presentation of your amps. If you are looking for warm and tubey sound don’t go with the Herbies. They definitely bring out the crispness and definition in my gear but this may not be what you are looking for depending on how the rest of your system is configured |
Almost all tube dampers actually hurt the sound. But we’re so convinced Tube dampers are a good thing we leave them on and don’t think twice about it. Big mistake. Most dampers overdamp or have some odd side effect. Herbies are the only ones that improve the sound imho. With some caveats. The trick is where on the tube to place a Herbies damper. You can’t necessarily go with what people say. The best place is usually - but maybe not always - right where the getter is on the tube. So if it’s a top getter the damper goes near the top of the glass. It’s it’s a bottom getter near the bottom of the glass. For large tubes with bases another Herbies can be placed on the base for further improvement. Obviously, it is possible in many cases to spend more on Herbies Dampers that you did on the tubes. 😀 |
ebm"Birth control for tubes are you joking??" There are grammar school children here who think "jokes" like this are really hysterical just like the humor they use on the playground it is best to ignore them if you criticize them too much they are sensitive and will have you're post deleted. |
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Putting a tube damper on tubes may or may not have an effect on sound (If a tube seems microphonic, replace it), but the point of them is obviously to damp vibration and stomp out the dreaded (by some, not me) microphonics which can possibly chew the fun out of your audio gum. It is not, I repeat not, possible to "overdamp" a tube as the inside of the tube is what is making things go, not the glass. To state otherwise is strange, utter nonsense, and not entirely unexpected. |
My favourite tube dampers are the Duende Teflon/titanium tube dampers. They are an improvement from what came from Audio Research on my LS16 MK II although less than what I got from substituting NOS tubes (let alone updating the output caps to the latest Stealth caps). Same result when reubing my VT100 MKII amp, although the input and driver tubes were JAN Phillips 6922 tubes supplied by Audio Research. Much better bass. Subsequent substitution of the Wondecap interstate coupling caps by Stealth caps made the biggest difference. |
Forget expensive audiophile tube dampers, use red silicon "O" Rings are the best bang for buck to quieten tube microphonics used two spaced per tube. Choose your size, don’t make them too tight, they "can" dent the glass over time. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=silicon+O+rings&_sacat... Cheers George |
I've had very good success with Mapleshade Halo tube dampers. https://shop.mapleshadestore.com/Tube-Gear-Upgrades/products/316/. The Halo tube dampers come with grounding straps. As one of my audiophile friends said, "...what a steal at such a great price..." I put the Halos on my tubes after hearing the SQ difference in his system. I just got two more Halos because my new preamp has 4 tubes instead of the 2 like in my previous preamp. |
Try going to the local O-ring industrial supply shop and buy some high temp silicon O-rings (usually white) you can get various sizes but taking a simple ruler and measuring the aprox diameter of the tube is all you need you can get various thicknesses to try. they work excellently and at the minimal cost you can experiment with different thicknesses. this will tell you if spending more is going to be worth it in your system. I got a dozen of various sizes for under a few bucks. they are essentially the same thing as the custom guys sell for way more. |
I have tried pearl coolers, and ARC silicon rings on both power and small signal tubes. I always end up removing them after listening for a short while. They seem to kill the life and musicality of my tube equipment. Never tried Herbies, as they are not cheap. They seem to get good comments around the web, so maybe they would work better. I would not use them unless I had some microphonics from the tube gear that I could not deal with. I am happy with the sound I am currently achieving in my room, so I won't F with a good thing. I have also found the same life robbing effect when using spike feet on my amps or preamp, crossover, etc. Think spongy rubber feet on my amps make an improvement, spikes are detremental. Spikes do improve my speakers though. |
mg16 I would not use them unless I had some microphonics from the tube gear that I could not deal with. I am happy with the sound I am currently achieving in my room, so I won’t F with a good thing. >>>The interesting thing about the Herbies dampers is they only barely touch the tube glass at all, just enough, the way they’re designed. The other interesting thing is they work even on tubes advertised as very low microphonic. I.e., all tubes are microphonic to some degree. All that’s required is knowing where the getter is. |
I have tried pearl coolers, and ARC silicon rings on both power and small signal tubes. I always end up removing them after listening for a short while. They seem to kill the life and musicality of my tube equipment.This says to me you like a little microphonics going on that's alright too. To test your tubes for microphonics , turn the volume to where you normal have it and just tap each tube with the back of your finger nail, with someone listening at each speaker, you'll find the one/s that "doinks" Cheers George |
After 15 years of faithful service from my Audible Illusions pre, I decided it was past time to change out the original tubes. Each Amperex 6DJ8 tube had a heavy band of some type of dark charcoal putty (approx 3/8" wide x 1/8" thick) around the middle of ea tube. As I bought the amp from my dealer as a demo unit, I’m not sure if the putty was put on the original tubes by the dealer or was put on by the manufacture. I cleaned the putty off of the tubes, intending to put it back around the new tubes, but never did. After a couple of hours of warm up, the new Amperex tubes sounded very good (no doubt restoring a little of the luster lost from 15 years of hard use on the old tubes) so I guess I never felt the need to go back and add the putty. After another 10 years on the replacement Amperex tubes, I recently installed a set of Electro-Harmonix, but not sure if I like them quite as much as the Amperex. Some day I may get the urge to experiment with the putty, or other dampening products, on them and see if it makes a difference.....Jim |
