Tube dampeners on ARC gear ... FREE TWEAK

Something I didn't know, thanks for the info.

On the stock tubes from ARC with dampers, they are placed high up on the tube but not fully on the silver upper end of the tube. Are there any gains to be had by moving them up, say, the distance of 1 1/2 damper widths so that they sit beyond the translucent part of the tube as opposed to beyond the plate structure?

For better tube damping, try the ones by Herbie.

I also previously found that moving the rings to the uppermost top of each 6H30 to be the best position, and have also removed the rings from the power supply tubes (I have Ref 40 which utilizes 10 6H30 tubes, two of which are in the power supply, one for each channel). I tried herbies tube dampers as well, but the rings were better sounding in my system. I also found that two rings as supplied by ARC were better sounding than a single ring on the tubes in my system.

Oregonpapa, you had mentioned this to me in one of the SR threads. I had forgotten to reply in regard to my results. I want to thank you for your reccomendation. You are 100% correct. It’s just "mo betta". The frequency extensions are enhanced, air and speed increases, along with greater transparency- and that sense of being live also improves. The image is much sharper as well. It is NOT subtle at all. It is not unlike a fuse or cable upgrade in its effectiveness. In fact, when you AB compare, the higher position wins VERY easily. It almost brings the performance of the preamp to a whole new level. After going back to the dampers in the lower positions, you can hear the smearing. It just KILLS the sound. I sure as hell ain’t going back. Good stuff man! Everyone should at least experiment, I doubt anyone would disagree.