Anyone use tube dampers?

[Masterlu]

Dirt Ft... Welcome!

[Steady339]

Hello Dirt Ft, Welcome to AA!

[ehoove]

Dirt Ft. Welcome to AA
Regards,
Jim

[Dirt Ft.]

Thank You all

Ken

[turbocruiser]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

Dan... I bought a bunch of the real pretty ones from EAT only to find they wouldn't fit on the tubes they were supposed to.

So my tubes are all running nude.

Without rudeness whatsoever, I'd suggest that with all the tubes you have, you have essentially created nudist colonies of epic extremes by allowing them all to run around nude like that!

Seriously though I've always had a hard time imagining how dampening the glass matters to the innards of the tube? Therefore I try isolating the component completely and not just the tubes. Not saying that they definitely don't work, just saying I have a hard time imagining how.

[Niles]

Originally Posted by turbocruiser

Seriously though I've always had a hard time imagining how dampening the glass matters to the innards of the tube? Therefore I try isolating the component completely and not just the tubes. Not saying that they definitely don't work, just saying I have a hard time imagining how.

In some applications a damper may help.

I built a Transcendent Grounded Grid preamp for a customer and had to dampen all 3 tubes. When you tapped on the preamp's cover, you could actually hear a soft thud. For some reason, this preamp was prone to microphonics. The tube dampers helped reduce microphonics.

In my systems, all my sources have tubes. The tubes in my CD player have factory installed tube shields. In my tuner, the tube has a factory installed damper.

Personally, I prefer tube shields, especially in combo guitar amps.

[turbocruiser]

Originally Posted by Niles

For some reason, this preamp was prone to microphonics. The tube dampers helped reduce microphonics.

And not as an argument at all but were the dampers dampening the tubes or were they dampening the preamp in that instance?

[HedgeHog]

Originally Posted by turbocruiser

And not as an argument at all but were the dampers dampening the tubes or were they dampening the preamp in that instance?

Probably the tube...some tubes ring pretty badly so these should minimize or eliminate microphonics; so it was get in the audio signal. Here's a vid of tube microphonics noise (too bad they didn't put a damper on it and tap again).

[ame=http://youtu.be/13n1VCR6UXw]Noise Testing type 6922 / 6DJ8 / 7308 Vacuum Tubes - YouTube[/ame]

[Steady339]

Dan, I've tried the donut-type tube dampers on preamp tubes, but have noticed little to no difference in the sound.

Roger

[Rayooo]

In my experience, assuming a micro-phonic tube as shown in the video, installing fancy tube dampers on such tubes, make virtually no difference. If the tube is micro-phonic to begin with, it remains micro-phonic after installing a tube damper, or dampers.

Some higher end preamp designs do more than others to isolate the immediate tube circuitry from the chassis. i.e. CJ ET-5 has the tube socket PWAs isolated.

I do use tube dampers on my GAT, primarily because CJ does and it seems like it's the "in-thing" to do with tubes these days. I'm hard pressed to state any specific improvement in sound quality based on dampers on, or off, but, I guess even with good quality (non-microphonic) tubes, a little damping of the tube's glass envelope couldn't hurt....