Tone Killers not to mention snake oil
Tube dampener questions
I bought some tube dampeners and on when I put them on the tubes on the amp and DAC it seemed to suck the life out of the sound so I removed them.
Doing some tube rolling and while the new tubes sounded good the vocals were disconnected somehow. They seemed to distort during dynamics so I put a dampener on the input tube and it seemed to help at the cost of a little bit of life.
What is the correct way to use tube dampeners?
As vibration control are they like a guitar string and where they rest on the tube changes the frequency of the vibration?
Several burns later I think I got it right but I'm sure someone out there knows how to do this correctly.
Doing some tube rolling and while the new tubes sounded good the vocals were disconnected somehow. They seemed to distort during dynamics so I put a dampener on the input tube and it seemed to help at the cost of a little bit of life.
What is the correct way to use tube dampeners?
As vibration control are they like a guitar string and where they rest on the tube changes the frequency of the vibration?
Several burns later I think I got it right but I'm sure someone out there knows how to do this correctly.
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- 27 posts total
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danager The tubes that give the most microphonic are the higher gain tubes, input tubes and driver tube, then the output tubes. To reduce microphonics in all tubes, and that have thin glass that rings like a bell when you flick them, use these high temperature silicon "O" rings as a good cheap alternative to "audio brand " $$$$$ ones. As they works just as good. I used to use 2 or 3 per tube. Don’t get them too tight a fit as they can slightly dent the glass after a long period when very hot. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313&_nkw=high+temperature+... Cheers George |
Thank you everybody. In my mind adjusting the silicon ring up and down the tube made me feel like I heard less distortion on the vocals as they transitioned from soft to loud and finally ended up with a thinner ring on the top quarter of the tube and it sounded pretty good to my ears. I then purchased a 1960s d getter tube input/driver tube and the tube dampener became a moot point. The new tube sounded better and I don't feel the need to apply a dampener. Was I really hearing microphonics? I don't know but that tube is back in the drawer. |
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- 27 posts total