Does anyone use tube dampers or rings?

Cass Broadview · Post by **Cass Broadview** » 9 Jun 2010 8:36 am

Do any of you tube amp guys use tube rings in your tube amps? A good investment or a waste of money? Advantages? Anyone make their own?

Standard Rings
http://thetubestore.com/tuberings.html

Custom Boutique Rings
http://www.audiotubes.com/damper.htm
Some of these cost more then the tubes....

Tom Wolverton · Post by **Tom Wolverton** » 9 Jun 2010 11:24 am

At first blush, I'd be concerned with the difference in thermal expansion of the glass tube and the ring. Maybe it doesn't matter, but metal moving against glass would eventually grind the glass a bit. But, heck, maybe we don't keep tubes that long for it to matter. I can believe that it makes a sonic difference, expecially for near-microphonic tubes.

John Groover McDuffie · Post by **John Groover McDuffie** » 9 Jun 2010 12:41 pm

Cass Broadview wrote:Do any of you tube amp guys use tube rings in your tube amps? A good investment or a waste of money? Some of these cost more then the tubes....

Both products you linked to seem to me to come from the Audiophile/Golden Ears arena, most of which I dismiss as mumbo-jumbo and/or marketing hype.
I remember hearing something about fools and their respective money... how did that go?

Cass Broadview wrote:Anyone make their own?

I have heard of some people using heat shrink tubing around pre-amp tubes.

You might try something like the silicone rings here: https://taweber.powweb.com/store/tubesktord.htm

Personally I never use them, except for one tube that had heat-shrink on it when I got it. I can't imagine what they are supposed to accomplish. Microphonics come from internal components in the tube rattling, and I don't see how a rubber band around the outside of the glass envelope will make the internal parts more stable with respect to one another. And I would think surrounding a glass vacuum tube with metal ring would do as much to hold heat in as to radiate it away, (convection is the wrong term) unless it had cooling fins.

This inspires me to see what folks on the MEF guitar amp forum have to say on this subject.

OK, here is one thread I found which specifically references the Duende Criatura: http://music-electronics-forum.com/t18178/

Larry Robinson · Post by **Larry Robinson** » 9 Jun 2010 5:54 pm

Theoretically, tube shields are placed on the tubes to shield them from stray magnetic fields. However, I have only seen them on smaller tubes, 12ax7, 6au6, etc. I've not heard of tube rings before and doubt the validity they do anything for the amp. I agree it' some mumbo-jumbo marketing hype and wouldn't waste my time or money on them.

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 9 Jun 2010 7:13 pm

Duende Criatura wrote:The listener will notice improvement of three dimensional picture, a more controlled bass and cleaner sound stage.

I think that if worry about this sort of thing keeps you up at night, you might should buy tube rings.

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 10 Jun 2010 5:36 am

Click Here

Ross Shafer · Post by **Ross Shafer** » 10 Jun 2010 6:25 am

These fancy pants rings look like BS to me. I do know that the silicon o-rings (or other heat resistant rubber o-rings) are used on octal style preamp tubes to help mitigate their tendency toward microphonics. Octal tubes were used before the advent of 9 pin preamp tubes (12ax7, 12au7, etc.). We're talking the 30's, 40's and early 50's here. I've seen them used on other tubes too, but octal preamp tubes are mostly where I've seen them used.

The microphonics do come from inside the tube, but most of what you actually hear is coming from the resonating glass hence the dampers...and they do usually help. If you have a ringing tube and it rings less or stops ringing when you touch it...the o-rings will help

Now those wood knobs are another story...I just gotta get some of those! Thanks for the tip Lee!

Len Amaral · Post by **Len Amaral** » 10 Jun 2010 7:26 am

Hey Lee:

I think I'll change the master volume on my amp with one of those $485.00 wooded knobs. If it makes a difference I'll change the other seven knobs. Now how much is that going to cost me?

John Groover McDuffie · Post by **John Groover McDuffie** » 10 Jun 2010 11:34 am

For 8 knobs, that will be $3880.00 not including shipping. Geez, it's like you guys never heard of a calculator!

Lynn Oliver · Post by **Lynn Oliver** » 10 Jun 2010 1:57 pm

Yeah, but if you are doing the knobs you also need to do the power cord.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 10 Jun 2010 2:28 pm

From the 2nd link referenced in the original post:

NOTE: You should not use any brand or type of metal tube damper/cooler on a tube unit where the tubes are mounted upside down. The metal damper/cooler could fall off an upside-down mounted tube, causing damage to other components in your set. We also do not recommend using metal tube damper/coolers of any brand or type on tubes directly mounted onto Printed Circuit (PC) boards where the PC board solder connections are directly exposed in the vicinity of the tube. Should the damper be dropped, or pushed down onto the solder connections of an energized PC board, it could cause a short-circuit causing equipment damage and possible shock hazard.

Duh, yes - and many if not most guitar amps have tubes mounted upside-down. Not sure these will do much anyway.

If you want to stabilize a tube in the socket - especially if they're upside-down (I lost a 7591a from my old Ampeg in-transit 'cause it just fell out) - tube retainers are the classic approach, and they're generally inexpensive. For example, WeberVST has 'em for under $2.00 apiece -
https://taweber.powweb.com/store/tuberetord.htm. Perhaps if you use a spring retainer on upside-down tubes, one of those silicone or copper rings might stay on, but I'm not exactly sure what it would add.

Len Amaral · Post by **Len Amaral** » 10 Jun 2010 3:30 pm

OK, $485.00/EA for wooden knobs and $625.00 for a power cord. Does anyone actually purchase these items or is this like a military or space shuttle unit like the $1,200.00 toilet seat the pentagon pays for?

Nick Reed · Post by **Nick Reed** » 11 Jun 2010 10:53 am

Cass,
I have a question. Do you even play Steel Guitar?

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 11 Jun 2010 11:37 am

Nick Reed wrote:Cass,
I have a question. Do you even play Steel Guitar?

Nick, from what I have read, here on the Forum, Cass is a fiddle player. It appears to me that she is a big fan of the steel guitar.

Marc Jenkins · Post by **Marc Jenkins** » 11 Jun 2010 1:38 pm

Nick Reed wrote:Cass,
I have a question. Do you even play Steel Guitar?

What does that matter?

Marvin Born · Post by **Marvin Born** » 12 Jun 2010 11:43 am

Yes people do buy $450 power cords. I was at CES a few years ago and a guy was ready to order several $450 power cords for resale. When I asked the vendor, what about all that copper romex in the walls and the aluminum feeders from the transformer to the breaker box, he threw me out of his booth. The guy did not buy the cords.

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Does anyone use tube dampers or rings?

Does anyone use tube dampers or rings?

Re: Does anyone use tube dampers or rings?