Totally Tubular: The Tube Thread

So tube dampeners. What are they? What do they do? Are they worth the cost and should I give them a go?
 
Joe Mac said:
So tube dampeners. What are they? What do they do? Are they worth the cost and should I give them a go?
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They cut down on "bottle" vibrations, meaning glass is usually more sensitive to vibrations and when the tubes are internal it's a bit more susceptible than say on the PL, where the tubes are external/outside. It's one of those things where unless you can A/B it, which I didn't, I would fall back to cost. If their affordable it might be worth a try.

This is what they look like on the Jolida -
1604250884031.png
 
AnthonyI said:
They cut down on "bottle" vibrations, meaning glass is usually more sensitive to vibrations and when the tubes are internal it's a bit more susceptible than say on the PL, where the tubes are external/outside. It's one of those things where unless you can A/B it, which I didn't, I would fall back to cost. If their affordable it might be worth a try.

This is what they look like on the Jolida -
View attachment 72994
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My tubes are outside but my amp isn’t quiet, it is through the speakers, but physically it has noise from the tubes. Got me wondering. That said from my limited reading the herbies seems to be the best and that involves transatlantic shipping and I would need 10...
 
Joe Mac said:
My tubes are outside but my amp isn’t quiet, it is through the speakers, but physically it has noise from the tubes. Got me wondering. That said from my limited reading the herbies seems to be the best and that involves transatlantic shipping and I would need 10...
Click to expand...
Ouch........
 
Joe Mac said:
Exactly. Hence why it’s a thought, not necessarily a purchase. Although it if makes more difference on, for example, the big output tubes, I may look to do it in stages!
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That's actually not a bad way to go about it, I would think the larger tubes would be the biggest culprits and would offer the most "difference" for the sake of knowing if it's worth doing it across the board.
 
Bloodlemons said:
Not that I know of.
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The Decware has an audible transformer hum, which in and of itself is not a problem, but I am hearing it faintly through the speakers. It's not a 60hz hum, closer to 100hz.

I do have one microphonic 6922 input tube that's pinging noticably when I tap it, so I'm wondering if that might be causing the issue.

The sound is very faint, inaudible in normal listening, and happens regardless of selected input or volume level.
 
Does the Decware use DC or AC heaters in its tubes? I ask because my Bottlehead came with AC heaters, and it hummed like mad. An upgrade to a DC heater circuit for the 300B tubes solved that.
 
apholden said:
Does the Decware use DC or AC heaters in its tubes? I ask because my Bottlehead came with AC heaters, and it hummed like mad. An upgrade to a DC heater circuit for the 300B tubes solved that.
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I actually haven’t the slightest idea.
 
I removed the 6922s entirely and the hum is so quiet as to be basically inaudible, so it's probably the microphonic tube making things worse.
 
Well, it's either the 6922s or it's something in the amplifier. Power tubes and rectifiers made no difference.

I suppose it could be the voltage regulator tubes, but those are supposed to be able to last the lifetime of the amp.
 
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