![]() After listening for about 20 to 25 minutes, whatever acoustic difference that occurred, my poor, aging and battered ears can’t seem to detect. Next, I carefully insert two Ultrasonics for the input tubes (1st row, these are the most sensitive), another two Ultrasonics for the output tubes(4th row) and the four budget Hal-O’s for the other tubes (2nd and 3rd rows). After just 15 minutes warm-up, I listened to Jennifer Warnes’ The Hunter (Private Music 1991) without dampers. What the heck, it’s only (hard earned) money!Īfter days of waiting, I excitedly got the package that was sent through JAC. Many will ask, what do I need dampers for, since I already got rid of the microphonic tubes? Because of inherent stubbornness and the what if’s that’s bugging my mind, plus of course, the possibility of better sound quality, I decided to order four Ultrasonic 9 dampers (titanium rings) and four Hal-O 9 MidFi+ (budget rings) from Herbie’s website for my Sonic Frontiers SFL-2 preamp (that uses eight 6dj8’s or 6922’s, bought from Jopet). I got varied and candid answers from these individuals ranging from being mildly effective to downright baloney! I thanked them for being straightforward and honest. I read many testimonials but I remained unconvinced and at best, skeptical: how can a ring with three small wheels that intends to hold a glass tube prevent or lessen the vibration induced from within and from without? Again, I asked the opinion of several members known for their expertise and long years of experience in electronics, in general and audio, in particular. Tube dampers made by Herbie’s Audio Lab caught my interest. I searched the net about the subject and have read quite a few articles plus some regarding several products that claimed to reduce them significantly and at the same time improve the equipment performance by lessening vibration. That’s why I started a thread in this site and solicited the opinion of several senior members about tube microphonics. I’ve had the misfortune of owning several microphonic and/or noisy tubes, such as NOS 6dj8’s and 6922’s, both European and American made (I’ve already discarded the microphonic tubes but kept some of the noisy ones). The following mini-review was based strictly on the opinion and personal experience of the writer and does not attempt to persuade, cajole or induce the readers to buy these products. He is not a dealer, distributor, publicist or PR man of Ultrasonic and Hal-O products. Note: The writer is not in any way connected with Herbie’s Audio Lab. ![]()
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