Tube dampeners/coolers

[pompeiisneaks]

Question, I just came across a site, thetubestore.com that sells a few items that are supposed to dampen the tubes to increase sound quality etc.  They seem a bit snake-oil like to me, has anyone heard of these, and do they really work:

Kryna Tube Radiators: http://www.thetubestore.com/Parts-Accessories/Kryna-Tube-Radiators

Duenda Criatura Tube Rings: http://www.thetubestore.com/Parts-Accessories/Duende-Criatura-Tube-Rings

Seems the former is a cooling mechanism as well as some kind of dampener, the latter is just a dampener.  Is this really an issue with tubes?

~Phil

[kagliostro]

Google for "dissipation tube shields"  image search

You'll see a lot of mil spec dissipative shields and you can buy it on the cheap

K

[John]

I have bought tube dampener silicon rings off ebay; I got 8 for around 10 bucks I think. I bought those because I had some microphonic 6SL7 tubes. They do work. The ones that are costing $35 & $100, I think are ridiculous. JMHO.


Then again, I refuse to spend $20 per cap, $3/ resistor, $300 for a speaker, and $50 for a gold infused oxygen-free audiophile power cord too. 

[HotBluePlates]

Question, I just came across a site, thetubestore.com that sells a few items that are supposed to dampen the tubes to increase sound quality etc. 

Tube coolers theoretically increase tube life. I've never had a preamp tube die, even after decades of use. They will usually lose emission and have reduce Gm and gain long, long before they ever die.

I've never tried tube dampeners, though I've also not tried to make microphonic tubes work in one of my amps. I believe Tubenit has made some home-spun silicone tube dampeners to tame ringing in preamp pentodes. Perhaps he'll chime in.

Other than those 2 issues, I would advise you not to believe add-on items will make a tube "sound better" though a dampener may reduce the occurrence of microphonics in some tubes.

[HotBluePlates]

TubeCAD, an on-line journal is showing silcone dampners in a couple of their advertisements. 

But John Broskie isn't selling them, he's selling ad sapce to people who are selling them.


And if you can't sell snake oil to audiophiles, then you can't sell anything.

[shooter]

if you can't sell snake oil to audiophiles, then you can't sell anything.

I was looking at V-Caps, copper clad, North of $100 per cap!!!   I don't mind paying for quality but  that's boarding on nuts!

[John]

if you can't sell snake oil to audiophiles, then you can't sell anything.

I was looking at V-Caps, copper clad, North of $100 per cap!!!   I don't mind paying for quality but  that's boarding on nuts!

But copper is cool, and it sounds good too.


;-)

[shooter]

copper is cool

Yup, that's why my latest build has the chassis wrapped in copper foil

[HotBluePlates]

I was looking at V-Caps, copper clad, North of $100 per cap!!!

Copper foil rolled with sheets of film plastic costs more than sputtering aluminum on plastic. Production quantities are probably flea-bite scale compared to any sensibly-priced coupling cap. There's undoubtedly a healthy profit margin added, but those caps would always be expensive due to pricy raw material and total lack of economy of scale. So I'm not exactly put off by the price.

I just don't believe you'll hear an improvement that justifies the cost in a guitar amp. Maybe in hi-fi audio if everything else in the chain is as near-perfect as it can be.

The first 5E3 I built has "audiophile resistors" and copper-foil paper-in-oil caps. Know what it sounds like? A tweed Deluxe... I think after that episode I've paid for the right to the opinion that circuit architecture is a much greater factor in determining the amp's sound, though I can & do hear the differences between varieties of some parts.

Can't knock someone who trying to make a buck in the tube business.   

Agreed. My real point (not really articulated) is it might be a mistake to assume Broskie endorses everything that appears in ads on his site. He might, but if I read into his writing correctly he's more likely to mean, "this is a good product if you have an application which requires it," rather than, "you must have this or your amp is garbage."

[pompeiisneaks]

Lots of great information, thanks guys!  I forgot I'd even posted this heh!

[trobbins]

Both those items would do 'something' if you had a noticeable related problem.  But the cost, the snake-oilish description, and lack of any relative assessment/review put them in the audiophile esoterica bin.


Microphonic, hum coupling and heat related issues are best approached with an understanding first, rather than a possible cure.  I hadn't seen the dampeners before - I might add a picture to:
http://dalmura.com.au/projects/Microphonics%20in%20valves.pdf

[denitronik]

It's cheaper just to replace the tubes!