[Ahzari]

So I ended up trying and returning the Rx and upgrading to the Halo-O III. I think they are better all around, performance wise and they look better too. Ill have some pics of both up soon.
 
As mentioned, Herbie's Audio have a really great 90 return period, so if you don't like what you try you can send them back. Great customer service, the Halo-O III aren't cheap but I think its a nice addition.

 

[Ahzari]

Pics Herbie's Audio RX tube dampers
 
  
 
Halo-O III tube dampers
 
  

 

[buson160man]

 I just bought some rx dampers for the 5687 output tubes on my ray samuels raptor otl amp and I am very pleased with the improvement that they  brought.Looking at the paper included with the dampers the positioning was suggested at 1/3 down from the top.But it also suggests experimentation of postioning for optimal results.I started with the default position of 1/3 down but after some experimentation I ultimately found the best position was around half the way down at least on my 5687 output tubes.The change in focus was definitely noticeable things now sound much more resolved in a matter that I have not heard of before in my setups.The damper uncovers layers of information that I have not heard before.Things seperate out so much more clearly and there is a presence to the sound that I have never heard before either but one that is of a natural sounding change.In fact the change can be quite educational.I had not been that aware that tube vibration could have such a masking effect on the sound of recordings.
  Someone had stated that they tried the rx dampers and returned them in favor of the halo-III rings.I was curious as to differences between the rx damper and the halo-III.How much better is the halo-III over the rx damper.Because I am impressed at the effect that the rx damper has brought to my set-up.
  I believe herbs audio labs has a real winner here.I highly recommend them to tube afficiandos who are looking to get the best from their tube amps.You should try them I really think you will be surprised by what you have been missing from your tube amps.

 

[Thaddy]

Quote:

 I just bought some rx dampers for the 5687 output tubes on my ray samuels raptor otl amp and I am very pleased with the improvement that they  brought.Looking at the paper included with the dampers the positioning was suggested at 1/3 down from the top.But it also suggests experimentation of postioning for optimal results.I started with the default position of 1/3 down but after some experimentation I ultimately found the best position was around half the way down at least on my 5687 output tubes.The change in focus was definitely noticeable things now sound much more resolved in a matter that I have not heard of before in my setups.The damper uncovers layers of information that I have not heard before.Things seperate out so much more clearly and there is a presence to the sound that I have never heard before either but one that is of a natural sounding change.In fact the change can be quite educational.I had not been that aware that tube vibration could have such a masking effect on the sound of recordings.
  Someone had stated that they tried the rx dampers and returned them in favor of the halo-III rings.I was curious as to differences between the rx damper and the halo-III.How much better is the halo-III over the rx damper.Because I am impressed at the effect that the rx damper has brought to my set-up.
  I believe herbs audio labs has a real winner here.I highly recommend them to tube afficiandos who are looking to get the best from their tube amps.You should try them I really think you will be surprised by what you have been missing from your tube amps.

You must have really bad tubes or golden ears.

 

[britneedadvice]

Hi
I'm totally open minded to any 'tweak' and given that Steve(Herbies) offers a 90 day refundable trial period,I'm thinking- Why not give them a try?
I note Currawong's recent review on the ALO ,pictures the Amp with them,so I asked his opinion,not yet received.
However, I also asked a number of people in the Tube Trade who's opinion I respect, and the answer was generally negative and sometimes unprintable??
One comment was good tubes don't need them!!
To be fair to Steve (I do have his comments)there appears to be good evidence for their use,excellent feedback and as a 'tweak' a lot less costly than many other positively received 'accessories' .
So, even with a trial period,do I bother?(I do have 'good tubes'!)

 

[Banman]

I hope someone is still following this thread. I was going to either use the Herbie dampers or silicone O-rings, but when I took the lid off of my preamp, I noticed that 3 of the 4 tubes have metal "shields" over them, and after taking them off, I saw that there are springs in the ends of them that press on the tops of the tubes, apparently to absorb vibrations.
Now I wonder if I should just keep it like original... surely the manufacturer would make the best performing preamp they could and the metal shield/springs would cost a lot more than o rings... so if they spent the money on them, there must have been a good reason right?

 

[TheAttorney]

I don't know the answer Banman, other than to say you can't assume that manufacturers always make the right decisions as to what components sound best with their amps. 
In this particular case though, it does seem as if they have thought about it and taken the trouble to choose a very particular damper. So personally. I'd leave it as is, but it does depend on how much you enjoy tweaking.
 
Whilst on the subject, I posted a mini review of the Herbie Halo IIIs here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/439657/headamp-blue-hawaii-special-edition/5265#post_10574639
 
If anyone has any damper related comments on that, I suggest to post them here in Tube dampers, rather than the BHSE thread

 

[SoundApprentice]

  I don't know the answer Banman, other than to say you can't assume that manufacturers always make the right decisions as to what components sound best with their amps. 
In this particular case though, it does seem as if they have thought about it and taken the trouble to choose a very particular damper. So personally. I'd leave it as is, but it does depend on how much you enjoy tweaking.
 
Whilst on the subject, I posted a mini review of the Herbie Halo IIIs here:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/439657/headamp-blue-hawaii-special-edition/5265#post_10574639
 
If anyone has any damper related comments on that, I suggest to post them here in Tube dampers, rather than the BHSE thread

I don't understand your review. In the first part you say the Herbie's were no better than the naked tube, that they had no impact on the noise you heard, but then in the next part you say that they improved the sound and that you wanted them back after removing. Seems like a contradiction, unless I am interpreting you incorrectly.

 

[TheAttorney]

Going back to my mini review, I don't see any contradictions.
 
In the first part. I was talking about how the dampers looked (aesthetics are important to me and many dampers are obtrusive or just plain ugly).
Many months further down the track, I now much prefer the look of the tubes with Halo III's compared to without. Particularly since I upgraded to vintage Metal Base tubes - the silver-ish metal bases perfectly complement the metal dampers, which makes the BHSE look a little bit more impressive than it already was..
 
I also said that the dampers had no affect on the physical rattle and whine of the tubes, i.e. what I can hear when I'm standing near any tube that physically rattles.
I also said that the dampers did improve the SQ of any music as heard via headphones. 
 
The implication of the last two statements is that there is little point in getting these particular dampers in order to reduce the physical rattle of a tube. But there's a lot of point in getting these particular dampers if you want your headphones to sound better. The further implication is that there's a lot more to tube damping than whether the tube physically rattles or not.