Allan ...
While I was listening last night it occurred to me that the improvement was a lot like changing out the fuses. With every fuse change there was less and less grain in the system. The tube dampeners are a lot like that. Its as if someone cleaned off a window allowing a clearer vision to the outside. The "outside" in this case of course is the view of the performers.
Images are much more solid and the 3-D presentation is improved. Bass, while I don't know if it goes any deeper, is more present. Acoustic stand-up bass is right there in the room. The clarity of the highs are improved as well.
I was listening to some orchestral music last night. One of my favorite pieces of music for relaxation is Bach's "Air On a G String." This particular CD is a wonderful performance of the work on the EMI Classic label with Leopold Stokowski conducting and recorded in 1957. The massed strings just reach out and waft over the listening room. Very romantic music with superior sound. Here's a link to the Japanese import:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Stokowski-Leopold-Stokowski-SO-Bach-Stokowski-HQCD-Japan-Import-/26245752393...One of my "test" records is Dave Brubeck's "Jazz Impressions of The USA. Its a mono recording ... but the kind of mono that has you asking: "Who needs stereo?"
I've played this record at least a thousand times over the 50+ years that its been in my collection. With every improvement in the system, this record reflects that improvement. After installing Herbie's dampeners last night, Paul Desmond's alto sax had presence like never before. I could easily follow the direction of Joe Morello's brushes on the snare drum. The rim shots were more distinct too. When I think back on how this album sounded years ago, and how it sounds today, I have to laugh. Its come a long way, baby. Who knew what was hiding in those grooves?
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=dave+brubeck&_osacat=176985&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045...
Since I've been using Audio Technica cartridges, both the OC9-III, and now the ART-9, mono records have taken on a new life. These cartridges, even though configured for stereo, seem to get deeper into those mono grooves than any cartridge I've had before. The AT's just seem to extract more information. For a collector like me who has been collecting records for so long, there's a ton of mono records in the collection ... especially jazz. Herbie's tube dampeners have brought even more life to the mono records.
Every time I make an improvement like this, I wonder how much more distortion is in the system ... and how do I get rid of it? The SR Black fuses brought things a long way in this regard. In fact, I made the comment in the fuse thread that I had thought the ARC REF-75se, with the KT-150 tubes was a grain-less amp. Ha! A simple change of a fuse changed that thinking real fast.
Over the years, I've made a concerted effort to reduce micro vibrations anywhere I could. Prior to discovering the SR Black fuses I thought I had it covered. The fuses taught me differently. And now Herbie's tube dampeners have done the same thing. What's it going to be like when a full complement of the tube dampeners are in the system? And where do I go from there??
The next order of Herbie's tube dampeners are going into the amp and the phono stage. Should be nice.
Thanks again, guys ... I'm stoked. :-)
