[mk]

OK, today's dumb question: Can you put the Ultrasonic Rx dampers on a Blackbery tube ring?  Sounds better than naked with either the Rx or the Blackbery on my Dynaco Pas2 line preamp tubes, but I'm thinking the sound I want lurks somewhere between.   

[Herbie]

Yes, you can put Rx damping pads on a BlackBery C-ring. BlackBery rings are slightly smaller than Rx rings, because the pads are smaller, so you might have to bend the rings open just a little to get a good fit that's not too tight. BlackBery C-Rings with Rx isolation pads generally don't synergize as well as with the pads that are meant for them. You never know though, every system is different and sometimes a result will defy the norm. I would suggest giving Preamp UltraSonics a try, though. They're probably pretty close or exactly what you're looking for.

Preamp UltraSonic and BlackBery isolation pads are each a little different yet interchangeable, so they can provide several combinations. You'll get slightly different results with different combinations. Differences will be not in tonal coloration, but in dynamic impact (definition, detail resolution, etc.).

Steve
Herbie's Audio Lab

[eclein]

Steve- What exactly do the rings and pads do? I'm new to this whole tube thing and I'm wondering what the advantage is to adding these damping rings/pads to my tubes?? Thanks
 Ed

[Herbie]

Virtually all vacuum tubes are susceptible to some degree to the adverse affects of microphonics and micro-vibrations. These vibrations cause glare, fuzz, loss of focus, false emphasis at certain frequencies, and other anomalies. Damping Instruments reduce these distortions, allowing your tubes and tube gear to perform closer to their true potential. Music is rendered more natural and truer to the originally recorded event.
 
There's more explanation and answers to related questions on our website here:

UltraSonic FAQ's
 
Best regards,
 
Steve Herbelin
Herbie's Audio Lab

[eclein]

Thanks Steve!! I'll check it out...

[mk]

Since I have a set of preamp ultrasonics on the phono tubes of my preamp, I'll try switching them first.  I confess to being a sucker for that tube warmth the Blackbery's enhance.  But the Rx's give a greater depth to the stereo image and better microdynamics. 

I'm glad you have a variety of flavors.  Everybody has different ears, and the same system is a different system in another room. 

I found I liked the Peek's better on my EL84's than the Rx's, but I loved the Rx's on my rectifiers. 

And I'll say it again another way: any of my tubes is a better tube wearing a HAL damper than going naked.   

[mk]

I should have followed up earlier.  "When all else fails, read the directions."  I took the suggestion from the hints on using the dampers that you enclosed with them and changed the position of the dampers on the tubes, moving the damper lower down.  Bingo!