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Tell us what you think of our Tube Anchors. Read what users think of our Tube Anchors.
Tube amps, as all guitarists and many audiophiles know, sound magical. I have a passion for tweaking ’em, particularly small ones from the ’60s. The single most dramatic tube upgrade I’ve come up with are these startlingly massive brass tube dampers—more than 10 times heavier then the tube itself. I’ve tried the lightweight finned collars, the polymer damping rings, even heavy lead shields. They clearly improved the sound—but when I tried my weighty brass Anchor prototypes, the I used to put lead weights, both discs and blocks, on top of all my studio electronics and stereo equipment to kill enclosure vibrations. Using ’em with CD players, amplifiers, etc., gave music more punch. But my initial satisfaction was blown to bits when I tried brass. Brass weights carry even more punch than lead—and there’s more sparkle in the details with much better dynamics. I tried the other common materials too (sand, stone, iron, VPI bricks, Shaktis). They’re better than nothing, but don’t compare with brass. extra detail and warmth were in another league. That’s because tubes vibrate a lot and brass is by far the best-sounding vibe-killer I’ve found. On the electromagnetic side, all tubes improve bigtime with a grounded metal shield. So as a bonus, each Anchor comes equipped with a ribbon grounding strap (not pictured) which doubles the sonic upgrade. And the excellent thermal conductivity of brass helps tube cooling.
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1. Anchor A (US) fits U.S./European tubes diameters: 0.795"-0.835"
2. Anchor A (Sov) fits Russian/Chinese tubes diameters: 0.840"-0.875" |
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3. Anchor B (US) fits U.S./European tubes diameters: 0.795"-0.835"
4. Anchor B (Sov) fits Russian/Chinese tubes diameters: 0.840"-0.875" |
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5. Anchor C (US) fits U.S./European tubes diameters: 1.225"-1.270"
6. Anchor C (Sov) fits Russian/Chinese tubes diameters: 1.10"-1.140" |
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7. Anchor M (US) fits U.S./European tubes diameters: 0.680"-0.720"
8. Anchor M (Sov) fits Russian/Chinese tubes diameters: 0.725"-0.765" |
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| If you spray the inside of the Anchor with Krylon ultra-flat black enamel (a near-perfect IR absorber) the highly conductive brass will cool the tube and lengthen life. For non-DIYers, we offer the spray service for $6 per Anchor. |
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