Some More Reviews/ Comments

Ray Leachman, Ft. Worth, Texas

"I would like to sing the praises of the Halo Tube Dampers. I have a nice-sounding quad of VT-231's in my Rogue Ninety-Nine preamp. They are (were) very microphonic. Just a slight finger to the cabinet and ringing could be heard thru the system. Changing the input selector switch set the ringing off also. To be honest, I did not detect any bad effects of this while listening to music. I decided however to try and do something about the ringing. That something was to try out the Halo Rings (size 27) on them. All I can say is WOW. I can't believe the difference. I can now rap the cabinet quite firmly and NO ringing (same with the input selector switch). I now also know that the tubes' microphonics were affecting the musical reproduction, as the preamp has never sounded better."

David Dailey, Austin, Texas

"Installed HAL-O 9s in my SF Line 3 SE Linestage and my BAT VK P5 Phono -- they work like a champ."

Dong Kang, Los Angeles, California

"I'm impressed! It really does seem to make the bass more focused and the vocals seem smoother on top--nice! I'll be back for more as my tube collection widens."

Robert Correll, Fort Wayne, Indiana

"I bought 3, thinking I would try them out, then decide later whether or not to get 2 more for my output tubes--and within 30 minutes of putting them on I'm online ordering them. Thanks!"

Gary Ferguson, Larne, United Kingdom

"A revelation. Every part of the sound has improved, but especially the midrange which is more focused and open, brimming with threads of music I have never heard before. These little things are the real deal -- absolutely superb."

Russell Roberson, East Ridge, Tennessee

"I am sitting here slack-jawed as I write this, totally dumbfounded at the improvement that these tiny, unassuming rings (UltraSonic 9s) have brought to my system. My DT 880s have never sounded sweeter. Thanks, and keep up the great work!"

Dennis Najuch, Bridgewater, Massachusetts

"All I can say is WOW!! They are everything everyone has said about them. The 'Halos' bring the Zens up to another level. I can't believe there was that much image smearing going on. Geeze, goose bump factor has gone up even at moderate levels. Outstanding, worthwhile, co$t effective product! I'm impressed. Now, I'm waiting on the NOS tubes to arrive. How much better can it get?"

George Chirayus, London, United Kingdom

"I installed the HALOs on my Zen Select. I have been listening for the past four hours and they are superb! I would not have imagined how much of a difference they made. Sure, some improvement, but not to the level I experienced tonight.

"They lifted several veiled layers to expose soundstage I hoped the Zen had, but never experienced to this level. All for the price of an entry level pair of interconnects! They really are that good. I'm keeping them!"

Vince Cannistraro, McClean, Virginia

"The tube dampers work as advertised.  They significantly minimize microphonics and I especially notice a difference on some older tubes. Having tried a number of other so-called tube dampers, including some from 3M that were eventually discontinued (they turned to rubberized mush on some EL-84 tubes), I would have no hesitation in recommending the HAL-O Vacuum Tube Damping Instruments. They are the best."

Steve Kaelin, San Jose, California

"WOW!! Noticed a difference right away with the HAL-O 9s on my Music Reference RM-10 input tubes. I'm now getting greater focus with less overall grunge in the upper frequencies. All in all, the best $30.00 I've ever spent on my system. I don't know what magic substance you're putting in your dampers, but it sure does wonders on my 12AX7s. Great product for a great price. Keep up the good work!"

Lok Hee Chan, Hong Kong

"I'm a user of these products--- the tube dampers and the damping feet, and I'm glad to tell you that I like them and they work. I live in Hong Kong and these were sent to me without extra charge for the mail; excellent service!

"I gave two Hal-O 9's to a friend in Germany to try. He is a tube seller and has microphonic testing equipment. After he tried the dampers with various brands of 9-pin small-signal tubes (most were the troublesome 6DJ8/6922 family), he found that the tube dampers would yield a reduction of microphonics around 6~8 dB, depending on the positon of the dampers."

Rick Flowitt, Canada

"The dampers fit real nice on the pinch waists, that must be the reason they have the pinch, for the dampers! The dampers make quite an improvement, I've just enjoyed the most beautiful sound I've heard yet from my setup, I didn't think it would be possible to get more out of the DK but I was wrong again, tighter bass, better image and more detail: at this level of sound reproduction the dampers are a very inexpensive and impressive upgrade, to get a similar improvement from interconnects or wires would cost thousands, so many thanks for a very neat product."

Helge Nylund, Veradale, Washington

"The tube dampers work great. They lowered the noise floor and let more harmonics through. I've ordered more of those."

Larry Root, Coral Gables, Florida

"Well, they WORK! I've installed them on the VK-150SE's, and the difference is quite noticable. My system can now detail the finest, most delicate background nuances while simultaneously blasting out the most formidable fortissimo passages. Normally, these delicate background details get smeared during super-crescendos and tunes with continuous fortissimo lines. I can now hear much greater resolution at continuous high SPL levels as well. No more treble harshness, but somehow -- no mid-range darkening nor reduction in high treble SPL levels. Nice!

"On my VK-P10SE and VK-51SE -- Excellent!  Especially effective on 6C45's. Well done! Again, excellent, clean freq. extension and no midrange muddiness. Bass definition is greatly improved, but not at the expense of weight. Ray Brown's Soular Energy and Joe Chambers' Urban Grooves are among several used for A/B comparos."

Rolf Eriksen, Oslo, Norway

"I added the 8 HAL-O 45 on the KT-88 tubes in my McIntosh. Wow! I was immediately blown away! This surely went way beyond my expectations. The background went black, quiet. The focus was much better. The soundstage wider. I could clearly hear that there had been distortion earlier, wich now was removed. The treble became much more open/detailed. Everything was positive and no single negative change detected so far.

"Well, I figured I could also add dampening to the 6 small tubes as well, but now it surely can't get remarkably better? Wrong again! Again I gained noticeably improvement. Even more blackness. More detailed and focused bass wich also sounds deeper. The treble also noticable better. Overtone structures and details I have never heard before. Crisp, clear but still plesant and natural sounding. Also the middle has improved together with high and lowend. I have tested a couple of Quad 989 for a couple of weeks, but now I find my dynamic speakers almost equally articulate and natural sounding. The human voice is clearer and understanding the lyrics (or what is sung) is much easier than ever before. Impressing!

"To put it short. You will NOT get these items returned."

Graham Miles, Ontario, Canada

"I installed the set of Halo tube dampers on my dual monobloc Decware Zens and the results were quite spectacular. I notice a wonderful increase in detail and dynamics and thought my speakers had reached down another octave into the bass. I'm very pleased. Thanks for coming up with these little gems."

Jay C., Modesto, California

"Wow!! I expected some improvement but the increase in detail is astounding. Stuff that was just subtle before is now vibrant and forward. I had just finished listening to a new cd three times. Then I installed the PEEKs and listened again and it was like a new cd. My hat's off to you for inventing these. Don't know how you figured out using the PEEK material but it sure is worth the $50."

David Porter, Southern California

"My amp used to be too much on the upper bright side, I'm pretty sure due to tube microphonics. Too much sibilance, harsh edges. I switched to interconnects and speaker cables that attenuated the highs a bit (in effect, damping the highs), to achieve a more natural sound. I liked it better.

"When I put Herbie's dampers on my tubes, they seemed to overdamp and made the system sound dull. After reinstalling my original XLO cables and interconnects though, I've realized that the Herbie's don't 'dampen' at all -- they get rid of the grunge and microphonics but don't alter the frequency response. It was the cables and interconnects that caused the 'overdamping.' The Herbie's brought my tubes to where they are supposed to be, and with a more neutral cable everything became perfect. I like it much, much better.

"It's like tuning a guitar. If your first string is off, you'll tune the rest of the strings accordingly, one by one. Then if you eventually correct the first string, everything else will be out of tune.

"There's lots of synergy going on in an audio system, and sometimes altering one link in the chain throws the whole system out of kilter -- even if altering that one link is actually a correction. The same can hold true with any kind of tweak, modification, upgrade, or tube rolling. From what I've learned and experienced, it's especially true with tubes. Whenever I hear someone say a tube damper 'overdampens,' I know that they are referring to an overall system interaction.

"I've used Herbie's dampers on several kinds of tubes, and with all I've found the dampers to bring out these qualities:

1. Reduction of microphonics, sibilance, and harshness
2. Tighter and more-extended bass
3. Full-bodied midrange
4. Accurate and dynamic - not bright - highs
5. Better focus and dimensionality
6. Natural tones (brass, vocals, instruments)
7. Increased dynamics and punch, without sacrificing smoothness
8. Better-defined attack and decay, subtle nuance
9. Quieter background
10. Increased perception of "being there."

Vidar Benonisen, Tromsø, Norway

"I just have to write and tell you that with my Hal-O inside my 6DJ8-equipped DAC, the musical presentation of my system has been transformed. Everything is cleaner, more open and extended as well as more focused and palpable. There is a little less midbass but I guess that was some kind of microphonics or acoustical feedback. Needless to say --- I am very pleased with the result of this tweak."

Billy Florentino, Singapore

"At first, when I placed Halo-9X on my 6X4 and 5687, my pre-amp for what unexplainable reason improves. The tone, dynamics, soundstage, and tighter bass was observed. I was encourage by a friend to get the Ebony Gabone for my 6922 tubes. So, I ordered a pair. Surprisingly, another improvement I noticed with the Ebony Gabone. My soundstage is high and open. It has more air, the high frequency extension is very noticeable and the bass is more tight."

Phillip Thorne, Roseville, California

"I got to tell you, the difference is flat-out miraculous! I was just shocked with the improvement. My system has pretty good isolation control already, with Stillpoints and everything, but the difference in clarity and realism with the damping instruments is just mind-boggling. The reviews at your website, as incredible as many of them are, don't even do justice to the tube dampers. They are just plain, flat-out incredible, bringing an even more analog, lifelike reality to the music."

Bob Johns, Everett, Washington

"The Halos are without a doubt one of the best 'tweaks' a person could ask for! I have them on all my tubes, and cannot imagine ever having a component that has tubes and not having a Halo dampener on the tubes."

Colin Saunders, Ottawa, Canada

"I've got to be honest -- I fully planned to try the Halo IIIs and return them because -- come on! -- they're just more audiophile candy, right? WRONG! These are my first ever INSTANT improvement tweak. I never realized all the detail I was missing. Thanks, Herbie, for a truly fantastic product. They work! They actually work!"

Dimitry Zarkh, Waltham, Massachusetts

"I am very happy with the results. An excellently conceived and executed product!"

Alan Zoric, Bruxelles, Belgium

"I have to say I was surprised at the effect they had (atmasphere m60s) the music became more focussed, the words became clearer. if i heard that after changing an interconnect i would have been really impressed."

Paul Hammer, United Kingdom

"The tube dampers seem to make a very noticeable and positive difference. I'm very happy with their impact so far."

(Some comments have been edited slightly for spelling correction or reading clarity; most are direct copy/paste.)

Please send your comments to Steve Herbelin at
-- Thanks!