Oftentimes, the main difference between premium-quality and ordinary tubes is their ability to deal with microphonics. By reducing the microphonics factor, Herbie's damping instruments allow a greater variety of tubes to compete on a more level playing field. Then again, inherently better tubes will usually sound even better with damping instruments. In general, the more a tube suffers from microphonic distortion, the more it will be improved with damping instruments. We have seen significant improvements in the performance of most every kind of tube, including some of the world's best NOS tubes like Amperex, Siemens, Mullard, Telefunken, and others. For specific examples, Siemens CCa tubes present an extremely linear, uncolored musical result, but tend to have a slight bit of microphonic "fuzz" on the dynamic edges; Herbie's damping instruments eliminate that artificial fuzz while maintaining the same uncolored integrity. Amperex white label 6922 PQ'a are amongst the finest tubes ever. With PQ's, Herbie's damping instruments reveal just a little more of the inner, intricate nuance present in the music by lifting a thin microphonic veil.
Tubes that are most revealing of subtle, sonic nuance are often equally sensitive to microphonic distortion. Damping instruments really bring out the best in these tubes. Different tubes each have their own unique character, so determining whether one sounds better than another is usually just a matter of personal preference. Almost all, however, do a better job with Herbie's damping instruments.