porcy62 Posted April 30, 2005 Report Share Posted April 30, 2005 (edited) I was listening to a record yesterday when a horrible bang jumped out of my speakers. The security switcher of my home general supply turned off. When I restored the supply at home I changed the tubes of my preamp and I discovered that one of my mono solid state power amps it's gone and the woofer of the loudspeaker is deadly silent. If all this audio earthquake depends on a single tube, price 10$, that is what I suspect, surely I will say goodbye to tubes amplification forever. Did you experience something like that? Edited July 1, 2005 by porcy62 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzhound Posted April 30, 2005 Report Share Posted April 30, 2005 (edited) Not yet but tubes are rediculous. Solid state can do anything that tubes do. Except add distortion. Edited April 30, 2005 by jazzhound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcy62 Posted April 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2005 Not yet but tubes are rediculous. Solid state can do anything that tubes do. Except add distortion. Actually my tube preamp sounds nice to my ears. I had an integrated tubes amp few years ago, I sold it because power tubes lasted a short time, and replacing them was an hassle, a part the cost. I upgraded to tube preamp and solid state amps for a better sound and to avoid the cost and the hassle, but if tubes are responsable for this mess I will replace it with a solid state preamp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidewinder Posted April 30, 2005 Report Share Posted April 30, 2005 Wow - sorry to hear this.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolff Posted April 30, 2005 Report Share Posted April 30, 2005 Why do you blame it on the tube pre-amp? Sure sounds like the amp blew to me. I would hesitate to blame it on tubes in general. Never had any problems with well designed and serviced tube gear. After 20 years of reliable service, my Conrad-Johnson tube pre-amp is ready to go to the shop. It just needs new resistors/caps and it will work great for another 20 years. It it's place I'm using a 45 year old Heathkit tube pre-amp. My tube amp has given me 5 or 6 years of great music. I think tube gear can sound extremely good. They can require a bit more care depending on design. Test the tubes now and then. Make sure the power tubes are holding their bias. If tubes are not lasting something is wrong and a technician could spot it easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASNL77 Posted April 30, 2005 Report Share Posted April 30, 2005 (edited) I was contemplating the idea of going for a tube preamp for my new system. I am not quite sure what to do now. Thanks for sharing the info Porcy62. There must other board members who have a tube preamp too. What are your views and are you happy with it? Is distortion really an issue? Edited April 30, 2005 by ASNL77 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolff Posted April 30, 2005 Report Share Posted April 30, 2005 You really need to start using your own ears. Tube pre-amp review Specs do not tell the whole story. The only distortion I'm bothered by is in the software of poorly recorded CD's and LP's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcy62 Posted April 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2005 (edited) Why do you blame it on the tube pre-amp? Sure sounds like the amp blew to me. I would hesitate to blame it on tubes in general. Never had any problems with well designed and serviced tube gear. After 20 years of reliable service, my Conrad-Johnson tube pre-amp is ready to go to the shop. It just needs new resistors/caps and it will work great for another 20 years. It it's place I'm using a 45 year old Heathkit tube pre-amp. My tube amp has given me 5 or 6 years of great music. I think tube gear can sound extremely good. They can require a bit more care depending on design. Test the tubes now and then. Make sure the power tubes are holding their bias. If tubes are not lasting something is wrong and a technician could spot it easily. Wolf, I would be glad to blame my power amps (Linn) for this, because I love the sound of my system (and my tube preamp as well (Audio Research)). I will send my Linns to assistence without specifying I use a tube preamp. Hope I will discover the cause of this damage. About tubes I have to say I don't love too much tubes power amps, they lack the punch and the bass frequencies speed I love for my rock records and I had to change power tubes too often for my taste, (my integrated tube amp was a VTL, maybe it was a bad match with my speakers, who knows?) Anyway good tubes sound great if correctly matched. Tubes are like vinyl, they need some more care. I will inform you about the 'guilty'! Edited April 30, 2005 by porcy62 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted May 1, 2005 Report Share Posted May 1, 2005 Wow, I have never heard this happen as the result of a preamp solid state or tube. I have wrangled with jazzhundt before about tubes and feel he's all wet. There is plenty of distortion in either hollow or solid state designs. I have had both designs in systems and the systems that I've kept have been tubge systems. . . . I'll never not use tubes. I've gotten full and tight bass from tubes, I have had reasonable life from tubes and used tubes that don't break the bank to replace and in a proper design are easy to change. I hope you get your system up and running; I really doubt and hope that it is not the preamp responsible. (I'd be very very surprised if it were). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzhound Posted May 4, 2005 Report Share Posted May 4, 2005 Ive been using three pairs of vintage amperex tubes interchangably which are the same type and manufactured within the space of 5 years. In my preamp. Each pair sounds significantly different. How can any serious audiophile move his system ahead when such variances are introduced just by changing tubes even when they are from the same manufacturer and era? Listeners who want to hear whats there should seek out the best solid state and improve their front end to get what they want. Tubes are a excercise in listening to different types of harmonic distortion and frequency variations. For example , you could take a dozen average solid state amps and preamps, listen to some Beatle recordings and you would know exactly what each Beatles voice sounds like. You could then listen to high end tube gear, and never quite be sure what anyone sounds like since you would hear a slightly different vocal timbre with each piece of gear and which each change of tube. No wonder pro's rely on solid state! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzhound Posted May 4, 2005 Report Share Posted May 4, 2005 You really need to start using your own ears. Tube pre-amp review Specs do not tell the whole story. The only distortion I'm bothered by is in the software of poorly recorded CD's and LP's. Pass preamp would distroy this. Tube are better in the 3D thing but that is about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted May 4, 2005 Report Share Posted May 4, 2005 jazzhound, your experience with the consistency of solid state equipment does not match mine. You're right, there can be great differences in tubes from manufacturer to manufacturer and type to type. Allows you to dial in and tailor sound. Ah, it's nice to know that we'll consistently disagree! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolff Posted May 4, 2005 Report Share Posted May 4, 2005 Some people prefer the sound of tubes. They enjoy listening to their music via tube equipment. They listened and chose tubes. Simple as that. All solid state gear sounds the same??? I have not found that to be true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolff Posted May 4, 2005 Report Share Posted May 4, 2005 No wonder pro's rely on solid state! All pros?? In all steps of the chain? Tube mics seem to be popular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmitry Posted May 4, 2005 Report Share Posted May 4, 2005 I'm not an audio repair man, but I highly doubt that a preamp tube could do the damage you're describing. RE: what's better - solid state or tube. Who gives a shit. I used to have ss amps and tube amps/preamps, now I have different ss and tube amps/preamps. RE: Beatles. "ss amps tell you how each Beatle's voice sounds like better than tubes, etc." Bull-shit. I knew which Beattle's voice was which when I was twelve years old. If you need a solid state amp to tell you that, you got to get your ears flushed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.L.M Posted May 5, 2005 Report Share Posted May 5, 2005 (edited) Why do you blame it on the tube pre-amp? Sure sounds like the amp blew to me. I would hesitate to blame it on tubes in general. Never had any problems with well designed and serviced tube gear. After 20 years of reliable service, my Conrad-Johnson tube pre-amp is ready to go to the shop. It just needs new resistors/caps and it will work great for another 20 years. It it's place I'm using a 45 year old Heathkit tube pre-amp. My tube amp has given me 5 or 6 years of great music. I think tube gear can sound extremely good. They can require a bit more care depending on design. Test the tubes now and then. Make sure the power tubes are holding their bias. If tubes are not lasting something is wrong and a technician could spot it easily. I second that. I've always have tubes, never get any problem. I don't think that one tube is the reason of your problem. Edited May 5, 2005 by P.L.M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz Kat Posted May 5, 2005 Report Share Posted May 5, 2005 I got a reciever from someone's garbage once, but my dad didn't let me use it because it was tubes. I guess I was just not ready for tubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted May 5, 2005 Report Share Posted May 5, 2005 Did he take it for himself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazz Kat Posted May 6, 2005 Report Share Posted May 6, 2005 No, its sitting on the basement floor. He would never part with his reciever. Mine has so little power, i need that reciever! I friken need a whole new reciever, speakers, tape deck, and cd player! Feel free to send money to P.O. Box 914, 2027. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert h. Posted May 7, 2005 Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 Jeez, a tube preamp hardly has enough voltage to light a 100 watt light bulb, let alone take out a power amp, blow a woofer AND trip the main breaker!! That can only be a massive surge, coming from a lightning strike, power company large surge, or possibly a major fault in the amp. No way is it the preamp problem. Have the amps checked out, but don't neglect to consider a fault in the power company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcy62 Posted May 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 Jeez, a tube preamp hardly has enough voltage to light a 100 watt light bulb, let alone take out a power amp, blow a woofer AND trip the main breaker!! That can only be a massive surge, coming from a lightning strike, power company large surge, or possibly a major fault in the amp. No way is it the preamp problem. Have the amps checked out, but don't neglect to consider a fault in the power company. My opinion about it, after I calmed down, (and waiting the response from Linn assistance) is that the problem should be the power amp, in fact the light of power was on, but it didn't sound. The power amp has a fuse on his main supply that was ok. A lightning strike or a power company large surge should have burned the fuse, (and the fuses of my other mono amp and the preamp as well). So I think I will have to change the name of this topic: 'Saying goodbye to solid state power amp' Anyway after the assistance's response I hope I will do official apologies to tubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolff Posted May 7, 2005 Report Share Posted May 7, 2005 Anyway after the assistance's response I hope I will do official apologies to tubes. You are a good man!!! Weird, the fuses didn't go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrJ Posted May 11, 2005 Report Share Posted May 11, 2005 Highly unlikely to be the tubes at fault here, as indicated by several folks. Note to jazzhound: I have no problem with the idea of tubes introducing some pleasing, musical distortion. I really doubt very much that that's what makes my ears enjoy tube amplification, but if it does, GREAT - argument over, come up with another one solid state fans! What a silly way of trying to debunk a technology...sniping about "distortion" when it's all about what sounds musical, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzhound Posted May 11, 2005 Report Share Posted May 11, 2005 Highly unlikely to be the tubes at fault here, as indicated by several folks. Note to jazzhound: I have no problem with the idea of tubes introducing some pleasing, musical distortion. I really doubt very much that that's what makes my ears enjoy tube amplification, but if it does, GREAT - argument over, come up with another one solid state fans! What a silly way of trying to debunk a technology...sniping about "distortion" when it's all about what sounds musical, right? It has been shown over and over again that what sounds musical is often distortion. I believe the more distortion is removed from the system, the more musical nuance and details come through. The few very clean tube amps and preamps are very expensive and sound similar to solid state in most ways like tight bass and speed. The system I had when I was a kid comprised of a Hafler solid state preamp and a Dynaco SS amp. the front end was a turntable with an Empire cart. the midrange was warm and sweet and very musical. When I changed to shure cart the magic disappeared. Which goes to show if you get the front end right you don't need those silly tubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolff Posted May 11, 2005 Report Share Posted May 11, 2005 I'm still laughing at your comment that pros do not use tubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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