skeith Posted November 11, 2011 Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 I have several pieces of audio gear with tubes. Is there a point at which, after some time, the sound quality deteriorates on a tube? Or do you just change it when it goes bad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeway Posted November 11, 2011 Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 (edited) When they go, they go completely, so I am told. I have had bad tubes; no problem telling that they went bad. Edited November 11, 2011 by Leeway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeith Posted November 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 Tubes will likely last 5,000-10,000 hours, depending on equipment and the tubes. When they go, replacement tubes can be easily plugged in. A lot of folks engage in "tube-rolling, i.e., plugging in different tubes to get different sound qualities. Not at all difficult to replace/exchange tubes. Thanks Leeway, I have replaced some tubes already when they blew. My question is more of a different one and that is whether, as tubes age, there is any deterioration in sound? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeway Posted November 11, 2011 Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 My dealer says no. They work, then they don't work. No prolonged decline. Like everything in audio, probably up for grabs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted November 11, 2011 Report Share Posted November 11, 2011 I find that there is a slow deterioration of sound over time. It varies from type to type and brand to brand but in most of those that I use the bass starts to diminish and the higher frequencies don't sparkle as much. Power tubes age faster than other types. Usually I get a few years out of power tubes in my amps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeith Posted November 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 thanks Lon and Leeway for your comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeBop Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeith Posted December 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2011 I find that there is a slow deterioration of sound over time. It varies from type to type and brand to brand but in most of those that I use the bass starts to diminish and the higher frequencies don't sparkle as much. Power tubes age faster than other types. Usually I get a few years out of power tubes in my amps. Lon, This was right on target. I just changed the tubes in my cd player which I had not done for years. Wow - what a difference! Because of the slow deterioration, I had not really noticed it. PRobably the best $20 I have ever spent. Those who just wait for the tubes to go, you may be missing a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted December 9, 2011 Report Share Posted December 9, 2011 (edited) Well, thanks for letting me know that my personal experience isn't my imagination! I've been noticing this in tube amps ever since I was a kid and my Dad had Dynaco amps, and as a young man with my tube guitar and bass amps, and as an older man with my stereo tube amps about 20 years now. What type of cd player are you using S? I'm now using my old Decware modified Sony SACD/DVD player in the bedroom system as a source, I had put it up for a while because it seemed to be skipping on some discs, but a few years later it hasn't skipped yet! I have about a dozen different used old tubes that I can pop in that (the tube socket protrudes out of the back panel so it's really easy to change.) The different brands of 12AU7 tubes really make subtle differences in this player. Since I've reintroduced this player to that system, I've decided to sell my other backup players, a NAD T585 and a Marantz BD7004. That one tube (and additional power supply built within) makes a significant difference to my ears. Edited December 9, 2011 by jazzbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeith Posted December 9, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2011 Well, thanks for letting me know that my personal experience isn't my imagination! I've been noticing this in tube amps ever since I was a kid and my Dad had Dynaco amps, and as a young man with my tube guitar and bass amps, and as an older man with my stereo tube amps about 20 years now. What type of cd player are you using S? I'm now using my old Decware modified Sony SACD/DVD player in the bedroom system as a source, I had put it up for a while because it seemed to be skipping on some discs, but a few years later it hasn't skipped yet! I have about a dozen different used old tubes that I can pop in that (the tube socket protrudes out of the back panel so it's really easy to change.) The different brands of 12AU7 tubes really make subtle differences in this player. Since I've reintroduced this player to that system, I've decided to sell my other backup players, a NAD T585 and a Marantz BD7004. That one tube (and additional power supply built within) makes a significant difference to my ears. Lon, mine is a french cd player - a Metronome CD2V - which uses two 6N1P tubes - apparently made only in Russia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted December 9, 2011 Report Share Posted December 9, 2011 Awesome, that cd player has a great reputation. I'm very familiar with the 6N1P tube, yes it's a Russian tube type. It's used in both of the tube amps that I still have (sold two this winter but still have the Decware Torii Mk II and the Torii Mk III) and it's a very nice tube type in my opinion. Easy and affordable to find as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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