Help: low Maintenance Tube Amp short list.

Glad to hear it Matchstikman. Once I heard it in my system I knew my search was over. They are nice people to deal with and will take the time to answer all your questions.
Last time I talked to Mr. Aronov, at least I think it was him, he was very kind and informative. At that time he beleived the Svetlana 6550 were the best all around tubes and didn't think you should waste money on more expensive tubes. Have heard some prople say they really like old KT88's though. Some interesteing comments at AudioReview on the amp as well. Think it still is rated a perfect 5 out of 5 there.
Happy Listening and good luck with your search

For true plug and play tube amps, I'll ante up with Audio Valve. Starting with the Avalons ($4500 for the pair of monoblocks), they include red and green LED's that tell you when a tube is going bad and needs to be changed. They are fully auto-biased, the tubes are easily accessible (by unscrewing 4 thumbscrews that hold the glass tops in place), and they sound great to boot. I have the ppp45's and I couldn't be happier with the sound or the maintenance-free life.

Michael

I can second the Aronov LS960 for excellent performance, and no adjustments to make. You can even eliminate a separate preamp (with its powercord and interconnect) by getting the LS960i for about $1600 on Audiogon. But then there is no built-in phono, if that is a priority.

I just got a MV-60 so I can't comment on the long term issue but biasing is a piece of cake and seems quite stable once dialed in. Oh it sounds great..