2. amps-preamps
  3. 133505-86238

Preamp tubes ran their life?

I believe I do know the answer, but I would like to hear inputs from the community.

Approximately 1.5 years ago I replaced the stock tubes in my preamp with some vintage Mullard UK ECC83’s.  I spend a fair amount of time listening to music.  I’d say, on average, anywhere between 10-15 hours a week.  For the first year I had them in, I was running my Home Theater with my 2-channel, via HT passthru; which would swing that 10-15 hours/week way up.   I liked the tubes and how they’ve sounded, pretty smooth throughout the band.  Today, I started noticing weird “slurring/distortion” in certain frequencies, especially with vocals and cymbal crashes.  I believe what I’m hearing is the tubes have ran their lifecycle.  Note: I do have room treatment and room/speaker correction and what I’m hearing just started happening this morning.

I won’t hold anyone to their words if it doesn’t end up being the tubes, but that’s my initial hunch.  Would your educated guess be the same?
toddcowles
monoogan
55 posts
 
If they're starting to get noisy they're probably about done. Kind of a rushing slurry sound. By the time they make static they're getting close to failure I think.

Upscale I think still has British surplus Mullards. I bought two sets of the 12AT7s years ago for a VTA ST70. I'm still on the first set.

I agree, if you're using it for a home theater pass through you stack up the hours fast. I've gone through sets of 6922s in ARC preamps in a couple of years that way.
noromance's avatar
noromance
9,719 posts
 
Todd, clear, clean, neutral, transparent, sweet and warm without being creamy or colored, great timbre, tonal color and speed. TBH, old Mullards are flabby and syrupy by comparison. 

toddcowles OP
135 posts
 
All, thank you for the inputs.  
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