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Amp craftmanship/Quality

I'm not so concerned how a  amp/line stage pre amp sounds. 
No not really, MY main concern is how ~~reliable~~ it is.
To me, all tube amps sound pretty close the same.
The most single factor of importance is ~~The Reliablilty Factor~~.
Repairs as you know are expensive, not to forget the suffering involved. = Pure hell. 
I own a  Jadis Defy 7, no repairs running 7k+ hrs,(20+ yr old amp)
Knock on wood.

I had a  Cayin CD17 tube player, 8 yrs useage, no repairs,.
This is what I am talking about.
I want a  amp that will  perform day in, day out, month after month  year after year, decade after decade, with no repairs.
Quality of build is everything in a  amp, Far less imporatance how it sounds. 
How it sounds is not a relaiable factor, as each of us has a  different set of hearing. 
I think most topics here are concerned about sound, and less about The Reliability Factor. 
mozartfan
hshifi
572 posts
 
Hello,
My issue with this is some stuff made today is cheaper than it was vs back in the day. I have a friend who has a BAT that has 20 years on it. He just started to have some problems. I have heard it is not good to keep tubes in too long. I have to say if the component stoped working tomorrow that is amazing. Some stuff also got better. If you are going to buy new I would ask for peoples choices of brand and how long they have had it. VTL, BAT. Rogue, Raven, DecWare, and  Cary. What Brands, model, tubes have lasted 5-10 years. I am just worried some companies have figured out where to cut corners. 
ejr1953
918 posts
 
I used to love NAD equipment but about a third of the pieces I owned (all purchased new) had to be repaired.

I know I'll probably work up a bunch of blood pressures to say this, but I've enjoyed several McIntosh pieces, not a single one needing repair.  I currently enjoy a McIntosh tube preamp (tubes swapped out for Gold Lion's) and a solid state power amp, which mate well with my speakers.

I have also had really great service from the PS Audio pieces (I have also purchased new).
jond's avatar
jond
5,882 posts
 
Also on the subject of tubed gear stuff that's point to point wired using classic circuits is going to tend to last and be very easy to repair/maintain.
tomic601's avatar
tomic601
13,003 posts
 
Heavy - The 110Z is way more rare than one in a million. My recollection is something like 1,700 Z built.

Mine is from 1965, Modeferi himself went thru it….
mozartfan OP
2,143 posts
 
I have heard it is not good to keep tubes in too long

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My tech is telling me to swa out my 4000++ hour power tubes Svetlana 6550;s as the Defy may get grouchy (=  may break down) if one tube blows.
I had 2 tubes go dark, , had 2 spares sitting on my shelf, lightly used, stuck those 2 in the spots,, Not sure if they matched the 3rd tube or not, Its a 12 tuber, 3 sets of trios.
I think the Defy deserves better reputation that it has over the years, 
Runs likea  champ and am rolling the dice on these worn tubes.
I have no cash as I spent all in my Wide Band experiements.
Now I am broke, No money for new tubes, Gonna run them til all burn out, 6k hrs or so.
Wish  the Defy good luck will ya
Recommend 2k hors,, I plan to get 3x's the life.....
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