I forgot to mention, my Fisher 80Z 30wpc Tube Mono Blocks, made in 1958. Let's see, ... 63 years old, only 10 years younger than me.
Checked a few times since I inherited them in 1973. A few resistors, that's it. Surprised me. They sound great. In any SS/Tube comparison, they were the winner. Had a scary smelly 'puff' once, turned out to be a big fat spider got fried inside.
I bought a spare 80z, just to have the transformers which I imagine would be impossible to find. Spare parts should be part of the plan for very old stuff, I have a full set of my speaker's drivers, also made in 1958. Replaced the cones in the 15" woofers 3 times over the years, learned how to do it myself. Put in the spare, back to listening in an hour, replace the cone whenever, ready for the next cycle.
My existing Cayin tube amp sounds great with some remote features I occasionally use, and they are 45 wpc, not much more, but for Inna Gadda Da Vida ... I should dig the Fishers out and have a listen compared to the Cayin just in memory of my Uncle. My friend has a variac.
Checked a few times since I inherited them in 1973. A few resistors, that's it. Surprised me. They sound great. In any SS/Tube comparison, they were the winner. Had a scary smelly 'puff' once, turned out to be a big fat spider got fried inside.
I bought a spare 80z, just to have the transformers which I imagine would be impossible to find. Spare parts should be part of the plan for very old stuff, I have a full set of my speaker's drivers, also made in 1958. Replaced the cones in the 15" woofers 3 times over the years, learned how to do it myself. Put in the spare, back to listening in an hour, replace the cone whenever, ready for the next cycle.
My existing Cayin tube amp sounds great with some remote features I occasionally use, and they are 45 wpc, not much more, but for Inna Gadda Da Vida ... I should dig the Fishers out and have a listen compared to the Cayin just in memory of my Uncle. My friend has a variac.