Tube Preamps Should Have This Feature
So it's late or you just want some casual listening for a short time. "Should I fire up my tube pre for 30 minutes?". My answer is "No". Why not let me flip a switch (or push in the volume control) to put my pre into "bypass" mode? Bypass would, effectively, convert your pre into a passive device, keeping the tubes dark.
This sounds useful to me.
I often advise getting your own tube tester. All my tubes, preamp; rectifier; power: take less than 30 seconds to warm up to measure their strength. Wait another 30, another minute, no change, i.e. they are ready to go pretty darn quick. Perhaps as others have said, it is other internal parts that benefit from longer warmup. In any case, for a quickie 20 minute listen, turn it on, play the chosen content, MOST tube amps will sound darn good. it's the chosen content that will take you there. |
Thanks for your reply. Really. That means you are running them 8,700 hours a year. I have been told that tubes… particularly power tubes age more slowly when on but not in use. Maybe that has something to do with it.
My Audio Research gear recommends tube changes after 3,000 hours. When I do this I hear a bit of and improvement, as in the older tubes were starting to roll off a little. What kind of gear do you have? |
@ghdprentice power tubes do age faster, but those are in the output stage of an amplifier, not in the power supply section usually, though some power tubes can be used as rectifiers and in some regulation positions. |
@ghdprentice my preamp is space tech Lab qa112 and my DAC is also space tech Lab DA24/196, I'm using a separate power supply with the preamp called a super rectifier STR104 with two 3b22 rectifier tubes each rectifier tube has a 6amp heater current. |
