You might like the Gold Lyons. Preamp tubes last a long time. You could swap the locations every year. But I think you might notice the difference if a tube went bad.
How do you know when tubes in the phono section of the integrated amp go bad..
if you don't use the phono ?
However, I must keep working tubes in the phono section of my VAC Avatar SE, regardless of whether I use the phono or not. That's what Kevin of VAC said.
I currently don't use the turntable, only tape decks.
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For these and your other tubes, many can last 10,000 hours, I suggest you get thee a simple tube tester, routinely test them all twice a year, be ready when problems occur to know what’s what. Tubes for me began with a huge console I inherited from my Uncle way back in 1973. Fisher President II made in 1958 Control Center; AM Tuner; FM Tuner; FM Multiplexer added. In the two drawers: Viking 2 Track Stereo Tape Deck (in-line and staggered heads); Garrard Record Changer: Mono converted to Stereo (by Fisher staff who came to my uncle’s apt, Avery Fisher was a friend of my uncle who reviewed Opera for NYT occasionally); Pair of EL37 Mono Amps. In days of old, twice a year, I would put each component’s tubes in a separate paper bag and go to the local electrical supply store, wait in a short line, use the big professional tube tester,
a big line building behind me: typically find a short or a weak tube, maybe buy one or two. Come home with pain in my legs and feet, until one day my wife picked me up at the train and took me to a house, told me go to the door, the guy there has something for me. It was my birthday present. My very own Accurate Model 151 tube tester, oh happy day!
Later I got 2 bigger more advanced testers, the little tester always agreed with the big ones which I eventually gave to friends. I just routinely tested all my preamp and amp’s tubes, all is well. Oh yeah, my speakers are the President II’s 4 way Electro-Voice drivers/crossovers/level controls, relocated/restored in new Rosewood Enclosures. Originally, the console was on 8" bronze legs and the 15" woofers fired downward, I made the enclosure taller to fire them forward. On 3 Wheels allows Alternate Toe-In for One or Two Listeners |
This is an easy one. When a tube goes bad it will talk to you. That is it will get noisy. I would describe the sound as a feint spitting sound. It is annoying, but when it happens, which will happen most likely years from now, you will know it and will have time to buy replacement tubes. Not a big deal. It will not hurt anything. |
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