2. amps-preamps
  3. 981501114

To tube or not to tube...

I'm interested in upgrading my preamp and have been considering going to a tubed preamp coupled with SS power amp. I hesitate because of the reliability factor. You see, I grew up in the era of tube television sets, so it was a periodic chore to unplug all the tubes from the TV and haul 'em down to the local drugstore's tube tester. We'd wind up replacing a handful of tubes, and then be amazed at how much better the picture and sound was. A year later the drill would repeat. What's the situation with tubed preamps? I see a lot of discussion about trying this brand of tube or the other... I'm wondering how much of that "improvement" is due simply to replacement of weak tubes with fresh ones. What kind of life can one expect from the tubes in a tubed preamp? How much does the sound deteriorate over time as the tubes wear out? Are tubed preamps intended only for those who want and like to fiddle with the innards of their equipment?
1439bhr
jim
418 posts
 
Concur with the previous posts. Tubes are not as big a deal in terms of involvement, maintenance or cost -- as some ss yo-yo's would have you believe.

With regards to the AI being hard on tubes -- pure nonsense. Even with the Sovteks, absolutely no need to re-tube in a few months. Even less of an issue with good NOS tubes (microphonics may be an issue with some tubes, though). I've had NOS Siemens 6DJ8's in for two years now. The select Sovteks were in for three years and are still good -- I just decided to upgrade.

I especially agree with going for the whole enchilada. Tube power amp, too. A tube pre and ss power amp will only get you so far. But some tubes -- even little ones -- are better than none. Reliability of tube gear is strictly a non-issue -- don't waste your time or energy on this. Good luck.
gthirteen
363 posts
 
YES!!

I tried a tubed preamp for about 2 years, with McCormack SS amps. IT was nice. I highly recommend it. I've recently gone ALL-TUBE, and can say that the differences in a good ss amp (McCormack DNA .5 and DNA .5 Rev A) and a good tube amp (old Audioprism Debut) are many. There is a realism that tubes allow that is unbelievable. Start with the preamp. I guarantee that the occasional barely audible tube noises will not be enough to make you want to go back to SS.
Good Luck.
ljgj
955 posts
 
I have tried tube preamps with solid state amps - tube preamps with tube amps and solid state preamps with tube amps. Tube differences definitely exists and tubes and the equipment can be fickle. I prefer the solid state preamp with the tube amp setup. I have an EAR 834 amp and it is very versatile and does not require bias adjustments. When I put the Mallards (tubes) in place of the Sovteks it really put a great touch on the sound to my taste. These tubes were not easy to find. Happy listening.
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,353 posts
 
Well designed tube equipment should not sound substantially different that well designed solid state equipment. That is assuming the designer is trying to produce a neutral sounding product. I have had a number of different pieces of tube equipment (Sonic Frontiers, Audio Research, Counterpoint, Moscode and Quicksilver) and some are low maintenance and some definitely not. My advice is not to buy a preamp because it has tubes, but to buy a great sounding preamp regardless of whether it glows in the dark. Once you have narrowed down your choices, do another post asking for reliability feedback for that specific product.
sagger's avatar
sagger
120 posts
 
Hi 1439bhr: Don't be afraid to take the plunge into tube gear. In particular the tube preamps of today are highly reliable. The tubes will last anywhere from 2-5 years depending on use. In additon, Preamp tubes are relativly inexpensive ( about 20.00 ea). Most linestage preamps only take 2 tubes. Most phono's about 6 in total. Sonicly in my opinion the are far superior to S.S. About three years ago I replaced my S.S. ARC LS3 with a C.J. PV-8. The C.J. absolutely blew away the class"a" rated ARC in every way. Since then I've replaced the C.J with a Joule Electra LA-200 (awsome). I was so impressed with the tube preamp sound I decided to replace my Threshold T-200 with a C.J. Premier 11A. Again realizing what I would describe as a huge sonic improvement. No reliability problems to date. I don't think I could ever revert back to S.S. after now being spoiled by the wonderful sound of tubes.
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