Ssssh, is your tube preamp really that quiet?

When I bought my Counterpoint SA1000, it was fairly quiet for a tube preamp, but over the years that my current, Golden Dragon matched 6922 which has been in the preamp for 22 yrs, has been exhibiting a slight whoosh which was not there let's say 4 or so years ago. However, any program material masks the background hash. Still, this tube sounds so good that I have never found another one to match it. At the rate it is going, maybe I will have to replace it in another 10 years.

Hog-88, I think your Golden Dragon tube is going to outlive you.

It is obvious that most of the folks here on this thread don't experience any hiss at all, therefore the handful that do must be cursed.

Phd, all active circuitry makes noise. Transformers are passive devices and don't make noise, but there is a price paid for their use as well. IOW there is no free lunch.

IOW there is no curse :)

I see the words 'dead silent' used a lot. I know that is not the case; as I mentioned before different people have different tolerances for noise.

For those who think their all-tube system is dead silent on phono try this little test. Leave the tonearm on the tonearm rest. Set the source to phono and turn up the volume all the way. If you can then say that even with your ear pressed to the drivers of your loudspeakers that there is no hiss whatsoever then you have a good case for 'dead silent'. I think you will find though that you have no need to press your ear to the drivers- the noise will be quite evident.

Ralph,
What's interesting is that despite the noise you mention, once the music begins these "noisier" devices ironically reveal more musical nuance and low level information. As though the noise floor diminishes with the musical signal transmission.
Charles,

To all of those who are saying that their tube preamp is dead quiet, remember, we are not talking about normal use here. The OP is talking about his tube phono stage/line stage preamp, no signal, volume turned up, ear right next to the tweeter.

In my first response I said my all tube preamp was very quiet, however, when turning the volume up and placing my ear within 2 inches of the tweeter, I can hear a hiss with no music playing. Of course this has nothing to do with listening to music, but this is what the topic of the post is about. Not tube line stages, or how it sounds from 8 feet away in between tracks, but 2 inches away with no signal. Try it, you may be surprised to find out that you do indeed have a hiss. Of course the hiss is meaningless, and has no bearing on enjoying music, but tubes do make noise.