2. amps-preamps
  3. 1234362825

Tired of Problems with Tube Equipment

I switched over to tube audio equipment in some form some years back, and have certainly enjoyed music played back through them. I have had amps, preamps, and DACS at different times utilizing tubes. One unfortunate thing that's been common to all the tube equipment I've had are problems. It doesn't seem to matter whether the manufacturer is large or small, built in the USA or overseas, they all have had problems. Capacitors blowing out, bad solder joints, tubes only lasting a short time, loud pops that mysteriously go away on their own, etc. Although I have enjoyed the sound (and that beautiful glow!), I am starting to get tired of this and thinking of going back to solid state.

Have any of you also gone back (or thought about it) to solid state for this reason? What has your experience been with the reliability of tube equipment?
smeyers
mitch4t's avatar
mitch4t
1,611 posts
 
.
I love tube preamps. However, I happen to like speakers that dip to 1 ohm....and I'm not willing to spend the kind of money that it would take to purchase tube amps that can handle such low impedances. So, I go with a tube preamp and solid state amps. Life is good.
.
jaymark's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
jaymark
514 posts
 
Mitch, that has been my solution for the most part - solid state amps, preferably high-powered and class A, and tube pre-amps.

If you really understand tube amps and know how to troubleshoot them, they probably are not a problem at all.
mrtennis
3,295 posts
 
high mitch:

are you referring to sound labs or apogees ?

a decent 200 watt + tube amp can drive a sound lab in a reasonable sized room.
wireless200
415 posts
 
02-11-09: Tvad
[...] Anyway, the answer to your question is that the tube equipment I have owned has been reliable: VAC, Lamm, Moscode, Atma-Sphere, Modwright.

Tvad, are you sure? In another thread we discussed this because you said you'd ditched a couple of tube amps due to maintenance issues. I know the size was one issue but you stated routine troubleshooting as "a lot [of work]"

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?aamps&1233341924&openfrom&12&4#12
smeyers OP
181 posts
 
Ralph, thanks for the info on the tube sockets for the 6c33 tubes; I do not know what type of sockets the amps have. I certainly do notice how hot these tubes get. What's your view of tube coolers; something like the Pearl coolers from Parts ConneXion?
More to discover