2. amps-preamps
  3. 1255781857

Tube newb, what to do?

Hi Guys,

Finally got my tube amp back from service and I'm a little wary. When I first got it it smoked a couple of output KT88 tubes. Now it's back fully fixed and biased correctly, so I've got a few questions;

Should the amp be "babied" for the first hours/days of use?

Should I leave it on and "burn in" the tubes?

Can you damage anything by incorrectly doing either of the above?

Will the amp sound better after buringing in the tubes? The output tubes are the re-issued Genelax KT88's.

Right now it sounds pretty good, but I've yet to put it through it's paces. (really can't wait!)

This is my very first foray into tube amplification and any help you can send my way is going to be of great help!

Thanks,
Geoff
geoffcin
mcfarland
356 posts
 
First, all connections should be secure, including speaker cables. Next, make sure that your pre amp is ON before you turn your amp on, or off (the pre amp should always be in control of your amp). With that said, yes, your tubes will sound better when they are burnt in. I find this process fun, because your system should sound really good when it is "stone cold". As it warms up, you should hear that things start to sound noticably better and better and even better! Usually in 20 to 30 minute increments. So, while you can power up and leave the room, you really miss all the fun. BTW, you should not leave a tube amp powered up and unattended. Enjoy. Happy listening.
musicslug
430 posts
 
don't leave the amp on to burn in the tubes

yes, the KT88s will sound better after they're burned in - something like 100 hours

don't worry so much about 'babying'. the cool thing about tube amps (besides how good they sound...) is that they don't really have that many parts and when things go wrong, it's usually a tube, so you can fix the problem yourself.
geoffcin OP
4 posts
 
Everything's going great! Amp runs fine, but I was a bit surprised to see that the power transformer gets warm during light use. I guess the amp draws a lot of current even if I'm playing it at a modest volume.
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