Why no heated gear?

I'm surprised that Elizabeth gave up. Or maybe not, judging by some of the other comments. So let's examine this issue from the ground up.

When we say that a piece of (tube) gear needs to "warm up", what are we specifically referring to? Does the audio quality change because the case is warm? No. The knobs, wiring, lamps and switches? No. The PCB, if present? No. The transformers? No, not so much. The tubes? Aha! Now we are getting somewhere.

So why does the sound change when a tube heats? To keep it simple and avoid big words like anode and cathode, let's just say that a physical change occurs between the tube's internal elements. A tube does not operate efficiently until all elements reach the optimal operating temperature. While heat is required for the tube to operate, too much heat will destroy the tube. In fact, one of the reasons that power tubes need to be biased is to compensate for the heat potential between the an... never mind.

So why can't we just heat the tube with an external heat source like a heat gun or a heated blanket? Because "tubes" are vacuum tubes - the glass envelope encases the internal elements in a vacuum. No gas (atmosphere), no heat transfer can occur from OUTSIDE the envelope. See what you can learn when you don't sleep through High School physics class?

The question WAS NOT asked, solely concerning TUBED equipment. In fact: the thread originator asked if he should switch to SS gear, so he could leave it ON all the time(and kept at temp). The atomic, or molecular, activities of EVERY circuit component(passive/active/connective), WILL be affected by temperature(and thus- the way they pass a signal). It's NOT Rocket Science, and ANYONE with a BASIC understanding of electronics/electricity SHOULD understand: (http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/restmp.html). NOT that resistance change is the whole story, but- it IS a major contributing factor in electronics morphing with temperature and/or warm up time(as Ms E connoted; Dielectric Absorption is a player as well).

BTW: I have a number Amp Warmers, like Mitch's, that have been CRYOGENICALLY TREATED and QUANTUM TUNNELED, selling for half of what he's asking.

Herman, I was trying to make a point, which my guess is that you understood exactly what I was trying to say even if it wasn't the best analogy. Foeget the analogies, why don't you enlighten all of us on this post. Personally, unless you live in a frigid area, this all seems extravagant and probably pointless for the type of equipment that is being discussed. You manage to criticize but offer valid answers only for temperature sensitive gear which is not what the original post was about.