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? Tube Replacement Question ?

As a novice in the world of vacuum tubes, I have a couple of basic questions. I have a Audio Research SP16 tube preamp I purchased new in January 2008 & use on a daily basis. The tubes have never been replaced.

(1) When is it prudent to replace the tubes?

(2) Will sound quality deteriorate with age?

(3) Are there advantages of replacing the tubes with aftermarket alternatives vs. OEM tubes?

Thank you kindly for your help.
kitjv
samujohn's avatar
samujohn
291 posts
 
"...the quiet ones were where they needed to be (phono input, Post RIAA amp, and line input).The not so quiet ones went where they didn't cause any problems (cathode followers and intermediate gain stages. By doing this we could use 95% of the tubes. You don't need a quiet tube everywhere and that is why RAM Tubes come in 4 grades." RM
rodman99999
6,206 posts
 
The gain is not as high, in the other stages(compared to phono related) of your preamp, but noisy/microphonic tubes will still be audible. Upscale's graded tubes are tested for triode balance, as well as noise/microphony, which will also improve channel balance/imaging, in the SP-16. Everything hinges on how much you value performance.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,590 posts
 
Kit,

With my sp16, I hear a tad more hiss/background noise only in the phono stage at higher volumes with nothing playing using the Groove Tube Gold 12AX7s compared to the original "low noise" tubes that came in the unit for ARC. Not an issue for me but for those who cannot handle any extra noise at all in their phono stage ever, it might be.
hifigeek1
770 posts
 
You might want to consider using tube dampers in the phono stage, at the very least. These tubes are more susceptible to micro-phonics due to the increased gain in the phono stage. When you are using the phono stage you are actually using the phono stage and the high level stage together to get the necessary gain. I use the dampers in both the high-level and the phono stages with excellent results. The ARC tube dampers work very well and are inexpensive.
kitjv OP
69 posts
 
Thank you, everyone, for your suggestions. This will allow me to weigh the pros & cons of my various options & to make an informed decision. Thanks again.
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