Audio Aero Capitole - 6021W subminiature tube ??

Its not that difficult to solder in a pencil type tube with flying leads. You clip the leads of the existing tube near the glass. Then grab the lead with a tweaser, apply heat to the circuit board connection and remove each cut lead. Then just solder in the new tube.

I have owned the Capitole Mark ll and now the Prestige Reference with the cryoed tubes. The new cryoed tubes are expected to last up to 15000 hours or more even though the book still says 10000. Since these are run at a tricle the new cryoed could go way beyond even this. When I had my capitole and replaced the tubes with the new cryoed set (big change) I simply found an experienced audio repair technician in my area to replace mine that had a soldering station. With the unit delivered to them you simply retard any risk of shipping damage. It is really no big deal and Aero designed it this way to keep noise from the signal path developed by tube sockets.

I have had stock 6021Ws go out after three months in 3 differnt Prima CD players. In fairness, one channel or the other not both. Since the player mutes in "stop" position, you have to start a disc and then pause it to hear the noise.

The distributor is very hard to get a response from, even through a reputable dealer and the experience has really damped the otherwise nice sound this player produces. Clearly Audio Aero has purchased a bad batch of these but has yet to rectify the problem.

I have currently been waiting over three weeks for a response on my latest 6021 problem.

Having owned (currently still do sort of) a Capitole, I recently sent it to Arizona for new tubes to be installed - a fairly easy process and not too expensive. The company is Sedonix and are the official service center in USA for AA.

Unfortunately my CDP came back via UPS and no longer works - thanks again UPS.

Plan to replace the tubes every 3-5 years. You should be able to have a local service shop do as long as they have very good soldering skills.

If you leave the unit on all the time, like I do with my Prima mk2, those tubes won't last more than 2 years. I just replaced my Prima's myself last month after 17,000 hours and the improvement that new tubes brought was shocking. So I suggest you do it at least that often if left on 24/7.

The manual says do it every 10,000 hours but normally 6021 tubes last much longer. They were designed for circuits subjected to exteme g forces, such as missile guidance systems, and to have likewise extreme reliability. I have read that some can last 100,000 hours. But it seems AA makes them run very hard because my old tubes had obvious signs of space charge degradation (leaves a sooty film on the inside). So 17,000 hours was too much already IMO. It may be worse in the Capitole, not sure.

Also, the Sylvanias are not made the same as the Philips. Perhaps part of my improvement was due to the change in brands. The stock Philips have gray open plates whereas the Sylvanias have boxed black plates. So the are NOT the same construction which means they could well sound different. This has been my general experience with tubes in any case.

Replacing these tubes is easy if you are a patient person and have access to a high-quality soldering iron. Having the right tool is everything so don't attempt this with a Radio Shack special. Let me know if you want detailed directions.

Arthur