Four Hour Tube Amp Warm-Up

Yes, with my past four amplifiers, all Class A or Class A/B, here is what I’ve noticed. This includes Tube and Solid State amps with big iron transformers though:

45-60m: sounds pretty good, and initially I’d think its warm enough.

120m no major changes but still sounding good. Close to the same as 60m.

240m (4hrs), with the big transformers now fully heat saturated, 3-dimensional sound kicks in, with sounds coming from the sides and slightly to rear of me too.

• My local 50+ year audio tech and builder colleague tells me "its the transformers getting to be fully heat saturated is when things can begin to sound magical" on some of the better amps w quality transformers.
• My local dealer fires up his amps at least 4+ hours prior to letting any customers in the door for listening sessions.

@hilde45 wow -- 4 hours -- wow. So, tube life is, in effect, one quarter of their expected life for good listening? That will sound like an argument for solid state to many.

And if you like your tube amp(s) more, keeping spare tubes around is an option. With extended long term use, and not a common situation, one of my former/older SS amps expired too. Kept a spare SS amp around for back-up parts.

Simple point-to-point tube amp design won for me - - no extinct circuit boards or extinct SS output transistors to keep spares for any more.