How long can preamp tubes last?

No, preamp tubes can last thousands of hours.

very specific to designer, the tubes, tube grading and the genius of the designer and the engineering culture of the firm. Roger Modjeski ( Music Reference ) and Gordon Gow ( good old Mac ) come to mind…soft start, tight regulation, a deep understanding of the published specs and adhering to operating envelope ( or knowing where to push or trade - Modjeski in particular a genius there…see Burning Amp for a taste ….. ( rca handbooks invaluable as a…starting point )…. tubes in preamps designed by above sometime see 10 k hours. i just replaced a set of 6H in a modern ARC w 4,730 hours….i test every year…
have fun…

i have a 1961 and 1965 mac 240 and 110 Z, all the records of work, tubes, performance clinics….the small signal Telefunkens have held up well. All due to engineering approach and philosophy….
oh ya, and they sound great…

have fun

rolling means changing the tube to another compatible type/brand/year of manufacture, etc…..it’s a wonderful sub cult. IF i were you, start a new thread with subject like: Tuberolling the Freja + ?
that will get ball rolling…better…

btw, the Schitt book is a good read.

+1 @tomic601  I've a set of 60s Telefunken Dynaco ECC83s I've been running since 1987 and they're still sounding wonderful.

depends, but usually very long - e.g. 10,000 hrs or more

some notable exceptions though

schiit freya is a current model -- just email them and ask what is their experience with other users of the unit

If your unit is gentle with them a few thousand hours. But always have spares as tubes may go funny at any time. Tube rolling is trying different brands of same type or equivalent.
Try not to waste too much time though with tube rolling, nice for some experimentation but poor return on investment if obsessed.

I would definitely try rolling the tubes in the Freya. Lots of good options for varieties of sound. Consider emailing Jim McShane about tubes, or Brent Jessee. Both are reliable dealers, they know their stuff, and don't try to up-sell. Tubes can be an OCD thing, and they can be expensive, but they don't need to be. Why not try doing one good alternative to what you have and see how it works for you?

Depends.
My PrimaLuna Dialogue premium preamp tubes would last forever (like 10,000 hours), but my Audible Illusions M3B preamp tubes would last much less, about 2,000 (?) hours.  
I prefer the sound of Audible Illusions over PrimaLuna. 

Not long enough for me.

AudioResearch tube preamp tubes don't last that much as well as Sonic Frontiers to the best of my knowledge. 

AudioResearch tube preamp tubes don’t last that much as well as Sonic Frontiers to the best of my knowledge.

but then again, audio research as a company lasts much much longer than sonic frontiers... 😆😆

True....

Depends on particular type of the tube! Military grade vintage tube last much longer. 

Close to a million years.. Yup.. :-)

Regards

In 1988, I purchased a new VTL Deluxe from Audio Advisor. It came with Westinghouse Hungary (Tunsgram) 12AX7 and Tesla 12AU7. In 2013, I transferred those tubes over to the Rogue Atlas Magnum, replacing the stock JJ’s. So the Tunsgram and Tesla have lasted 33 years. Still going strong and still sound fantastic.

Some tubes can  last for years.

Rock, trust me on this. You will absolutely know when a tube goes bad.
If the preamp sounds good. Leave it alone. It never hurts to keep a spare set of tubes for when the tube, tubes do go bad. Do yourself a favor. Do not get started tube rolling. It will drive you crazy.

Pre amp tubes last a long time, many years, and i would recommend nos tubes from someone like andy's tubes, and tube rolling means switching out tubes for different ones, whether old or new. A good nos tube is expensive but well worth the extra cost for any unit.

450 hours a year? My cables take longer than that to break in (so the manufacturer says). I've had the same NOS GEs in my Freya for a long time (2 billion hours or so), and the interesting and somewhat unique thing about the Freya is that you can check the honesty or whatever of the tubes instantly...simply switch the mode to passive or FET and match the gain...presto el checko. If the tubes (relatively) sound like mush possibly change them, or for you, get new ones anyway in 2036.

Tubes in my Mcintosh C220 have been in place for almost ten years, used on average about 15-20 hours per week.  When I had the preamp serviced this past fall, I had the tubes tested.  They tested like new.  So, the answer is, a very long time.

Tubes in my Mcintosh C220 have been in place for almost ten years, used on average about 15-20 hours per week. When I had the preamp serviced this past fall, I had the tubes tested. They tested like new. So, the answer is, a very long time.

fify --- so the answer is a very long time IN A MAC C220

try asking an owner of an audible illusions modulus 3 how long the quad of 6dj8’s last... running 20 hrs a week... 😅😅😅😅

Try not to waste too much time though with tube rolling, nice for some experimentation but poor return on investment if obsessed.

+10^10

Tubes vary unit to unit.
Tubes change over time.
There are 24 permutations of how the 4 tubes in the Freya can be arranged, each of which will have a slightly different response.

Spend the money on program and enjoy the music.

Reseat your tubes every thousand hours or so.

Live long and prosper.

I find that my CJ PV2ar preamp needs tubes about every 2 to 3 years when played 20 to 50 hours a week (average).
When that "wind" sound through my speakers gets a little loud, amp turned to zero volume,  it's time to order replacement tubes.
When the new tubes get broken-in the noise floor always drops to an acceptable levelandthe dynamics get better.
My bank account sure wishes they would last longer..... 

Depends on the voltage, the tube type and brand and how often you play it,

There was a youtube video made by Paul of PS Audio last week where he recommends changing the tubes every 6 months if not a year. The advise I have heard here suggests they usually last a very long time. Kind of different schools of thought, though I honestly don't know which is correct. May have to be your own judge. 
https://youtu.be/HdNqD_dVBR4

ok ok 1/2 a million years.. They found some with dinosaurs fossils.
Don't you guys watch the Flintstones. They used ROCK tubes..

BAT - 2000 hours then new tubes will sound amazing comparably.

Allnic - 10,000 hours

Jolida - 5000 hours

just a small sample based on personal experience

@oldhvymec. Yeah I like the Rock Tubes, even if they do sound a little hard 😎

You guys never saw the episode where Fred showed off his Rockport turntable?

LOL Fred puttin’ Dino out THEN, Dino puttin’ Fred out!
BUT Fred won’t jump back through the window, the way Dino did.
Fred was a little thick in the HEAD and bottom..

Bang Bang Bang! Wil-ma, WIL-MA!! BANK BANG BANG.

Rockport TT
Stonehenge speakers

When we were kids, ay.

I’m glad I’m NOT talkin about Steamboat Willie, 1928. vs Flintstones 1960. :-)

All kidding aside

I do have some OLD valves that work perfect. It depends the way they were used.

GE 6550s with 4000 hours and just perfect over 50% left
GL KT88 5000 hours still 40+ % left
RCA BP 6L6 5000 hours 40% left
300b with 15,000 hours.. and they were bought with 10,000 on them. 20,000 hours or a LOT more.
I herd they would go 50,000 in communication applications.. Not a big fan
All kinds of power valves with 3000 hours or more and at least 50% left

Most of my stuff was Mac with super high hours.

The problem is sometimes one side wears quicker than the other because of duty cycle and what one side of the valve does. I know, I have GEs and RCAs small valves I’ve put 10,000 hours on.. Still good! No microphonics, usually the issue with old RCA and GEs.. They go under water or echo like crazy.

Regards

It depends on the preamp.
I turn my Atma-Sphere MP-1 off and on twice a day to save the 18 tubes. Ralph says that if left on, the tubes need changing every 6 months. I try to make them last a year or more. It is on about 8 hours a day.
I think that most preamps are easy on their tubes and can last many thousands of hours.

Thank you ALL for the great inputs!
Did learn a lot and sound advice was given!(no pun intended)
Much appreciated.
Rockanroller