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Question on Aesthetix / Tube Maintenance

Hello,

I am looking at upgrading my 2 channel system and Aesthetix (Atlas / Calypso)  is one of the two at the top of my list. Given that I currently do not have tubes, what should I expect in terms of maintenance of the system? How often do you find yourself replacing the tubes? How much does it usually cost? Is it easy to figure out which tube is the issue? Do you just replace them all after a given time? Do they degrade the sound quality over time or is it like a light bulb and just goes out?

Thanks
Rob
robertkat

Showing 1 response by facten

facten
2,937 posts
 
You can listen and enjoy the music before the  tubes fully warm up and sound their best so don't let that possibly sway you away. Also, there are a number of quality tube suppliers out there so you don't have to rely upon the manufacturers supply. One of the benefits of tube equipment is being able to swap in (tube roll) different brands and equivalent tube types to tailor the sound as you like it.  Here's a link to Brent Jesse's website (I don't work there) that if you scroll threw to different tube pages you can get a sense of variety of NOS tubes versus new production and his impressions on sound. There are other competent/quality tube sellers out there as well.

 http://www.audiotubes.com/
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