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Replace tubes yearly?

I just watched a Paul McGowan video (PS Audio) about the wisdom of leaving your gear powered on all the time. I get that. He also said that vacuum tube gear is the exception and not to leave it on all the time. I get that too.

But he also mentioned that it didn’t make a huge difference since you probably should replace your tubes every year.

Is that true? I have an Audio Research LS-16 tube preamp from the late 90s or early 2000s. I don’t think the tubes have ever been changed. I’m not really a ’tube’ guy but this unit was given to me 6 or 8 years ago. As far as I know these tubes are original.

At one point I got curious about the different sound quality potential of different tubes and another Audiogon member lent me a set of tubes to try out. I could definitely tell a difference but did not think the new ones sounded better than the original ones. I mention this because at that time the original tubes were quite old and still sounded quite good. And still do.

So, bottom line is, is there any real need to replace tubes on a schedule of some sort. Maybe its different if it is an amp versus a pre-amp?

 

n80

Showing 2 responses by normb

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normb
189 posts
 

@silverfoxvtx1800 

”Don’t mean to change the subject but looks like some experts with tubes in here, what’s the best NOS 6SN7 for a nice warm tone you have used?”

 

Personally, I’ve been using a pair of Tung-Sol 6F8G tubes (in a 20+ year old Tektron TK2A3/50/300 amp) for several years now with an adapter. Ran them for a year in a 300b SET amp I built and I’m back to the Tektron running EML 2A3 mesh tubes. 300b sits while I try and decide which equipment I’ll miss less when I pack it up for our move to TN.

Aside from those, I like 1940’s-era Sylvania 6SN7WGTB tubes; have a matched set I bought from Brent Jesse and have gotten a lot of use out of those… still prefer the 6F8g or VT99 tubes.

My “test song” for tube rolling is Michael Hedges’ “Aerial Boundaries” off the 1982 (?) LP.

YMMV.

Me, I’m trying to spend my children’s inheritance so they won’t be spoiled when I’m gone.

normb's avatar
normb
189 posts
 

@thecarpathian Thanks. That was Hudson Shepherd, a service dog I had for nearly 6 years having rescued him from a local (DC) shelter a 18 months. It’s been a year since I had to put him down due to canine myelodysplasia - like ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease. He helped me get over some PTSD. Loved kids. Never could eat a whole one though.

 

@silverfoxvtx1800 I liked those so much I bought a second set from another seller.They test well (I own a TV-7 D/U tester) and sound as good but I believe you said “warmth.” There’s just SOMEthing about the airy/soundstage from the lower gain (mu=20 max) tubes I prefer and I own a handful of matched pairs that just do it for me and my system.

Off-topic here but some good reading:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/6sn7gt-6f8g-an-exploration-of-wwii-era-octal-tubes.890205/

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