Replace tubes yearly?

I moved away from tubes years ago and now only solid state.  It’s whatever you prefer for equipment in my opinion.  Anyway, I usually leave my equipment on since it goes into a low power state after a certain period of nonuse.  I do find that turning it off and then back on occasionally is warranted, just like rebooting a computer which a lot of equipment is to some degree now.  

@rar1 Paul has said to replace tubes every year in past videos, in fact Kevin from upscale Audio even made a video opposing what Paul has said.

When I was listening to my stereo 6 hours a day, I replaced my tubes annually. Could I hear a difference? Yes. Sharper, punchier sound, would get softer with time. Then, good tubes became harder to get, and I played the equipment less. So now I retube like once every 5 years (or roll for experiments). Probably wasteful experience before, as those tubes (like Amperex, Telefunken 12AX7) are unobtanium now. 

Some folks rush to opine, some rush to smear, some rush to offer conspiracy theories, but no one rushes to go back to what Paul actually said.  I had watched the YouTube video before reading this post and what the OP reported is not quite what Paul said.

Go to the 56 second mark of the YouTube video and listen to what Paul actually said ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUGS2g4X4Ls&t=6s and judge for yourself.

The question being answered was on keeping your equipment on all the time or not.  Paul offered technical explanations as to why to keep equipment on all the time for SS, but not so for tubes.  No big surprise here.   Paul went on further to say that this should not represent that big a deal for tube owners, since tube replacement goes with owning tube equipment and he replaces his tubes every year.  

For all you know, Paul drives his equipment hard every year and needs to replace the tubes.  It may have just been conversational or an off the cuff remark.  Certainly did not come off as 'must follow' advice.

There you have it sports fans.  It's so easy to verify things like this, before going off.

Rich 

That they have input tubes that require yearly replacement should be a good reason NOT to buy that gear.  Clearly, they don’t know how to implement tubes in their design.

“So, a maker of solid state gear, and only solid state gear, states that if you buy tube gear, you have to make yearly tube replacement.”

The PS Audio BHK line has input signal tubes in the circuits. 
 

Preamps and amps. 

So, a maker of solid state gear, and only solid state gear, states that if you buy tube gear, you have to make yearly tube replacement.  Does anyone think it is a scare tactic?  What if I say something completely unsupported like, “you shouldn’t worry about your PS Audio amp catching on fire, that is what insurance is for.”

Thanks @oberoniaomnia 

I was glad that I was able to hear the difference between tubes but disappointed that I didn't find the pricier replacement ones to sound a lot better. I do not even remember which tube I tried and I don't know what is in there now but I think they are Electro-Harmonix 6922.

The LS-16 unfortunately has 4 tubes which would make rolling more expensive. The E-H 6922s are cheap.

The manual says the original tubes are 6922/E88CC tubes and should last 4000 hours. Since I was given this preamp after years of use I cannot even guess how many hours these have on them.

@n80 yes, tube rolling = trying different types of tubes. Sorry for using lingo without explaining it.

I have done some TR, particularly with a Woo WA6SE headphone amp. The stock power tube was not the best. Splurged on a WE422 based on recommendation in Headfi, and that sounded quite a bit better. I tried some other, more reasonable priced ones as well, and not much difference, IMHO. Those are now my back-ups. Haven't bothered checking the WE422 vs. back-up in about 5 years. The amp did not get too much use, but that has changed more recently.

Also tried about 4 sets of signal tubes. Differences were more subtle, but they were there. I have not yet done any TR on my PrimaLuna EVO300pre. Maybe when I have nothing else to do ...

I don't have those special golden ears either, but I do hear differences in tubes.

I have an ARC LS7 that I have left on for about 30 years, I mute it when I'm not listening. Never had a problem in all that time.  (knock glass)

Just looked at my LS-16 manual. It says it is fine to leave it on all the time but that it may shorten tube life.

Also, I have an exhaust fan on the LS-16 and two on my amp. Amp is solid state. Both are in an open front enclosure with decent ventilation but I consider the fans to be good insurance and that might have help my tubes have last so long.

Thanks guys.

@oberoniaomnia If tube rolling just means trying different tubes I did that once. As mentioned, even with my not-so-golden ears there was a distinct difference in the sound. But I was very hard pressed to say that I liked one better than the other and was not compelled to buy the loaner tubes. So my tube rolling days are probably over. ;-) But, the idea of a back up set certainly has its merits.

@yogiboy and @noromance and @antigrunge2  I like watching Paul's videos and have learned a lot from them but I sometimes disagree about some of the things he says or find them not to be significant when I put them into practice. But who am I to question?

@bigtwin I do not leave my gear powered up. The tube pre-amp has a 45 second soft start and the amp has like a 10 second soft start. The amp also makes a fair amount of heat even when not in use. I don't need that in the summer here in the south. And while I am not an environmentalist by any stretch, I am of Scottish descent (tight wad) and am a conservative (in the environmental sense) so I hate wasting electricity or environmental resources for no good reason.

Having said that I do have a Sonos Amp that stays powered up.

Sometimes, I think Paul goes beyond what he 'knows'. He made his name in SS, not tubes. So, if anyone should have an opinion on tubes, it would be Ralph Karsten at Atmasphere.

Bob

I like Paul. Knowledgeable. I read his book. Every year? If that’s true, I’m in big trouble!

One can only marvel at the occasional nonsense spouted by the industry greats: small signal tubes especially but even the venerable 300b were designed for >20000 Hours of service. So even if you were stupid enough to keep them permanently powered they‘d exceed a year‘s service.

Never keep tube gear powered up.  It's a waste of electricity and dangerous.   Ever see a KT88 go nuclear red plate with arcing and flashing and sparking?  It's scary. 

I've had good luck with tubes over the past 25 years that I've been using them. I try to be proactive about tube replacement. If a tube is noisy or doesn't hold its bias i replace.   But every year ?   No way. 

Aside from tubes, Paul's suggestion to keep your equipment powered up 24/7, is contradicted by many manufacturers.  I know this issue divides members into two camps.  My own amp manufacturer recommends turning off when not in use.  Claims the soft start circuitry protects the equipment and leaving it powered up just shortens life and wastes power.  Not trying to change the direction of the post, just suggesting it don't make it true, just because Paul says so.  IMHO.

Unless a tube fails in someway, you never have to replace your tubes.  Run them for 30 or even 50 years at a time and they will function.  Now your equipment won't sound it's absolute best as the tubes age, but that's a very subjective observation.

I don't know of any power tubes that will last 30+ years, but for small signal tubes in conservatively designed circuits it shouldn't be that big of a deal.  Again, they won't sound perfect, but I can't do the things I used to do 30 years ago either.

@yogatma 

+1

It depends on the tubes. But annual is not an appropriate schedule. Hours on the tubes. This is why tube amps have hour counters. Your component manufacturer should recommend the number of hours. It is dependent on how hard they run them. 

For instance ARC recommends 2,000 on the 6550 tubes and 3,000 on the rest. 

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

That is a ridiculous statement for him to make!

Power tubes like EL34's and KT88's are good for about 2500 hours or more. But may go longer in an amplifier with a conservative design. Small signal tubes with numbers like 12AX7, 12AU7, and 6922, and rectifier tubes like 5AR4 may go 10,000 hours. So you get years and years of enjoyment. Using a tube tester may or may not tell you if you need a replacement. The best approach is to buy a new set of tubes, and install them. If they don't sound a lot better, put in the old ones and suck every bit of life out of them.

Short answer: No.

Having a second set of tube around to periodically (anywhere between once a year to every 5 years) check whether you notice something, can be considered. But a yearly schedule is nonsense. If anything, it depends on numbers of hours on the tubes. If that would be important, then tube gear manufacturers would include a cumulative time counter on gear; I've seen those in electron microscopes to keep track of filament age, but am not aware of such features on audio gear.
There are so many variables (type of tube, circuit design, on/off cycles, total time, individual tube variance, ...) that there is no general rule possible.

And then there is the burn-in (allegedly, I have not noticed anything on my tubes). So first it sounds bad because tubes are not burnt in, then change them after a year because they sound bad? LOL! If that is so much of a concern, then rather stick with SS.

Relax, enjoy your music. If you like, do some tube rolling for fun. my 2c.

The life of a tube is greatly dependent on the type of tube, the operating conditions of the tube, and even the specific manufacturer of the tube.

Power output tubes tend to have shorter lives than linestage tubes or the input and driver tubes of an amplifier.  Even among output tubes, the ones that are called upon to output high wattage tend to have short lives.  A lot of manufacturers, in order to claim high output, create operating conditions that mean shorter life than if they backed off a bit on those operating conditions that shorten life.  

While the smaller signal input and driver tubes tend to have a longer life, these too vary greatly in how hard a particular amp drives the tube.

Given that there are so many variable involved, there is no simple formula, such as change tubes after this or that time interval.   Both my amp and linestage drive my tubes so gently that I have not had one tube go bad in over 15 years of operation.  Even at the start of my use, the tubes that were put in were used tubes of unknown prior usage.  Most of these tubes were probably well used before I got them.  But, all my tubes are run so gently, they are expected to last a very long time.  This is a VERY good thing because they are all expensive.  My output tubes are 349s, the driver tubes are 348s; my linestage tubes are 310s.