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Tired of Problems with Tube Equipment

I switched over to tube audio equipment in some form some years back, and have certainly enjoyed music played back through them. I have had amps, preamps, and DACS at different times utilizing tubes. One unfortunate thing that's been common to all the tube equipment I've had are problems. It doesn't seem to matter whether the manufacturer is large or small, built in the USA or overseas, they all have had problems. Capacitors blowing out, bad solder joints, tubes only lasting a short time, loud pops that mysteriously go away on their own, etc. Although I have enjoyed the sound (and that beautiful glow!), I am starting to get tired of this and thinking of going back to solid state.

Have any of you also gone back (or thought about it) to solid state for this reason? What has your experience been with the reliability of tube equipment?
smeyers

Showing 2 responses by jaymark

jaymark's avatar
jaymark
519 posts
 
I love tube pre-amps and they have been very reliable - Quicksilver and AirTight.

Tube amps are a different story. I had two and sold them both, a Music Reference and VTL monoblocks. The monoblocks were so full of problems, and the response I got from VTL was less than helpful, so I sold them to a guy who knw how to troubleshoot tube amps.

I will try another tube amp because I love the sound - but it will be a self-biasing model. That'll probably work just fine.
jaymark's avatar
jaymark
519 posts
 
Mitch, that has been my solution for the most part - solid state amps, preferably high-powered and class A, and tube pre-amps.

If you really understand tube amps and know how to troubleshoot them, they probably are not a problem at all.
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