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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 t_bone

t_bone
1,182 posts
 
I have two tube power amps which have had no issues. Actually, on one amp out of a pair of VTL monoblocks, I have had a tube go (once in 7+yrs). My other amp is an EAR 859 which uses EL519 tubes (yes, out of TVs a few dozen years ago), and the tubes are robust (supposed to last 10,000 hours) and the amp doesn't overuse them. I have had more problems in my life with mass-produced solid state gear from large manufacturers than with tube gear.

I too, for one, want to try walking down the self-made route a little bit.
t_bone
1,182 posts
 
Just for kicks, and to test this thread, I dug out an ancient (well, it was 15+yrs old when I bought it) tube preamp, which I had not touched in a couple of years (27mos to be exact) since my last move, partly because it was boxed up waiting to go off and get modded if I could ever find the modder, partly because I was using my DAC as a pre.

The tube pre fired up beautifully. I waited for the little green light on the power supply, and then the green light on the pre itself, and then volume up...

It is not leaving my system again. It is beautiful. I cannot believe it was out of my system this long. I had to report this on this thread. Now I am going back to listen to the rest of Side1, then Side 2, then...
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