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 1 response by wireless200

02-11-09: Tvad
[...] Anyway, the answer to your question is that the tube equipment I have owned has been reliable: VAC, Lamm, Moscode, Atma-Sphere, Modwright.

Tvad, are you sure? In another thread we discussed this because you said you'd ditched a couple of tube amps due to maintenance issues. I know the size was one issue but you stated routine troubleshooting as "a lot [of work]"

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?aamps&1233341924&openfrom&12&4#12