Having overhauled a vintage tube amp from the chasis down, I would say the 3 most noticeable component improvements were the big smoothing caps, any old wax caps and the big one... tubes! It was obvious when it happened but it took me 4 years to find a good strong set of vintage Japanese tubes for a vintage Japanese amp. And no doubt a british built amp would sound best with tubes made in the UK of that era also.
Upgrading specific components in a tube amplifier
Hello everyone,
First of all, thank you for the warm welcome to these forums. It has already been an incredibly helpful place, and I’m learning more each day.
I’ve really enjoyed reading about different people’s journeys in HiFi, and I find the reflections along the way both insightful and inspiring.
Recently, I came across an article where someone, while introducing their system, described making minor upgrades to their amplifier—such as changing output capacitors, tube sockets, and resistors. I’m starting to understand the role of each component in an amplifier, but I’d love to hear from those with firsthand experience in upgrading these parts.
In your experience, do such modifications lead to noticeable improvements in sound quality, or do they risk altering the original design in ways that might not be beneficial?
Looking forward to your insights!