What do you see as the downside of tubes?

For me the downside is lack of power, and thus
compatibility with my speakers...Usher 6381 that Usher states are mated better with SS. I'm guessing its because they're probably difficult to drive adequately with most tube amps. I'm bummed, I'd love to try one.

Not sure if anyone mentioned that some tube amps may take a while to warm up and sound right after turned on.

I think tubes at the line stage level in the source or pre-amp rather than in the power amp are a lower impact way to get some of the merits of good tube sound while minimizing the exposure to some of the downsides mentioned. That's where I am with my system at present.

My friend has two lava lamps, Carver electronics and Double Advents, and a Members Only jacket.

Every tube has it's own sound signature. Even so, I have them in my DAC, and that is what I hear. So, I guess I am a fan of tubes, as long as they are little ones in my DAC.

Mastersound makes great amplifiers. Enjoy! Tube amps need such simple maintenance. If you can change the oil in your lawnmower you will have no problem maintaining a tube amp. If you have to bring the lawnmower in for a new engine because you blew it up, think again.

As for the costs, you just dropped more than the cost of a car for 30% of the population. It will be worth the cost of tubes every couple years.

But a Lava Lamp is even better and requires less maintenance.

The tubes glowing in the dark make for a great ambiance. You may end up spending more time at home. It's even better if you can share that glow with someone else. It even works for us old married guys.

The real down side is that you may be perceived as a picky person and ordinary things are not good enough for you. You pursuit your ideal to the extreme and don't make compromises for the 2nd best. You are too confident in what you believe. Anyway, you are just above this world...... ;-)

If a tube amp (or a class A solid state amp, for that matter) is located in close proximity to a room/house thermostat, it can create havoc with maintaining a constant room or house temperature.

I've owned some very good and quite expensive SS gear over the years but none of it has ever sounded(to my ears) as believable or satisfying as even modestly priced tube gear.

Many years ago, after hearing so many good things about tubes, I decided to replace my SS Symphonic Line RG-4 monos($9800pr) with a pair of 60wpc QuickSilver's(maybe $1500 pr). Long story short, no contest. The QuickSilvers just plain sounded more believable; more flesh on the bones, more relaxing and just plain more enjoyable. I found myself listening more often and for longer periods without the usual boredom setting in. The only downside to the QuickSilvers was their rather wimpy bass but I really didn't mind since everything else was so good.

After three years with the QuickSilvers I moved on to CJ monos(2 years), VTL monos(7 years) and five different CAT preamps over at least 15 years. Other than a power tube in one of the CJ's causing me some minor grief and an occasional re-tube, all of my tube gear has been trouble free

Over the years I've auditioned various SS amps and preamps and as good as they've been tonally, they always come across sounding 2-dimensional and rather uninvolving(to me).

Currently I'm suffering(NOT) with an Atma-Sphere MP-1 Mk3(w/phono) and MA-1 Mk 3 monos. Let's see, that's 56 tubes not including the four in my tubed CD player. For almost two years my A-S gear has been totally trouble free and the Telefunken ECC88's in my CD player are still kicking after being used in those 5 CATs over the 15 years. Not bad!

The downside to tube gear, it can be addicting. You probably won't want to go back to SS. Yah, you may have to bias your integrated on rare occasions and depending on how hard the tubes are driven you may need to replace a few of them over time.

Unless you're completely neurotic I doubt you'll be worrying about the status of your tubes while you're enjoying the music. That has got to be one of the lamest reasons for not going with tubes I've read!

Heat may or may not be an issue depending on your room but even with my 28 power tubes running Class A, it's not for me.

As EveAnna Manley would say, "Tubes Rule".

Finding quiet, high quality, good sounding unused tubes.

I'll quote from my virtual system:

...I wanted to go back to solid state. I've had tubes for years and loved them. I mean really loved them. However, there are compromises I'm willing to make because 1) I want something I can leave on 24x7, 2) I need something that doesn't generate as much heat, 3) I don't want to continuously wonder if a NOS set of Pope 6SN7s sound better than my NOS RCAs or if my 12BZ7s are aging and need to be replaced, and 4) I want hardware that doesn't require as much real estate.

My tube amp (Pacific Creek E34i - 45 Watt PP) has difficulty sourcing a lot of current needed to drive speakers with low impedance in the lower registers. I've found this to be the case with my Vandersteen 2s. However, in the case of my Monitor Audio Silver RS6s, they are high enough efficiency and don't have such an impedance dip at low frequency to cause a lack of dynamics and transient response in the low end.

What Semi said, times 2

Tbadder,"3 out of 4 tube amps don't work" That's God telling you you have too much money.

One downside that has not been mentioned and for me is the biggest reason not to own tubes is having to power the system up and down all the time so that you don't use up the tube life not listening. I like my system on and ready to go all the time. I found when I had tubes sometimes I wouldn't bother playing music if I only had 15 minutes or so. It just wasn't worth the hassle. Another thing that bugged me was a few different tube pieces I had could take up to 90 seconds to be ready to play. I had a CJ preamp and I would turn it on and then stand there until it clicked on and then adjust the volume so I could listen.

I think tubes sound great but so does solid state. Some people like the ritual of turning on the tubes and the fuss I'm sure.

the biggest drawback is the amount of inefficent speakers my SET will not drive

Then it's the price of 300Bs....

Heat heat, slowly destroying the other electronic parts, have been known to cause circuit fire, burning down the house, can't turn your back on them. In addition they are wearing themselves out as soon as they are turned on, eventually there will be a tube shortage & all the tube amp owners will end up using them for expensive paperweights. Other than that, tubes sound pretty darn good.

The cost of a portable defibrillator.You just might need one when you are deep into the ether of musical nuance and a big power tube blows a fuse and you wonder if it took your speaker with it.Think Godzilla in Tokyo.

I think Mlsstl has it exactly right. Whether you consider the extra fuss that tubes require a downside or an excuse to engage with your equipment depends on your perspective. I've found my Cary pre and amp to require minimal maintenance, just the occasional replacement of tubes as they wear out (and by occasional I mean every several years) and checking the bias of the amp.

Heat is an issue, as is the power demand of the amp.

A very big advantage in my mind is that you can make changes in the sound of your system by rolling tubes. All of the other tweaks you can do to improve sound are common to both tubes and SS, but rolling tubes gives you one more way of fine-tuning the sound.

Major downside that has not been mentioned:

You will enjoy music so much more. Holographic imaging, silky midrange, liquid and smooth texture, air and bloom around each note, they are all addictive and intoxicating you might 1) lose sleep and listen all night long, 2) beat yourself up for not trying tube much earlier, 3) trip over cables walking in the dark to see the glowing tubes, 4) lose a few friends trying to save them from the dark side (SS).

Three out of four of my tube amps don't work.

I agree with the above comments.

1. Some people like the sound of tubes and like (or tolerate) the process of replacement/tinkering/service/expense with them.

2. Some people do not like (or tolerate) that process, even if they the like the sound.

3. Some people could care less or haven't experienced tubes properly.

This is usually only an issue though in the summer months, as in the winter you will actually appreciate the (rather costly) space heaters!

Oh so true with a pair of CAT JL-3's here in Minnesota.

The major issues of tube amp ownership have been mentioned.

However, one factor for someone considering a tube amp is how well those issues match with the psychological predispositions of the owner. Whether "uncertainty" detracts from enjoyment is heavily dependent on the person involved.

I currently have a tube amp and have had many solid state and tube ones in the past. I've got no more "uncertainty" about the slow aging of my tubes than I do regarding the status of my car's tires or other consumable parts. They all fall into a category of expected "routine maintenance" for me.

Just as I don't run my car's tires until they are threadbare and unsafe, I periodically check my tubes with a tube tester I picked up on eBay a few years back. When readings indicate it is time, I just pop in new tubes, bias, and go back to listening.

Some people view the whole process differently. They might find they are happier overall with a solid state amp. As they say, "horses for courses."

In regard to your item no. 3, (i.e. heat):

Don't forget that in addition to the worries about kids or pets getting burned by the hot tubes, that the heat from the tubes may increase the ambient room temperature several degrees, to the point that you might be uncomfortable sitting in your room after a couple hours of listening to music. This is usually only an issue though in the summer months, as in the winter you will actually appreciate the (rather costly) space heaters!

I mostly agree with Tvad's item 3. The constant uncertainty detracts from enjoyment.