I have been enjoying my PV8 since I bought it used in 1991. Although I have never had a chance to directly compare it with more modern preamps in my system, my feeling is that it gives up some detail for a warmer presentation; there is very little fatigue in long listening sessions. It has pretty good dynamic slam when called upon. The phono stage (low gain) seems pretty good.
I just noticed last night gentle popping sounds coming from both channels only in the phono stage when I turn up volume. Also, while CDs are sounding quite nice, phono no longer sounds that good, which is a switch from normal order of preference (current tubes have been in at least 5 years). Question: the preamp has two AX7, two 5751 and two 5965. Can I replace just the AX7 to try to fix the phono stage? Also, what do I need to do to properly clean the unit inside and out? What products do you guys recommend for cleaning /maintenance?
Thanks.
I just noticed last night gentle popping sounds coming from both channels only in the phono stage when I turn up volume. Also, while CDs are sounding quite nice, phono no longer sounds that good, which is a switch from normal order of preference (current tubes have been in at least 5 years). Question: the preamp has two AX7, two 5751 and two 5965. Can I replace just the AX7 to try to fix the phono stage? Also, what do I need to do to properly clean the unit inside and out? What products do you guys recommend for cleaning /maintenance?
Thanks.