Keep these coming. Great laughs and reality check!,
Why no tube loaner/testdrives--It's hard being an audiophile
I just wanted to vent for a moment. I'm going to quote my wife and file this under "It's hard being an audiophile" as there is some absurdity to the fact that I view this issue as a real life problem.
The issue:
My Primaluna integrated amp has 6 premp tubes and 8 power tubes. While the unit makes tube rolling a snap, it's (a) difficult to find or at reasonable prices NOS tubes in larger batches; (b) reissue or new tubes cost a bunch to experiment with.
For example, if I want to swap in a set of Gold Lion KT77 power tubes (I've already tried the stock EL34s and Mullard re-issues), it's a small fortune to do so. I think the GL KT77 may be the ticket, yet making another expenditure to find out seems pricey. I wish I could borrow a set and pay a tryout fee, as opposed to spending $400 on a set.
The issue:
My Primaluna integrated amp has 6 premp tubes and 8 power tubes. While the unit makes tube rolling a snap, it's (a) difficult to find or at reasonable prices NOS tubes in larger batches; (b) reissue or new tubes cost a bunch to experiment with.
For example, if I want to swap in a set of Gold Lion KT77 power tubes (I've already tried the stock EL34s and Mullard re-issues), it's a small fortune to do so. I think the GL KT77 may be the ticket, yet making another expenditure to find out seems pricey. I wish I could borrow a set and pay a tryout fee, as opposed to spending $400 on a set.