Are tubes that much of a pain?

[Believe High Fidelity]

This could be an interesting topic of discussion/debate. I have found too many a customer leave tubes to go to SS for the sake of avoiding the dilemma of dealing with tubes.

Are they that much of an issue that you would be willing to sacrifice what you enjoy about the tube qualities for the sake of not having to deal with tubes in the system? After I have never heard anyone say:


"My tube amplifier has a SS sound quality...." or "I have always tried to capture the magic sound quality of solid state in my tube amps but I always go back to SS...."

What are your thoughts on this? If you left tubes for SS was it all because of the issues of dealing with tubes?

 

[thomask]

My first tube amplifier 20 years ago was Jadis 500 which use 24 KT88 or 6550 tubes ( 12 on each on monoblocks).

Power tubes had kept popping up and it was a hell during summer time with too much heat out of it.

It was pain in the ass.

But I could not go back to SS once I tasted the tube sound.

Thus I went to simple 300B SET amp (Silbatone) after using Jadis 500 for two and half years.

 

[Al M.]

I have had an Octave RE 320 amp, with four KT 150 tubes, for more than a year now, and never once had to think about its tubes.

The amp has also a sophisticated "soft start" sequence that is supposed to prolong tube life. I don't expect having to think about its tubes for another four years at least, frankly.

There is also a protective circuit. If a tube fails the amp shuts down, and a red light indicates which tube is affected. The protective circuit had to do its job once, and did so flawlessly. Not because of a faulty tube but because I did something stupid. Turning off the amp after shutdown and two minutes later turning on again did the trick to reactivate the amp. No damage.

Two friends also have amps with KT 150 tubes, and no problems with tube life for years as well.

 

[Sablon Audio]

I can imagine that many leave tube power amps when they have small children. Having a 6c33 ‘run away’ and glow cherry red at almost 300 centigrade is a pretty sobering prospect.

 

[bazelio]

I went from a tube amp to SS for the sound. The tubes were low maintenance though and I'm sticking with a tube phono.

 

[Golum]

Can you hold a transistor in your hand and enjoy just at looking at it? I mean you can, but it's not fun and joy. On other hand holding a tube which was made before ww2 or even after and knowing that you can still pop it in the amp or DAC or wherever and it can still produce a glorious sound is just a phenomenal feeling (to me)...so even they might sometimes be pain in the a.s I'm sticking to them

 

[BlueFox]

Why use old, obsolete technology when new, better technology exists? Sure, some people are nostalgic for the past, but I personally prefer the future. To each their own.

 

[Ron Resnick]

I can imagine that many leave tube power amps when they have small children. Having a 6c33 ‘run away’ and glow cherry red at almost 300 centigrade is a pretty sobering prospect.

Hmmm. It sounds like a seemingly innocent, if unpredictable, way to dispatch the critters.

 

[stehno]

This could be an interesting topic of discussion/debate. I have found too many a customer leave tubes to go to SS for the sake of avoiding the dilemma of dealing with tubes.

Are they that much of an issue that you would be willing to sacrifice what you enjoy about the tube qualities for the sake of not having to deal with tubes in the system? After I have never heard anyone say:


"My tube amplifier has a SS sound quality...." or "I have always tried to capture the magic sound quality of solid state in my tube amps but I always go back to SS...."

What are your thoughts on this? If you left tubes for SS was it all because of the issues of dealing with tubes?


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IMO, tubes kinda' fall into the same category as vinyl. If you're fairly content with a certain coloration (not that all tubes induce a coloration) to mask distortions so that the playback presentation seems more musical and you're confident that it's near impossible for the musical presentation to get much more musical, then perhaps it's best to stay with tubes and vinyl as they do help for those only interested in a playback system's actual performance.

But for those who've experienced better or know/think there's greater potential than just the actual and are willing to put the time in, I suspect you'll find more digital and SS in those playback systems for their potential performance rather than their actual.

 

[Ron Resnick]

Why use old, obsolete technology when new, better technology exists? . . .

 

[Ron Resnick]

IMO, tubes kinda' fall into the same category as vinyl. If you're fairly content with a certain coloration (not that all tubes induce a coloration) to mask distortions so that the playback presentation seems more musical and you're confident that it's near impossible for the musical presentation to get much more musical, then perhaps it's best to stay with tubes and vinyl as they do help for those only interested in a playback system's actual performance.

But for those who've experienced better or know/think there's greater potential than just the actual and are willing to put the time in, I suspect you'll find more digital and SS in those playback systems for their potential performance rather than their actual.

The snooty-snogging is flowing heavily tonight.

 

[Audiophile Bill]

I have done the merry go round back and forth and realised in the end that there was no way of avoiding tubes at least somewhere in the chain. I think Mike L is the only one I know of who managed it.

 

[microstrip]

I could easily live with top tubes or SS - my preferences could be very happy with any of them. But IMHO tubes represent better value for money than SS - at the same price I could get better performance from tubed units.

As I get a lot of used gear - the only way to afford equipment to long time audition, I also prefer tubes - much easier to inspect for me and no fear that has been repaired or is underperfroming. Tubes are easy to test. And when we put new tubes we get an as new unit tuned to our preference!

 

[bonzo75]

I have done the merry go round back and forth and realised in the end that there was no way of avoiding tubes at least somewhere in the chain. I think Mike L is the only one I know of who managed it.

Mike, Pietro's yamamura, Henk's grands are all SS

 

[Audiophile Bill]

Mike, Pietro's yamamura, Henk's grands are all SS

Ah forgot the Yama and Grands.

 

[morricab]

Mike, Pietro's yamamura, Henk's grands are all SS

Do you really consider Henk's Grand system SOTA? The speakers perhaps but the rest??

 

[bonzo75]

Do you really consider Henk's Grand system SOTA? The speakers perhaps but the rest??

The system can be much more improved but it is still SOTA because of the speakers itself. Can you add a great TT, better software, better amps, sure, but it is my favorite after Mike's along with yamamura and the general's, and it is has the. weakest source of all.

 

[Al M.]

IMO, tubes kinda' fall into the same category as vinyl. If you're fairly content with a certain coloration (not that all tubes induce a coloration) to mask distortions so that the playback presentation seems more musical and you're confident that it's near impossible for the musical presentation to get much more musical, then perhaps it's best to stay with tubes and vinyl as they do help for those only interested in a playback system's actual performance.

But for those who've experienced better or know/think there's greater potential than just the actual and are willing to put the time in, I suspect you'll find more digital and SS in those playback systems for their potential performance rather than their actual.

My tube amp (Octave RE 320) is very HF extended, with high resolution, and has been characterized pejoratively by some as 'transistory' sounding. It does not mask problems and distortions and, in the context of the overall higher resolution of the system since about a year (not just with this amp, but also with new speakers), it set me off on a wild ride. I started to hear all kinds of remaining room nasties that were previously masked, and had to address these. Also other improvements, like much better speaker stands, played a role in getting the sound more up to par. Yet with this amp (soon to be mated with Octave HP 700 preamp) I was ultimately able to reach a much higher sound quality than possible with a more 'forgiving' tube amp.

 

[Al M.]

I could easily live with top tubes or SS - my preferences could be very happy with any of them. But IMHO tubes represent better value for money than SS - at the same price I could get better performance from tubed units.

Yes, I have more than often thought about getting Spectral amplification, but the price including the mandatory MIT/Spectral cables was just too steep for me. I chose my Octave tube amp as being more appropriate for my budget. I don't care if it's SS or tube, as long as it gives me the best performance for the money.

 

[Bodhi]

Conceptually I like tube dacs, and hybrid amplifiers which have a tube input stage and ss output stage. Though for sensitive phono preamps, I prefer an all-solid state design. That said, i'm very much enjoying my current Vitus integrated & in fact plan to upgrade to the new SIA-030 debuting at Munich.