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A sad tale of tube problems...

Before I tried tubes, I was warned that they are a pain, can be expensive, can fail, will develop hum issues, etc. Well, I had no idea how bad it was going to be. I have tried repeatedly over the past couple of years to get some tubes into my system, and everything has failed. If only they didn't sound so good I would just commit to solid state. Here's my tale of woe...

1. As my welcome back to the audiophile world, I bought a hybrid integrated - got a terrible buzz through the right channel. When I turned the balance to the left, the buzz through the right channel got louder. Never got it solved and went to a SS integrated.

2. Got into vinyl and thought a tubed phono amp would be great. The first one lasted 5 minutes and the right channel dropped out completely. Replaced the tubes, still no luck. They sent me a new one, but I was getting significant distortion. Turns out even the lowest gain setting was too high for my integrated amp. Went to a SS phono amp.

3. Tried a single ended tube integrated. Had a hum problem that was audible from 30+ feet away. Shipped it back for repairs. Came back to me and broke down within the week. They sent me a new one - hum was still there although not quite as bad as the first unit. Went back to my SS integrated.

4. Tried another hybrid integrated. Lasted a week before a loud pop caused horrible distortion. Had to send it in for service. Went back to my SS integrated.

5. Bought a SS power amp (worked great) and used my integrated's preout. Then decided to try a tube preamp. Got significant bleed through on one channel, and when the volume was off I was still getting sound through the left channel. Went back to using my integrated as a preamp.

6. Gave one more shot at a tubed preamp. There was some tube rush through the right channel, so I bought upgraded tubes. Put them in and got a terrible hum through the other channel that I couldn't get rid of.

Counting the replacement components, that's 8 tubed products - and not one has worked. I guess I'm doomed to solid state...:(

Just had to vent...
Scott

p.s. I have tried with and without power conditioners and an Emotiva power strip to stop DC on the line. Didn't make a difference.
smrex13
zd542
5,339 posts
 
Your story is unfortunate, but not at all surprising. There's a big difference between buying tubes, for the sake of buying tubes, and buying the right component for your system.

"Counting the replacement components, that's 8 tubed products - and not one has worked."

That's probably not true. Some of it looks like poor matching.

"They sent me a new one, but I was getting significant distortion. Turns out even the lowest gain setting was too high for my integrated amp. Went to a SS phono amp."

Tubes had nothing to do with that problem, or your integrated amp. It was a mismatch between your phono preamp and your cartridge. Blame that one on your dealer, and find a new one. A mistake that simple is inexcusable.

" Tried a single ended tube integrated. Had a hum problem that was audible from 30+ feet away. Shipped it back for repairs. Came back to me and broke down within the week. They sent me a new one - hum was still there although not quite as bad as the first unit. Went back to my SS integrated."

Probably nothing wrong with it. An SET shouldn't have been your first tube amp. You need to match your source and speakers very carefully. If not, its easy to get a hum.

As for the rest of it, there's no way to tell what happened without more info. Most likely the products were either low quality or mismatched.
justlisten's avatar
justlisten
489 posts
 
I have used tubes in my systems for about 28 years. At one point, I had 64 tubes in my system. Very few if any issues. Had to try solid state to be sure, and had multiple issues with Rowland, and issues with Levinson.

I wonder which brands of tube gear you are using. I believe well designed tube gear, using good parts, is no different than anything else.
arh
366 posts
 
I have been using tubes for 55 years. Had one problem with one product which had a bad reputation for reliability. Like someone else said you don't tell us what products you used. Many inexpensive Chinese tube amps are prone to failure. I have many friends who have tube systems who have no problems.
Alan
grannyring's avatar
grannyring
4,637 posts
 
Well I understand the poster and know first hand that tubes are indeed MORE of a hassle than SS. We seasoned Aphiles know this. Yes, they do tend to have more hum, buzz, noise, ground issues etc... They just do. Yes, tubes age and the sound changes with time. Yes, tubes themselves can fail and make noise.

No, you can't leave them on 24/7. Yes, because of this one has to wait an hour or so for warm up and the best sound, Yes, tubes can be expensive and great sounding ones are becoming more and more expensive.

Sorry you had all those issues. Some are component matching issues as mentioned and some not. Tubes are not for everyone to be sure. They do require more attention and what is one person's hassle is another's joy. You just need to decide which person you are.

I tend to look for gear that has that tube magic without the tubes. I also look for tube gear with less tubes. I like SS rectification over tube rectification so that removes one tube from the equation. I like SET amps and they have fewer power tubes. I also like hybrid tube amps that only use two signal path tubes that can run trouble free for decades sometimes.

smrex13 OP
423 posts
 
Fair enough - I realize that not all of the problems were caused by tubes. And some of it was just bad luck with a defective product. And some of it was probably caused by living in an apartment where the power can be dirty. And some of it was poor system matching. For the most part the components were very well respected brands - some new, some used. In any event, I just needed to vent a bit. To me, tubes sound so much better than SS that I will keep chasing the dream :)

Scott
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