People who are Irrationally Afraid of tube amps


Recently I've had a tube amp For Sale on this site. It's a well respected, great amp from a major mfg. I've owned it for 3 years, with absolutely no problems, only enjoyment. I'm only selling it because I sold the speakers I used it with, & my current speakers are a lot more power-hungry. And it's the 2nd tube amp I've owned, my first being a really early model VTL ST-85 that was several years old when I bought it, then I had it for 5 years, & the only problem I had in all that time was replacing a fuse once. And I know almost nothing about electronics, but I learned how to use a multi-meter & successfully biased & replaced tubes in both amps.

Here's the thing: Almost every person who has written to me about my amp for sale asks a zillion questions, you know the routine, e-mails back & forth, then finally says they are too freaked out at the possibility of replacing tubes someday to buy it, whining about the (relatively modest) expense, etc. (And my amp has new tubes!!). Now, these queries are from presumably experienced A'goners because most of them have a large no. of positive feedback ratings here. I mean, we're not dealing with the average shopper at Circuit City, presumably.

My questions are: 1. Why do experienced A'goners waste so much time shopping for tube gear if they're freaked out over the potential traumatic effect that replacing tubes may have on them someday? There's plenty of SS gear FS if that's what they want. 2. Why do many even relatively experienced audiophiles still believe in the "tube hassles" myth? 3. Are there no tube afficiandos who are willing to put up with a minor inconvience every few years?

I feel like putting a warning in the next ad I run for a tube amp: WARNING: THIS DEVICE CONTAINS HIGHLY VOLATILE "TUBES", WHICH MAY BLOW AT ANY SECOND & COULD DESTROY YOUR ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD! USE AT YOUR OWN PERIL, PREFERABLY IN A NON-POPULATED AREA. EVEN IF THEY DON'T KILL YOU, THE TRAUMA OF REPLACING THE "TUBES" SOMEDAY COULD REQUIRE YEARS OF PSYCHOTHERAPY, & MAY BANKRUPT YOU & YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY.

Well, at least that might discourage the "tire kickers". Now, if I could just afford those Cary 805C mono-blocs I've been wanting for years........& thanks for listening to my rant!
steveaudio
I had a tube once, two tubes actually, in a counterpoint 2000 preamp. It was half solid state, half tube.
I loved it with all my heart, when it was working.
I sold it for junk after it stopped working again... (It sat in my closet, broken, as an object of scorn for two years, traded it for a Pioneer P2 Laserdisc player to the folks who sold it to me)
I decided never again.(at least until I win the lotto)
The fooling around to make tubes work is a full time lifestyle. And EXPENSIVE!!! (I KNOW it is not that bad, but that is how it felt)
I can live with the sound of solid state, knowing that the stuff is going to last 'till I am mouldering in my grave. (usually)
Perhaps your irritation with the tire-kickers is showing up in subtle ways and that is also a reason they back out???
After all, they certainly SEEMED interested, didn't they?
I like the way tubes sound. That is why I bought McIntosh SS. Best of both worlds.
I made the switch to tubes quite awhile back, and I have found my tube gear to be just as reliable as my SS stuff. I have changed tubes, but not because any of them went bad. I just wanted to get better tubes for the sound quality. I have never had a tube go bad in any of my tube gear.

My amps have been self-biasing, so I don't have to fuss with that, and it is just as easy to use as any SS amp. I feel reliability of the tube gear I've had is not an issue.