Can you have too many tubes?

Albertporter, unless I am mistaken, your link is only a PARTIAL picture of the ENIAC computer completed in the autumn of 1945, and used by the Aberdeen Proving Grounds to compute ballistic trajectory tables.

By today's standards for electronic computers the ENIAC was a grotesque monster. Its thirty separate units, plus power supply and forced-air cooling, weighed over thirty tons. Its 19,000 vacuum tubes, 1,500 relays, and hundreds of thousands of resistors, capacitors, and inductors consumed almost 200 kilowatts of electrical power.

Another website states

ENIAC, with its 17,468 vacuum tubes, 70,000 resistors, 10,000 capacitors, 1,500 relays, and 6,000 manual switches, was a monument of engineering -- and an energy hog. The city of Philadelphia reportedly experienced brown-outs when ENIAC drew power at its home at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania.

For more info see ENIAC 1 or ENIAC 2. This second link also has some interesting photos.

"Too many" can apply to transistors as well as tubes. I think the issue is the number of gain stages in the signal path, and this is quite different from the eternal argument about tubes vs transistors. With either technology I think that most agree that the less there is in the signal path, the better.

Back in the days when I used tubes there were two tubes (four stages)in the preamp (12AX7 for Phono gain and RIAA, and 12AU7 for line gain/buffer output). The power amp had one 12AU7 for gain, 1/2 another 12AU7 (?) for driver/inverter, and the two output tubes. This provided all the gain necessary, and the preamp even had tone controls. What is the purpose of having more tubes, other than to heat your house?

Albert,loved the site,you showed.Wasn't that the inside of the space ship,in "The Day the Earth Stood Still"?Great stuff!!

BTW--I'm sure you are not shooting film,with the advances in digital photography.Though I'd love a Leica Rangefinder of old,a balance of newer technology,with the old is not such a bad thing.I,personally,am not getting rid of my expensive film camera,any time soon,but I swoon over the newer digital stuff.Only in photography,BTW,not musical realism.Then it's still LP's all the way,though a good CDP keeps me in touch,with new stuff.I love MUSIC first!

As per the TUBE ONLY issue,I don't think the "Better" solid state MFGRS would have thrown in with the "least satisfying" more modern designs if there was not some potential there.Believe me,when I state that I have NO preference to any "TYPE",being tube or solid state.Just the outcome,in a given system.I've "open mindedly" heard wonderful sound from both types,and am sure your set-up is fabulous.Why wouldn't it be,with your passion!!Best regards!

Sirspeedy, I have great respect for Classe, Jeff Rowland, Gryphon and several other high end transistor amps.

Had I chosen Maggie 20.1 instead of the Dali Megaline, I might be running Classe Omega mono blocks instead of my current VTL 750's. In fact, I had several long discussions with the Classe factory as the Omega' were leading the pack as my choices as power for the 20.1.

I use what works. I always prefer tubes when possible, but there can be situations where transistors are a necessity (like inside that space ship:^).

Albert, If you must have tubes with everything, this is something for you:

http://www.amug.org/~jthomas/gpsii1.jpg