Re: Balancing preamp warm up with tube life - bryrohr

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Re: Balancing preamp warm up with tube life

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Posted by bryrohr on April 4, 2006 at 16:04:38

In Reply to: Balancing preamp warm up with tube life posted by erik_squires@hotmail.com on April 2, 2006 at 10:01:04:

I also have a Conrad Johnson preamp. I have the PV12 with phono stage and it has been my understanding that CJ has always been conservative on bias and plate voltages. This design approach, to my understanding, promotes long tube life and minimizes the chances of harmful situations such as shorted tubes that could cause serious service issues. I listen to my system through electrostatic speakers and monoblock tube amps that tend to be very revealing and find that if I warm the pre-amp up 1-2 hours prior to listening it sounds just as good as if I had left it on all night. My pre-amp does not have tube coolers but does have the stock CJ tube dampers that resemble orange rubber bands. The dampers are to reduce microphonics in the tube and can make a huge difference in the sound, especially in high-gain circuits such as phono stages, mic preamps, or tape head amps. You can always tell a highly microphonic tube by simply tapping it gently while listening and you will hear the tapping in the output. BE EXTREMELY CAREFULL IF YOU TRY THIS BECAUSE TUBES RUN ON VERY HIGH VOLTAGES THAT CAN BE LEATHAL AND DO NOT USE A METAL OBJECT TO TAP THEM!!! I personally have always questioned the effectiveness of "tube coolers" as a tube needs heat to allow electrons to flow from its internal elements and is designed to operate under heated conditions. If anything, I could only see reducing the tubes intense heat from degrading other components in proximity of the tubes heat such as sockets, capacitors, resistors, wire, etc. I have seen in poor designs, a circuit board degrading over time and actually crumbling from years of extreme heat.
These, of course, are only my own feelings on the matter and I'm sure could be debated by others.
Sorry for being long winded but when I start to type I tend to carry on.
Bryan.

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - Balancing preamp warm up with tube life - erik_squires@hotmail.com 10:01:04 04/02/06 (11)

Re: Balancing preamp warm up with tube life - bryrohr 16:04:38 04/04/06 (0)

Re: Balancing preamp warm up with tube life - Jimmy 11:42:12 04/03/06 (0)

The 15-20 minutes - Paully 07:14:37 04/03/06 (0)

Re: Balancing preamp warm up with tube life - Ron Oehlert 10:45:26 04/02/06 (1)

Re: Balancing preamp warm up with tube life - shermanr@prw.net 14:37:26 04/03/06 (0)

I'd turn it on Friday nite, off Sunday nite, and not worry about tube life. - jeffreybehr 10:32:10 04/02/06 (5)

Re: I'd turn it on Friday nite, off Sunday nite, and not worry about tube life. - Jim McShane 14:59:03 04/02/06 (4)

How about...turn it on Friday nite but turn it off at every bedtime. You're now down to... - jeffreybehr 23:46:48 04/02/06 (1)

Hee Hee! You Math Major You! (nt) - Jim McShane 07:14:03 04/03/06 (0)

Oh hell, Jim, I'm an accountant; you don't expect me to be able to do simple arithmetic, do you? - jeffreybehr 15:41:26 04/02/06 (1)

I wish the IRS felt that way about arithmetic -nt- - hartwerger 08:47:45 04/03/06 (0)

Follow Ups

Re: Balancing preamp warm up with tube life - bryrohr 16:04:38 04/04/06 (0)

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