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Replacement Tubes / Valves

Replacement Tubes / Valves

Need to replace a tube or valve for your tube amplifier? We’ve got you covered.

Tubes can blow for a number of different reasons, and a lot of things, like loudspeaker efficiency, room size, and sound pressure levels, can affect the lifespan of your tubes. Generally, preamplifier tubes last up to 4,000 hours, and power amplifier tubes about 2,000. If you’re getting up into that range, they can either blow with a spectacular show (which you don’t want to see), or you could just notice that your sound is starting to seem dry and lifeless, with a noticeable decrease in richness or bloom.

At the end of their life, tubes can also start to become noisy, emitting a slight rushing or rustling sound. Occasionally, the vacuum in the tube will be lost because of tiny hairline cracks, which you can identify by the silver coating on the inside top of the valve disappearing or turning clear. It’s best to replace them before they blow completely - that way you can avoid damage to other components of your amp.

If you’ve had your tube amp for 3 or 4 years (or less if you use it a lot), consider replacing your tubes. The sound degradation usually happens subtly, so you may not even notice it until you replace them and remember all the brilliant reasons you bought a tube amp in the first place.

It’s also a great idea to just keep a couple on hand so you can make the switch easily and quickly as soon as you notice any problems starting to crop up. One of the great things about self biasing tube amps is that tube replacement is easy and quick, compared to the hassle of repairing solid state amps.

Make sure you match the replacement tube correctly. Give us a call or shoot us an email if you have any doubts about whether you’re grabbing the right replacement, and we’ll double check it for you.

Toll-free: 1300 308 711
Email: sales@theaudiotailor.com.au