Break in period for tube amp. How long?

Can you please share your experience on break in time and initial sound of new tube amps. Mine are sounding awful out of the box (NAGRA VPA).

jjwa10-09-2005 2:55pm

c123666 Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 871 posts 10-09-2005 at 08:47pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete Breaking in the capacitors, especially if is a common capacitor coupled design (rather than interstage tranny), is very critical. Takes hundreds of hours for the caps to be broken in fully.
c123666 Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 871 posts 10-10-2005 at 01:42am Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete Something about the capacitors "not reforming" is what several techs advised me of
c123666 Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 871 posts 10-10-2005 at 07:08pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete Capacitors should not be an issue with a "new" tube preamp; guess I was daydreaming and thinking of tubed preamps that have been unused for a long time....those should be checked out a by a tech before putting into service. A friend and I fired up an Audio Research PH3 tubed phono stage that had been unused for round 8 years. It came up OK and sounded pretty good. Problem is there is an audible buzzing noise coming out of both speakers; we shut it down immediately after listening for ten minutes. It goes to the shop next for a complete inspection with cap and tube upgrade.