Does a tube need the break-in hours?


Most probably not, but not sure why :) 
Does anybody know a good substitution for 12AT7WA tubes? I have bought 8 of them about 10
years ago for Manley Stingray. Now, when I need a replacement, none of them are good
(ones are labeled by Manley others are Philipps). 
(An almost 20 years old Stingrey remains in a good shape.) 
128x128niodari

Showing 1 response by audioman58

I have found and mfg state 100 hours to fully runin . The new metals need to season or settle in as in any metals they sound a bit bright the first 50 hours or so. Power tubes get hotter faster 
and tend to settle down quicker. Some specialty brands say 200 hours I think 100 hours is pretty safe bet.