How do I break in a tube amplifier?


I should be taking delivery of my Yaqin MC-30L tube amplifier this weekend. I believe the dealer is going to set it up and bias it and may even let it run for a few hours before I pick it up. It's going to be a 2nd system sharing speakers with my primary home theater system so I will have few opportunities to leave it running for extended periods of time.

Does it do any good to just leave the amplifier turned on or does it actually need to by playing music?
mceljo

Showing 1 response by lissnr

Tube amps are generally more natural sounding than ss though certainly the design, parts quality and overall synergy with your speakers and the rest of your system remain the most important variables for best sound. I'm not familiar with your brand (I'm assuming it's built in the far east)but many general guidelines have been shared here already. Try to remember simply to have your amp be "ON' the shortest time period versus the rest of your system...this will mean, as previously mentioned: "Last ON, First OFF", and that will go a long way to avoiding unforeseen accidents.
As for actual break-in, yes, playing music through them is ideal because the caps and transformers and all throughout are actually processing a signal which is much better than simply idling on.If I were you and I knew I would be home for a couple of hrs at least, I would turn it on and play some music through it (CD player on 'repeat' or better yet, just a tuner). In a few weeks you'll be close enough that you have a couple hundred playing hrs and I'm sure you'll be satisfied by then.

Tubes typically like about a half hr to warm up and sound their best but again, it depends on the particular model. I have found that some are faster to sounding their best, than others.
For example, my VTL monos were pretty good after 30 minutes but were better by 60... I could still hear improvement even later and by 2+ hours they were simply engrossing with all their attributes at full bloom (rich tone, amazing staging and focus...). Note that by then they were certainly running at a [literally] "hot" temperature as well.
My CJ monos were a decidedly different animal in so much as they really wanted at least 45 -50 minutes or so before they started sounding decent and over an hr before they were truly listenable critically. On the other hand they never became especially more than warm to the touch unless I was doing some sort of 5-10 hr listening marathon at generally loud levels as this could lead to "slightly" hot.
The last example I'll mention is my Cary amp (which I still have) and the Cary has even more 'personality' than either of the others. It has the greatest difference in sound quality between cold and 'fully cookin', and unlike the VTL and CJ it simply wants well over an hour (and really a good 2 hrs) before sounding really listenable but by then it is simply amazing: pure seductive tone, rich mids, surprising punch and extension as well as great width and depth of stage with excellent imaging. But it does run Hot. Yes, it's designed to do so and its been perfectly reliable but it is the only one of the crowd where you want to be conscious of it a bit more.
By coincidence I happen to be breaking in my "End of game" amps right now, my TRL GT 200's which use heavy, solid core copper wiring, massive transformers and Duelund cast caps...all of which will need in excess of 750 - 1000+ hrs before sounding their consistent best. I have over 400 hrs on them so far and they are already magnificent...they are remarkably cool and stable and running them 24/7 (over the weekends at least) is not an issue.
I hope this gives you a little better idea how tube amps will vary but that in general, they are great music makers and IMHO (and many others) well worth their bit of extra care. Happy Lissn'n