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? Tube Replacement Question ?

As a novice in the world of vacuum tubes, I have a couple of basic questions. I have a Audio Research SP16 tube preamp I purchased new in January 2008 & use on a daily basis. The tubes have never been replaced.

(1) When is it prudent to replace the tubes?

(2) Will sound quality deteriorate with age?

(3) Are there advantages of replacing the tubes with aftermarket alternatives vs. OEM tubes?

Thank you kindly for your help.
kitjv

Showing 4 responses by rodman99999

rodman99999
5,983 posts
 
You will find it WELL WORTH the cost, to replace all the tubes with certified, "Low Noise" tubes. If you use the phono stage; they are a must, in that position. The higher the gain of the stage, the lower the noise necessary. If you are not using the phono stage, you won't notice any noise with older or noisy tubes, in that stage.
rodman99999
5,983 posts
 
Something VERY important, when purchasing preamp tubes; being CERTAIN they are CERTIFIED LOW NOISE. ie: Upscale Audio stringently tests and grades their tubes, per their noise, microphony, and triode balance(VERY dependable). ie: (http://www.upscaleaudio.com/tubes/12ax7/ge-12ax7.html)
rodman99999
5,983 posts
 
Siemens and Telefunken, for tubes that are known for transparency/freq extension. Mullard and Brimar, for a warmer presentation. Amperex(very popular), Phillips ECG and Sylvania, for a middle sonic ground. All their nine pin, dual triode miniatures, should last about 10k hours(unless run in an unusually demanding circuit).
rodman99999
5,983 posts
 
The gain is not as high, in the other stages(compared to phono related) of your preamp, but noisy/microphonic tubes will still be audible. Upscale's graded tubes are tested for triode balance, as well as noise/microphony, which will also improve channel balance/imaging, in the SP-16. Everything hinges on how much you value performance.
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