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What happens when a tube amp fails?

I've been the very satisfied owner of a Yaqin MC-30L tube amplifier for the past few weeks and am wondering what to expect when a tube fails or something else fails? Is it going to just stop playing through one channel, start smoking, or start my house on fire?

Please give me some insight into the different types of failures and what the result is.

Thanks
mceljo

Showing 1 response by elevick

elevick
2,636 posts
 
Usually, tubes just get old and weak. The sound will lose dynamics, may sound "gummy" and less volume. That's the time for new tubes.
When a tube amp altogether fails, that's not a desireable thing...
The small tubes usually last 3,000 to 10,000 hours. Output tubes such as EL34 will last around 1,000 hours.
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