Seems like the best "upgrade" for tube amps....


...is to leave the amps on for a few hours before playing. I've noticed recently that when I turn on my Joule amps and let them run for hours, it makes a huge difference in the dynamics and high end sweetness. It gets hot in our house, but it's worth it. Is there a technical reason for this?
dhcod
Service people that worked on tube equipment (TVs) back in the day have suggested letting tubes warm up before putting signal through them. Supposedly this helps protect and extend tube life. I wait at least 20 minutes after turning tube amps on before playing music. Independent of that, things do sound better to me about an hour into a listening session.
Isn’t it true that speaker cones also are designed to operate best at a certain thermal equilibrium point? Most often I let my whole system warm up prior to a listening session. Does sound better after an hour.
If I don't worm-up before lifting weights or swimming, I'll get sore or can get injury.