Tube Rolling for Pre-amps?


I have an Audio Research LS-16 that feeds a Madrigal Proceed HPA2 solid state amp. 

I did not choose this equipment; it was given to me. From what I can tell the original owner spent a good bit of time matching up these two components with the speakers, Aerial Acoustics 7Bs.

The tubes in the AR are original. Probably 10-15 years old? But with an extended period of not being used.

The system sounds good to me. I don't need to change anything.

However, I've been told that the tubes are old and may need to be replaced soon. I've also read a little bit about tube rolling but most of the articles I've seen talk mostly about tube rolling with amps and not pre-amps.

So I have some questions:

1) If the original owner wanted a system that sounded like a 'tube' system, why not have a tube amp and pre-amp? Does it make sense to have a tube pre but SS amp?

2) Other than outright failure, how will I know if my tubes _need_ to be replaced?

3) With a SS amp, will changing tubes in the pre-amp have a noticeable impact on SQ? In other words, is tube rolling for a pre-amp played through a SS amp a thing?

4) For someone like myself who is happy with the system and who is also easily frustrated by A/B testing is tube rolling the pre-amp even worthwhile? I can almost always hear a change when comparing various components but only rarely am able to say A is better or worse than B.

( I probably can't even articulate effectively what I look for in terms of SQ except that I like the bass to be tight, precise, well defined and not boomy. I do not like the music to be overly bright or tinny. I like depth and lushness but not overly warm. Not sure if these are things you alter with tubes.)

Thanks for any advice.


n80
Thanks guys,

I contacted Brent Jesse and explained my situation. He has 'butt ugly' versions of the Amperex which are tested and matched that he recommends (for my budget) at $170 per pair.

So if I like the way rodman's tubes sound I might go that route.
Interesting that many of the concerns being expressed regarding tubes/tube rolling are addressed with the PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium preamp. 

How do I know if a tube is failing? The PL preamp has LED indicators that indicate a weak or failing tube and the protection circuitry that shuts down the preamp to protect it.

What about biasing newly rolled tubes? The PL preamp has audio biasing circuits that eliminate the need to manually adjust bias.

Contaminating tubes by handling them? The PL preamp comes with a set of white gloves for handling tubes.

Damage to tube sockets from tube rolling? The PL preamp uses high quality ceramic sockets that are bolted to the heat sink chassis and hand wired forming a connection that is structurally superior to the more standard practice of having the sockets wave soldered to a PC board. 

Not trying to sound like a commercial for PL but hey....just sayin'

J.Chip
Sounds like thoughtful innovation there and that would certainly influence my purchasing decision if I were in the market. Currently I'm 'stuck' with what I have. Plus mine was free. ;-)
@ jchiappinelli - I’ve yet to see a tubed pre-amp, that requires it’s tubes’ biases to be adjusted, when they’re changed/installed. Not saying, one may not exist. Biasing is always required for power output tubes, whether done automatically, or- manually(fixed bias). The PrimaLuna Premium integrateds and HP power amps have LEDs to indicate bias balance, and tube failure, for their Adaptive Autobiased power output tubes. Where are the LEDs located, that indicate tube failure, on the DiaLogue Premium pre-amp chassis? Where does PrimaLuna mention, "auto-biasing circuits", regarding it’s preamps? I’m just curious. From the PrimaLuna preamp manual, "Further, every time you insert a tube, you stand a chance of loosening the tube sockets. It’s okay to have fun, and we support that, but don’t go crazy and swap tubes in and out twenty times in a day."(No one’s sockets are bulletproof).