Good idea to swap McIntosh amp stock tubes?

Is anyone experiencing very sensitive red lighting when it comes to McIntosh amplifiers? I’ve experienced red light blinking and constant red light conditions and both times I replaced all the small tubes and this solved the problem.

I’m told if I use NOS tubes and because of their age they may be unpredictable and cause problems with the very sensitive circuitry of McIntosh amplifiers. I’m not sure Mac supports using these for fear they would damage the unit but they really don’t explain why that is.

I am kind of concerned that the quality of stock tubes used by McIntosh which are JJ I guess.  they may not be of good quality, I've never heard anybody say anything good about them,  and maybe I could be doing better.  Having all these red light conditions occur I don’t think is healthy for the circuit boards. I bought McIntosh amplifiers so I could avoid these problems.

Maybe you just need to contact McIntosh and ask what may be causing these repeated red light conditions given you state that they only recommend the tubes (brand) that come with the amp, yet you are concerned that the quality of the brand, meaning reliability,  isn’t good (I think they are mediocre sonically) .  Net net, find out from them if it’s a tube issue or if it is an amp issue since you state it's a recurring issue

@facten 

They have no clue why it happens basically it's all the above amongst all the choices that could be wrong, and I'm wondering if other people have red light issues.

I have a MR-71 McIntosh tube tuner from 1962. Had it for years was completely gone thru by an authorized McIntosh service , Cornell in Phoenix he's been doing it for years , has all the parts , etc. It sounds superb and has all the original tubes far as I can tell. I know he didn't replace any of them. I would never consider changing them and if one burned out I'd replace it with another O.E. tube if I could find one.

McIntosh gear is famously easy on and forgiving towards tubes. You could pretty nearly socket a grilled cheese in a McIntosh Pre-Amp or Amp and it would still sound pretty good.

The stock tubes of today are more than likely Russian or Chinese mass produced "good enough" garbage tubes. They’ll sound ...fine but nothing like NOS tubes or some of the higher quality modernly produced tubes like KR Audio.

I sell tubes for a living and I rolled dozens (hundreds many days) of different tubes through my C22 and two MC275s EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR YEARS. More than than half the time the tubes were of a different type entirely than what was spec’d for the amp from the factory; think 12SN7 VS. 12AX7, etc. I can assure you and say with no exaggeration that very nearly every single NOS tube of the thousands and thousand that I ever tried in that gear sounded substantively better than the stock tubes that came with it. There is very nearly always a better tube out there, but there aren't many worse than the ones that come stock with that gear.

Definitely upgrade the tubes. You’re missing out on what your gear is truly capable if you don’t.