"troubling that manufacturers do not provide a higher quality of tube"
I would love to respect your opinion if actual tube performance data, showing JJ tubes are inferior, is provided!
Good idea to swap McIntosh amp stock tubes?
Having experienced a blinking red light issue with a Macintosh amplifier, I replaced the small tubes and for now seems to be fine
I have heard that mac stock tubes are used as part of the design process of the amplifier and the recommendation is not to swap the tubes with something else. The rationale is the amplifiers don't need tube modifications to alter the sound which has already been optimized. Tube amplifiers that reflect sound changes when tube swapping occurs may not be designed very well. you shouldn't need to change out the tubes to improve sound of your amplifier.
Further because McIntosh amplifiers are so sensitive with all their built-in circuits that sense all kinds of voltage irregularities and power irregularities and tube irregularities, it may be risky to use tubes not designed for the amp. McIntosh does not support using any tubes other than those that were designed for the amplifier.
Interested in what people think about swapping out tubes for McIntosh amplifier and I'm talking about small tubes primarily right now. Do you really note changes that enhance the amplifier if you do swap out tubes? Is it a good idea to not use stock tubes?
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"troubling that manufacturers do not provide a higher quality of tube" I view tube quality in the context of reliability and meeting specs, I don't view tube quality in the context of sound. The latter to me is largely a matter of personal taste. I think manufacturers understand that many owners of tube amplifiers whether they be power, preamp, or integrated may want to roll tubes to achieve a sound preference they prefer therefore the manufacturers provide cost effective, reliable tubes , that don't hinder the sound and leave the owner to tailor as they see fit or not. |
@emergingsoul How do you interpret what I wrote as agreeing with you? What I wrote was that they provide cost effective , reliable tubes that don't hinder sound. . All tubes sound different, what I or anyone else prefers sound wise to me is a personal choice that I don't expect any manufacturer to custom tailor to every buyer. In the context of that I equate quality with reliability and meeting specs, and I equate how they sound with my preference and not a quality issue. |
So basically if the tube works they'll use them. So they have elected to install very cheap tubes in the very expensive amplifiers they sell. I like freedom of choice it's a great concept. If someone wants to drive a Ford Pinto that's terrific. If someone wants to drive a Maserati or a lovely Lamborghini that's also wonderful. I think it's wonderful that we're in agreement. |
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