Why no heated gear?

"The entire tube, inside and out, will eventually reach the same temp whether heated from within or from outside."

From that unimpeachable source, Wikipedia:

"Vacuum tubes require a large temperature difference between the hot cathode and the cold anode. Because of this, vacuum tubes are inherently power-inefficient; enclosing the tube within a heat-retaining envelope of insulation would allow the entire tube to reach the same temperature, resulting in electron emission from the anode that would counter the normal one-way current. Because the tube requires a vacuum to operate, convection cooling of the anode is not generally possible unless the anode forms a part of the vacuum envelope (in which case the cooling is by conduction through the anode material and then convection outside the vacuum envelope). Thus anode cooling occurs in most tubes through black-body radiation and conduction of heat to the outer glass envelope via the anode mounting frame. Cold cathode tubes do not rely on thermionic emission at the cathode and usually have some form of gas discharge as the operating principle; such tubes are used for lighting (neon lights and neon glow lamps) or as voltage regulators."

Do you possibly believe that you can pre-heat a tube to anywhere remotely close to operating temperature?

uh, did I ever say that?

And regarding your last statement that there is no such thing as heat potential in a tube. Really?

Despite referencing several textbooks as well as the web I find no mention of the phrase "heat potential" when it comes to vacuum tubes.. I make no apologies if I misinterpreted what you meant when you used unconventional terminology.

So you believe that the anode and cathode in a typical vacuum tube are EXACTLY the same temperature?

uh, did I ever say that?

Granted, the cathode is generally heated to increase electron emission. That in no way negates the fact that keeping the tube warm when it is not in use will decrease warm up time.

You all can ignore what the original poster asked and try to nit pick responses, but the fact remains... if it starts out at a warmer temperature it will reach it's operating temperature more quickly. That is crux of the debate, double speak and patting yourself on the back for clever responses "I just knew that you were going to reply the way that you did" doesn't preclude the fact that any of you who dismissed the reality that preheating the equipment has a positive effect were wrong.

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Drill a hole and use a block heater - this is especially beneficial with diesel amplifiers.

To clarify IMO a "warmed up" component is when it sounds best, not that it is warm to the touch etc. As we all know those are very different when it comes to the sound of said component. I want to expedite the time it takes from off to sounding like bliss. Now when I say OFF I mean current isn't passing through the amp/pre amp circuitry, and sounding like bliss means it sounds like it would if it were left on all day everyday.