No worries at all...They are very easy to bias, you will get several thousand hours (at least 2 - 3 or more) and the price of EL-34's are still quite reasonable. Each time you re-tube it's very easy to do and the sonic pleasure of running output - tube based amplifiers is both unmistakably pleasant and instantly addicting. The Cary V-12 series is an excellent example of a user friendly and extremely satisfying component in one's music system...it just makes wonderful music and is WELL worth the minor "maintenance requirements" for such soul-satisfying pleasure. YM ("Your Mileage") WON'T Vary... IMHO, as good as many fine SS amps can and do sound, you've never really become "One with the music" until you've basked in the sound of all those glowing music - making valves (no insult intended to you SS folks). Just do it. Good luck