[cactus_farmer]

I'm interested in a Lyr, however, I know it's a hybrid design that involves tubes...
 
 
My problem with that is I'm a bit paranoid about my bass response. Even with my solid state amp, sometimes I plug (the same headphone) in and think 'wow, there's a lot of bass', and other days I think 'man, something must be wrong, I'm hardly hearing any bass.'
 
I know that's baloney because your mood affects how you percieve music (including bass)
 
However, as tubes die, they gradually change their frequency response and tend to get weaker bass among other changes in sound signature. I'm going to end up having to change my tubes every time I percieve there to be a reduction in bass, and I'd have no idea whether this was down to me just being in a different mood that day, or whether the tubes genuinely were in need of replacement.
 
Is there a way to know objectively when it's time to replace the tubes?
 
Also, does running your headphones on very old (and worn out) tubes in any way damage either your headphones (voice coil or other component) or another component of your amp (that isn't the tube itself)?
 
And is tube replacement a straightforward task with the Lyr? Do you need to 'bias' them, or re-solder parts or whatever?

 

[MIKELAP]

Personnally thats a question i would like answered to .these days i am checking out for my dream .amp and dac for my d-5000 to replace my stx soundcard and i would like that questionned answered to, interesting. its true our earing changes  on different days. sorry i cant help, eagerly awaiting some response to your question though.

 

[tomb]

Quote:

I'm interested in a Lyr, however, I know it's a hybrid design that involves tubes...
 
 
My problem with that is I'm a bit paranoid about my bass response. Even with my solid state amp, sometimes I plug (the same headphone) in and think 'wow, there's a lot of bass', and other days I think 'man, something must be wrong, I'm hardly hearing any bass.'
 
I know that's baloney because your mood affects how you percieve music (including bass)
 
However, as tubes die, they gradually change their frequency response and tend to get weaker bass among other changes in sound signature. I'm going to end up having to change my tubes every time I percieve there to be a reduction in bass, and I'd have no idea whether this was down to me just being in a different mood that day, or whether the tubes genuinely were in need of replacement.
 
Is there a way to know objectively when it's time to replace the tubes?
 
Also, does running your headphones on very old (and worn out) tubes in any way damage either your headphones (voice coil or other component) or another component of your amp (that isn't the tube itself)?
 
And is tube replacement a straightforward task with the Lyr? Do you need to 'bias' them, or re-solder parts or whatever?

1. In my experience, tubes change frequency response so slowly that you're talking into the thousands of hours before a noticeable change would take place.  If you're like most tube amp owners, you'll be tube rolling well before that to such an extent that it'll never enter into the picture.
 
This doesn't count tubes that are worn out to begin with, though.  If they sound bad up front, it's possible they'll get better after a few hours of burn-in, but if they don't - they never will.  (Gas infiltrates into the tube over the decades that NOS tubes have been stored.  The getter will burn most of this out in a few hours.)
 
2. Old tubes are not going to hurt anything in the amp or your headphones ... unless the tube has a short.  If you don't have a tube tester, always ensure that the tubes you buy have been tested - at the very least for shorts.  This of course, assumes that you always use the correct tubes.

 
3. I'm not aware of any tube amp mfr that would require you to solder or un-solder to replace a tube - except one notable exception: something portable like the Millett portable amp.  It uses micro-tubes that were developed for artillery fuses during WWII.  Their only method of connection was soldering - there are no sockets for them.
 
There are some tube amps that will need manual re-biasing when changing tubes, but that requirement is clearly spelled out by the mfr.  Those amps are in the minority, though.
 
 

 

[cactus_farmer]

Quote:

1. In my experience, tubes change frequency response so slowly that you're talking into the thousands of hours before a noticeable change would take place.  If you're like most tube amp owners, you'll be tube rolling well before that to such an extent that it'll never enter into the picture.
 
This doesn't count tubes that are worn out to begin with, though.  If they sound bad up front, it's possible they'll get better after a few hours of burn-in, but if they don't - they never will.  (Gas infiltrates into the tube over the decades that NOS tubes have been stored.  The getter will burn most of this out in a few hours.)
 
2. Old tubes are not going to hurt anything in the amp or your headphones ... unless the tube has a short.  If you don't have a tube tester, always ensure that the tubes you buy have been tested - at the very least for shorts.  This of course, assumes that you always use the correct tubes.

 
3. I'm not aware of any tube amp mfr that would require you to solder or un-solder to replace a tube - except one notable exception: something portable like the Millett portable amp.  It uses micro-tubes that were developed for artillery fuses during WWII.  Their only method of connection was soldering - there are no sockets for them.
 
There are some tube amps that will need manual re-biasing when changing tubes, but that requirement is clearly spelled out by the mfr.  Those amps are in the minority, though.
 
 

Thanks!!
 
Just a few questions...
 
If you just buy a tube (the right tube for your amp) online from a reputable dealer can you assume it won't have a short? Or do you have to buy it and then test it with specialized equipment?
 
Do tubes develop a 'short' as they get very old?
 
...so, changing the tubes in something like a a Lyr (which is a hybrid) would just be as simple as turning the unit off, pulling the old tubes out and putting the new ones in?

 

[333jeffery]

Yep, the tubes are plug-and-play. As for shorts, most tube dealers test them before they sell them, so it would be unusual to get a bad tube right out of the box. Even the folks on ebay selling tubes have a pretty decent reputation.