At the weekend, I turned on my main system, and noticed that the output of my CD player (Consonance CD 2.3 MK. III) was getting lower and lower, and that the dynamics were becoming compressed (only this source was affected).
On opening the player, I discovered that the tube in the output buffer stage (a Sovtek 6H30Pi) had lost its getter (there was just a whitish residue where once the silver getter flash had been). I swapped the tube for a new one, and the player's performance was back to normal.
What happened to the tube? Did the envelope leak, letting in air? I can't see any cracks in the glass. Are any other components likely to have been damaged? There is certainly no audible difference to before the tube failure now....
On opening the player, I discovered that the tube in the output buffer stage (a Sovtek 6H30Pi) had lost its getter (there was just a whitish residue where once the silver getter flash had been). I swapped the tube for a new one, and the player's performance was back to normal.
What happened to the tube? Did the envelope leak, letting in air? I can't see any cracks in the glass. Are any other components likely to have been damaged? There is certainly no audible difference to before the tube failure now....
