Do vacuum tubes go bad?

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About the only thing that can go “bad” with a tube over time is the loss of its vacuum, but well built tubes can hold up for 50 years, and because of the vacuum, the components inside don’t really deteriorate.

– Contact the Tube Collectors Association (TCA), a group of “collector-historians” specializing in the collection and categorization of vacuum tubes, both recent and antique (Ibid). …
– Contact the Global Electronics Recycling Network. …
– Make jewelry or decorations with your vacuum tubes.

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Moreover, How long do vacuum tubes last?

Power tubes like EL34’s and KT88’s are good for about 2500 hours or more. But may go longer in an amplifier with a conservative design. Small signal tubes with numbers like 12AX7, 12AU7, and 6922, and rectifier tubes like 5AR4 may go 10,000 hours.

Secondly, Why do vacuum tubes wear out?

To my knowledge tubes die because either 1) air is slowly leaking in through vacuum seals 2) there is trace amounts of air in the vacuum seal to begin with (both of which slowly burn out the filament) or 3) because of some mechanical friction or vibration actually disrupts the components (filament, grid, etc).

Simply so, What still uses vacuum tubes?

Tubes were more tolerant to cold temperatures than western electronics. These tubes were replaced by charge-coupled devices (CCDs). 1990s-Today – Vacuum tubes are still used today. Musicians still use tube amplifiers and claim they produce a different and desirable sound compared to solid state amplifiers.

How do I know when my tubes need replacing?

– Excessive noise (hiss, hum) including squealing or microphonic tubes.
– Loss of high end. Little or no treble.
– A muddy bottom end.
– Erratic changes in the overall volume.
– A blown H.T.
– The amp doesn’t work!


19 Related Question Answers Found

 

When should I replace vacuum tubes?

A simple guide is to replace the power tubes twice as often as the preamp tubes, because they wear out more quickly. An amp that is used every day should expect to replace its power tubes every one or two years. If you notice lower output, strange noises, or a “muddier” tone, your tubes probably need replacing.

Are vacuum tubes worth anything?

Some older Western Electric tubes unused or the original box will sometimes sell for over a thousand dollars at auction. Any early vacuum tube with a “tip” (the little glass nub on the top) and a brass base has some value to collectors even if it’s just usable for display.

Are vacuum tubes still made?

Current audio vacuum tube production is still largely limited to 3 locations: China, Russia and the Czech and Slovak Republics. While many other developed nations still produce and develop vacuum based electronics, only Japan and Germany have produced glass vacuum tubes suitable for audio recently.

Do vacuum tubes sound better?

In contrast, vacuum tubes operate in the point of an overload without the addition of an unpleasant distortion. To wrap things up, tubes sound better because it is able to produce a musical, smooth, warm, loud, clear, subtle and seamless sound at high frequency because it affixes harmonic distortion.

Are vacuum tubes still used?

The tubes were very powerful and not vulnerable to electromagnetic pulse. These tubes were replaced by charge-coupled devices (CCDs). 1990s-Today – Vacuum tubes are still used today. Musicians still use tube amplifiers and claim they produce a different and desirable sound compared to solid state amplifiers.

When did they stop using vacuum tubes?

Red hot again. Vacuum tubes fizzled out in the 1960s thanks to the invention of the transistor, but new research could fire-up the technology once more.

How do you know if a vacuum tube is good?

Any color from grey/silver, to black is healthy. When a vacuum tube develops an air leak (a small crack or bad seal by a pin for example) this getter color will change to pure white. If you see this you know with 100% certainty that the tube is bad.

When did vacuum tubes stop being used?

1950s-60s – Most vacuum tubes were replaced by transistors in the west. 1970s-80s Tubes are still used in many specialized applications like broadcast television and radio. By this point most tubes had been replaced in the west.

How do you know if a vacuum tube is bad?

When a vacuum tube develops an air leak (a small crack or bad seal by a pin for example) this getter color will change to pure white. If you see this you know with 100% certainty that the tube is bad. Third, look for a purple glow that is very focused around specific elements inside the tube.

Are old vacuum tubes worth anything?

Any early vacuum tube with a “tip” (the little glass nub on the top) and a brass base has some value to collectors even if it’s just usable for display. Common tubes manufactured in the late 1950s or 1960s used primarily in televisions currently have little or no value.

How do I know if my vacuum tube is blown?

Sometimes you will hear strange sounds, loss of power, or heavily distort sound. These are signs that a tube is failing. Often power loss that seems like the amp is performing at half power or less will be one or more bad power tubes, or even a dying phase inverter tube.

Do tube amps sound better than solid state?

The biggest difference between them is that a solid-state amp is driven by current throughout the output devices and a tube is driven by voltage. However, some tube companies make their tube amps sound more solid-state like (for power) and some solid-state products can sound very tube-like.


Last Updated: 11 days ago – Co-authors : 15 – Users : 6

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