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How often to change the tubes on the Schiit Lyr?

post #1 of 19
12/27/11 at 4:10am
Thread Starter 

...presuming an average 2.5 hours usage per day. (I don't know how some of you claim to have an 'office rig' and listen all day while at work - I'd be fired on the spot if I did that!!)

 

Are we talking months? A year? Years? A decade??

 

And once you do have to change the tubes, is it simply a matter of ordering some of the same tubes from the internet, pulling the old ones out and pushing the new ones in? The tubes look pretty recessed in the case - do you have to take the amp apart in order to replace them?

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post #2 of 19
12/27/11 at 5:53am

From the Schiit FAQ, it falls under the Valhalla, but I assume it applies to the Lyr:

 

 

 

Quote:
How long do the tubes last?
They should last about 5,000 hours. Some last more. Some last less. If you want certainty, go with solid state.

 

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post #3 of 19
12/27/11 at 6:02am
Thread Starter 

haha, cheers.

 

ok, that's 5 and a half years on my usage

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post #4 of 19
12/27/11 at 6:26am

Yeah, I over-estimated my usage and I figure my tubes will last 2.5-3 years.

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post #5 of 19
12/27/11 at 7:32am

Great, I have 153 years worth of listening! biggrin.gif

 

Cheers!beerchug.gif

-HK sends

 

...ok, maybe 90...tongue.gif


Edited by HK_sends - 12/27/11 at 7:33am
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post #6 of 19
12/27/11 at 10:42am
Thread Starter 

Related question...

 

Do tubes age when not in use?

 

So if I use 5 hours tonight, then leave the amp untouched and turned off for 10 years, will the tubes still have 4995 hours of life in 2021?

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post #7 of 19
12/27/11 at 11:30am

I was curious about this as well, and stumbled upon some reference material that may be of interest to you.

 

http://www.kk5dr.com/Tubes.html

 

 


Edited by sonitus mirus - 12/27/11 at 11:34am
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post #8 of 19
12/27/11 at 12:17pm

      Quote:

Originally Posted by cactus_farmer View Post

Related question...

 

Do tubes age when not in use?

 

So if I use 5 hours tonight, then leave the amp untouched and turned off for 10 years, will the tubes still have 4995 hours of life in 2021?

Hey, we all age when not in use...very_evil_smiley.gif

 

The tubes should not degrade to any measurable extent if there is no power put to them.  That's why you can find 60's and 70's era tubes that test as new.  If they are stored in a clean dry place (although from the condition of some tubes I've seen, that may not always apply), they should keep indefinitely...as long as the vacuum integrity isn't compromised and the leads haven't corroded too much.

 

Hope this helps...

 

Cheers!beerchug.gif

-HK sends

 

PS - I would remove the tubes and store them, not leave them on the amp...

 

 


Edited by HK_sends - 12/27/11 at 12:21pm
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post #9 of 19
12/31/11 at 8:58am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by HK_sends View Post

      Quote:

Hey, we all age when not in use...very_evil_smiley.gif

 

The tubes should not degrade to any measurable extent if there is no power put to them.  That's why you can find 60's and 70's era tubes that test as new.  If they are stored in a clean dry place (although from the condition of some tubes I've seen, that may not always apply), they should keep indefinitely...as long as the vacuum integrity isn't compromised and the leads haven't corroded too much.

 

Hope this helps...

 

Cheers!beerchug.gif

-HK sends

 

PS - I would remove the tubes and store them, not leave them on the amp...

 

 


 

what happens if I only use the amp on weekends.

 

Do I have to remove the tubes from the amp and store them during the week?

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post #10 of 19
12/31/11 at 10:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by cactus_farmer View Post

what happens if I only use the amp on weekends.
Do I have to remove the tubes from the amp and store them during the week?

No, they will be fine in the amp.
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post #11 of 19
12/31/11 at 11:10am
Thread Starter 

OK, used a few hours every weekend (not used at all in on weekdays) but with the tubes stored in the amp all the time, how many months/years should the tubes in the Lyr last?

 

Again, I've seen they last 5000 hours, but that could well mean that the tubes age even when not using them, which would mean you have to replace them every 29 weeks anyway.

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post #12 of 19
12/31/11 at 11:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by cactus_farmer View Post

OK, used a few hours every weekend (not used at all in on weekdays) but with the tubes stored in the amp all the time, how many months/years should the tubes in the Lyr last?

 

Again, I've seen they last 5000 hours, but that could well mean that the tubes age even when not using them, which would mean you have to replace them every 29 weeks anyway.



You can always send the guys at Schiit an email. I've asked them several questions about stuff regarding my Valhalla and they have always had really quick responses. That's probably the best way to clear up your concerns.

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post #13 of 19
12/31/11 at 11:25am

I use tubes made in the 1940's.  They tested like new when I purchased and installed them.  I have purchased vintage units that had the same tubes from the 1960's and the tubes had never been removed. They were fine. I really would not worry about it.

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post #14 of 19
12/31/11 at 11:39am

     Quote:

Originally Posted by cactus_farmer View Post

what happens if I only use the amp on weekends.

 

Do I have to remove the tubes from the amp and store them during the week?

I'm sorry...I meant that you would store the tubes if they aren't going to be used for a long time (i.e. months or years).  If you are using them on weekends, there's no reason to store them.  I keep tubes in my Lyr all the time and keep my backups in boxes in a drawer. 
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Draygonn View Post

No, they will be fine in the amp.

What he said...biggrin.gif
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by cactus_farmer View Post

OK, used a few hours every weekend (not used at all in on weekdays) but with the tubes stored in the amp all the time, how many months/years should the tubes in the Lyr last?

 

Again, I've seen they last 5000 hours, but that could well mean that the tubes age even when not using them, which would mean you have to replace them every 29 weeks anyway.

The usual way to calculate is just take the number of hours (per day or week) that you listen to the tubes and divide 5000 by that number.  The tubes shouldn't degrade if the amp isn't on.  Therefore, if I listen to music for 4 hours each weekend, the tubes should last about 1250 weekends or 24 years.  I will admit there are other factors that can degrade the life of a tube (the construction of the tube itself, the stability of the voltage going through it, the ability of the tube to hold a vacuum, etc.), but that's just a risk we all take when buying these old tubes.

 

5000 is an average estimate, some tubes go bad earlier and some tubes last longer.  Let's face it, unless you buy a set of recently made tubes, most of the NOS and used tubes you find are already 20-50 years old.  I normally keep a backup set of tubes, but just because I am afraid my tubes might quit early on me and I have another set already on hand.

 

I really wouldn't worry too much about using up your tubes too fast.  Look at all the tube amps being sold out there that use these old tubes.  If the people that have them were afraid the tubes would expire too quickly, there wouldn't be much of a market for tube amps.

Chances are you may upgrade to a different amp long before your tubes go bad.  Many folks have been listening to tube driven electronics for years with the same tubes and are perfectly happy.

 

Hope that helps...

 

Cheers!beerchug.gif

-HK sends 

 

 


Edited by HK_sends - 12/31/11 at 11:48am
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post #15 of 19
12/31/11 at 12:22pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by HK_sends View Post

     Quote:

I'm sorry...I meant that you would store the tubes if they aren't going to be used for a long time (i.e. months or years).  If you are using them on weekends, there's no reason to store them.  I keep tubes in my Lyr all the time and keep my backups in boxes in a drawer. 
 

What he said...biggrin.gif
 

The usual way to calculate is just take the number of hours (per day or week) that you listen to the tubes and divide 5000 by that number.  The tubes shouldn't degrade if the amp isn't on.  Therefore, if I listen to music for 4 hours each weekend, the tubes should last about 1250 weekends or 24 years.  I will admit there are other factors that can degrade the life of a tube (the construction of the tube itself, the stability of the voltage going through it, the ability of the tube to hold a vacuum, etc.), but that's just a risk we all take when buying these old tubes.

 

5000 is an average estimate, some tubes go bad earlier and some tubes last longer.  Let's face it, unless you buy a set of recently made tubes, most of the NOS and used tubes you find are already 20-50 years old.  I normally keep a backup set of tubes, but just because I am afraid my tubes might quit early on me and I have another set already on hand.

 

I really wouldn't worry too much about using up your tubes too fast.  Look at all the tube amps being sold out there that use these old tubes.  If the people that have them were afraid the tubes would expire too quickly, there wouldn't be much of a market for tube amps.

Chances are you may upgrade to a different amp long before your tubes go bad.  Many folks have been listening to tube driven electronics for years with the same tubes and are perfectly happy.

 

Hope that helps...

 

Cheers!beerchug.gif

-HK sends 

 

 


 

So if an unstable voltage by chance goes through the tubes of the amp, or the tubes I put in there are (unknown to me) badly constructed - there is a chance that those tubes could damage the Lyr and/or the headphones plugged into it?

 

And, even if the tubes are good, as the tubes in the amp get older and older, the power output of the amp gets less and less, right?


That means if using a headphone that is very hard to drive, such as the HE-6, the loss in power could cause the amplifier to strain and cause clipping, damaging the headphones?

 

Man, there's just so many pitfalls to navigate with the tube business - but then again, the Lyr is the only reasonably priced headphone amplifier (not resorting to speaker amplifiers) that can drive the HE-6!!

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