[shuttleboi]

I'm looking to buy my first amp and am looking at basic tube amps like the Little Dot Mk IV. I have never heard one and have no intuition about them.

Does a tube amp sound much better than (or much different from) a regular solid-state amp (like the Headroom Micro amp)?

Are the tubes in any way dangerous? I can only guess they are like light bulbs. Do they get hot? Do they ever explode? How often do I have to change them, and are replacement tubes readily available somewhere?

Thanks.

 

[sunseeker888]

Yes they get hot. In fact they work on the principle of thermionic emission, meaning that they need to get hot in order to function. But, since we are dealing with one of the oldest electrical technologies in existence, they pose very very little to no safety concerns since they are a tried and true technology.

They can never explode. They are in a vacuum, meaning they can only implode. And that hardly ever happens since they need to be smashed, dropped, or deliberately imploded.

Good tubes need replacement every 3 to 5 years depending on the amplifier design (how hard the designer is driving them in a particular configuration) but I've heard stories where tube amps were left ON 24/7 for decades with no problems.

Go for it, IMHO and from experience.

The tube sound is more forgiving to bad recordings, but with little to no loss of detail. You may just find the sound addictive to the point of rejecting solid state amplifiers forever. I use SS for my speakers since I cannot yet afford quality, high powered tube amps.

 

[Gvvt]

Greatest danger is enjoyment. Symptoms include, but are not limited to, listening to too much music.

Addiction to tube rolling can lead to vast amounts of time spent tracking down and comparing subtle variations. And irrational purchases.

It's great.

 

[atomiccow]

They're not really dangerous unless you open them up and poke around the internals. You should be more concerned about the reliability of the amp rather than the tubes since the stock tubes the LD MK IV use are cheap as hell. When my amp died in less than six months of use, it was the amp that failed and not the tubes. I never replaced the amp and went to solid state after that.

 

[uberburger101]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gvvt /img/forum/go_quote.gif Greatest danger is enjoyment. Symptoms include, but are not limited to, listening to too much music. Addiction to tube rolling can lead to vast amounts of time spent tracking down and comparing subtle variations. And irrational purchases. It's great.

Good one.

 

[eschatologized]

Hours of use is a better metric than "years" – also, driver tubes typically last longer than power tubes. In general, tube amps have a "warm" sound. Mids are emphasized, and low and high frequencies are not as pronounced as on solid state amps. The distortion characteristics are different too.

 

[Uncle Erik]

For the record, no amp should be left on for a period of years. Tubes are not the only item that wears out - the constant heat will kill capacitors and resistors. That can lead to transformer failure, as well. All you have to do is turn it off if you're not using it.

Yes, tubes get hot. But in a properly operating amp that's closed, they're every bit as safe as solid state. On the inside of the amp, however, tubes run at deadly voltages. They're less safe to build and work on, though you can do so safely if you're careful.

 

[Happy Camper]

ZZZZZ........They are the Devil's tool. Run from this place and save your.............

Oh, wait!

What a dream.

They will make you more interactive with your listening experience. Changing tubes are easier than changing a light bulb. I haven't had a tube base twist off in the socket.

Your listening environment will determine how dangerous a tube amp is. You can pull your tubes so curious hands won't find other uses for them. If you won't be leaving your amp on while not listening to it, you won't have to worry about a tube arcing or shorting and burning the house down. Should this happen, it typically only smokes something inside the amp so the fire is contained. The heat from the tubes takes some getting used to but as long as you drink a lot of fluids, you can wash your pads to get the salt out.

Tube amps are sexy things. The warm glow in the evening will keep you entertained much longer than you should. You go to work tired, daydreaming of when you can get back to the caress of those headphones. You start thinking of spending more for an amp with bigger capacitors and shapely tubes. You bring home exotic tubes from the far reaches of ebay to gain new pleasures from it. Next, you're trying power cords, ICs, cryo treated tubes.

Are these things dangerous! Hell yes they are dangerous, they are the Devil's .........ZZZZZZ!

 

[shuttleboi]

How hot will the tubes get while it's on? Would I burn myself if I touch the tube (or any part of the amp, for that matter)? In particular, is the Little Dot Mk IV any more or less "dangerous" or well-constructed than other tube amps?

 

[Happy Camper]

If you touch them immediately after turning them off, yes, they are similar to a light bulb. They either need some time to cool off or you will need something to insulate your fingers, a cloth glove works fine. You can change the smaller tubes out within about 30 seconds. The power tubes will take a little longer.

I have no experience of the .4 but wouldn't think it any more dangerous than any other and probably less than some.

 

[sunseeker888]

Of course you are best off to NOT leave the thing on 24/7, but I am totally certain that NOS American and German tubes can easily function for YEARS straight. There is proof of it everywhere.

But that's not the point of this thread, LOL.

Yes if you touch power tubes you will get burned. Plus the oils from your fingers shorten tube lifespan by creating a cool spot on the glass envelope, in turn thermally stressing the glass on a molecular level.

Preamp tubes & drivers generally run cooler and last longer.

 

[Gvvt]

A couple of old (ie, experienced) tube-heads on the forum wrote a while ago about using a towel when rolling tubes, because they were too impatient to wait the couple of minutes it takes for them to cool off enough to handle comfortably. I've never felt a strong urge to touch a tube once it's in use - but I haven't stuck my tongue on a frozen handrail, either.

They're essentially safe - even when/if they fail, it's actually less jarring than when a light bulb blows. And they're pretty sturdy; I've been dropping lots of things lately, including tubes, and they suffer no damage at all. (Haven't dropped any big ones, which probably would shatter...)

There is something comfortable and, in fact, seductive about tubes, tube amps, and the sounds they make. They are a pretty fascinating enrichment of the musical experience itself.

I don't imagine any reputable tube amp maker would sustain a reputation if they built dangerous products. Same for solid state, I suppose. Dead customers are a lousy source of endorsements.

 

[sunseeker888]

Oh yeah, tubes are very rugged. I've submerged TV tubes in water, dropped them, etc deliberately just to see how they'd hold up and they did just that---continued to work as they should.

It is NOT advisable to move the tubes or the amplifier until it cools down. The filament in the tube is more susceptible to damage when it is at operating temperature. For example, if you're a guitarist and you switch off your tubes and hit the road right after a gig, it stresses them more than necessary. Sometime down the road, they begin to become microphonic.

 

[csommers]

I absolutely love and swear by tube amps. The rich warm sound they give, and forgiveness for lower-end recordings is a plus in my book.
There are plenty of tubes available and its fun to tube-roll and try out different combos.

As for danger: unless you grab one of them after its been on for 30 minutes then no. The body of the amp might be warm, but the tubes are downright HOT, like hotter than a lightbulb hot.

 

[Bones13]

Tube amps are hot, and as long as you can keep your fingers off of the tubes you will be fine.

Hot tubes do not belong in areas where children can handle them. I am also hesitant to have my tube amp in the room with my cat.