do tubes need to be broken in?
Jul 10, 2012 at 12:05 PM Post #2 of 8
Tubes generally always need to be burned in.  You can use them just fine out of the box, but they'll certainly settle in after quite a bit of usage.
 
Technically tubes are constantly changing beyond just burn-in, but for something specc'd to 5k-10k hours, one can assume the space between the first 500 and last 500 at least is probably the optimal part of it's lifespan. 
 
 
Jul 10, 2012 at 12:34 PM Post #3 of 8
Thanks for the advice IEM! will definitely take your advice into consideration! Just got the tubes yesterday, and I think they sound alittle better after alittle more than an hour burn in! Gonna put then on again today for a few hours....but again, thanks a million! :) always appreciate your advice!
 
Jul 10, 2012 at 12:44 PM Post #4 of 8
About 10-20 hours of burn-in is usually enough for a never used set of tubes.
 
Jul 11, 2012 at 8:54 PM Post #5 of 8
tubes need burnt in and that time depends on the tube. Most can be partially burnt in in a few hours (10-20) but I had a black treasure tube that was unlistentoable for the first 100-200 hours but wasn't fully open until twice that.  I hope to never go through that again...
 
 
Jul 28, 2012 at 10:05 PM Post #7 of 8
I wouldn't worry too much about break in. The most important thing is the fundamentals-like the design of the amp, the design of the speakers or headphones. Once the fundamentals are solid, I never think about break in.  In my opinion, a great tube will not make a crappy amp a better amp. Also, a well designed amp does not have to rely on break ins.
 
Jul 28, 2012 at 10:20 PM Post #8 of 8
Well, I have the sennheiser hd650's, using a blue dragon v3 audio cable, and little dot mk3 tube amp...also using a portable CD player for now....but from what I've been told, I'm rocking a very nice setup...so, I also believe that my upgraded tubes do make a difference in the sound, as the mk3 is a very high quality amp, and so are the sennheiser hd650's...but, appreciate the advice though....

Spiderking31
Coury
 
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