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| Woo Audio WA3 |
The vacuum tube amplifier is something that all true audiophiles yearn to own at some point, if they don't already. There is something unique and special about the warm, rich sound produced from a vacuum tube amplifier as apposed to a solid state amp. Even I have been eyeing vacuum tube amp's for the last few years like the Schiit Audio Valhalla and the Woo Audio WA3. I am positive that a pair of Sennheiser HD 650's, the Valhalla vacuum tube amplifier and some sort of quality DAC (most likely the Schiit Audio Bifrost) would sound truly spectacular. However, someone who is unacquainted with vacuum tube amplifiers should be aware of a few pitfalls associated with vacuum tube amps.
There is no doubt that if you are looking for the purest analog sound possible, the vacuum tube amplifier is the way to go. Todays solid state amplifiers lack the rich and luscious sound that the vacuum tube amplifier provides. However, the biggest pitfall of the vacuum tube amplifier is well... the vacuum tubes. Vacuum tubes are an extremely antiquated technology making them relatively expensive to replace and yes, you will be replacing them. There is also the issue of quality. Not all vacuum tubes are created equal. The crappy ones will often muddy the sound as well as affect the sound signature of your expensive amp in a variety of negative ways. The better vacuum tubes obviously sound better, but they tend to be much more expensive than their low end counterparts. There is also different types of vacuum tubes that you can select. Each different tube produces a slightly different sound signature when paired with your amplifier, so selecting the proper tubes can sometimes be a chore. You must also understand that almost one hundred percent of the vacuum tube manufacturing process is done by hand. This results in vacuum tubes that are ever so slightly different from each other. Most of the differences are almost imperceptible to the regular listener, but the discerning audiophile can often pick up on the differences.
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| Schiit Audio Valhalla |
Vacuum tubes will need to be replaced from time to time as well. Smaller tubes tend to last anywhere from five to eight years depending on use. Typically, the bigger the vacuum tube, the less time you can expect it to work (although this rule does not always necessarily hold true). Many big tubes will only last from one to three years. It all depends on how hard you push your amp, for how long you use your amp and the quality of the tubes. Because of all these factors, it is hard to definitively figure out how long your vacuum tubes will last. One last rule in vacuum tube life is that they will often burn out faster when using harder to drive headphones (because obviously the tubes are being worked harder by high impedance cans). For example you can expect a Woo Audio WA3's power tube (the largest vacuum tube on the unit) to burn out quicker if you are driving a pair of 300Ohm Sennheiser HD 800's as apposed to the 150Ohm Sennheiser HD 700's. Tube life is very hard to determine due to a host of effecting factors, but the main point I am trying to make is that if you have a vacuum tube headphone amplifier, you will be replacing the vacuum tubes at some point. Replacing the tubes obviously costs money and thats why vacuum tubes can become a bit expensive to maintain over the years. Some smaller tubes can cost around $10 to $15 dollars while the bigger tube can cost upwards of $30 to $40 dollars each. With a vacuum tube amplifier that has say four tubes, it is probable that you will be investing an additional $60 to $100 dollars into the amplifier over a period of 3 to 5 years. Some really expensive amplifiers have several tubes and obviously with more the more tubes you have, the more costly it becomes to replace them.
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| Schiit Audio Valhalla Tubes |
Another, somewhat minor pitfall with vacuum tube amplifiers is vacuum tube burn in and what I like to call "vacuum tube roll-off". When you first insert brand new vacuum tubes into your headphone amplifier, they need a chance to burn in, similar to a brand new pair headphones. Your tube amplifier wont reach it's full sound quality potential until new tubes have been used for a few hours. Vacuum tube roll-off occurs a few years later when your tubes are no longer new. As they begin to get old (nearing burning out) the sound quality tends to decrease. It continues to decrease until eventually the tubes burn out and are need of replacing. The primary indicator of an old and worn out vacuum tube is when the sound quality begins to decrease. Many people replace the vacuum tubes during this point because they know that they are nearing the end of their life. This is a common practice, as using the tubes until they burnout can, in relatively rare cases, damage the headphone amplifier. A few other vacuum tube amplifier related pitfalls are that when the amplifier is first switched on it needs a good minute or so to warm up the vacuum tubes before you begin listening and that vacuum tube amplifiers tend to produce much more heat and in some cases require more power than their solid state amplifier counterparts.
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The pitfalls listed and explained above are the major possible downsides to the vacuum tube amplifier. This post is in no way intended to dissuade people from purchasing a vacuum tube amplifier. In fact, in my personal opinion, the benefits of the vacuum tube amplifier far outweigh the detriments as a good vacuum tube amplifier paired with quality headphones sound's truly spectacular in comparison to even some of the best solid state amplifiers. It's really an experience that is difficult to describe, except that a good vacuum tube amplifier often makes a standard solid state amplifier sound cold and lifeless in comparison. Tube amplifiers tend to produce a much more rich, lively and often times detailed sound signature, although keep in mind that this is not always true as there are quite a few good and expensive solid state amplifiers out there as well. I feel like it is important for anyone on a tight budget looking at tube amplifiers to understand that you are going to have to spend more money on it in the future, and that vacuum tubes do have limited life spans. I would highly recommend a quality tube amplifier to anyone who is serious about high end headphone audio and for someone who actually has a headphone that can benefit from it (sorry, but your ATH-M50's will most likely not benefit from a tube amp). If you have a moderately or even extremely hard to drive audiophile class headphone, are serious about the best headphone audio has to offer and are willing to pay a pretty penny on an amplifier and some more money on the tubes in the future, then a tube amplifier is for you.
Below I have linked several companies that make quality tube amplifiers. Some of them even sell the individual vacuum tubes as well!
CLICK HERE for Schiit AudioCLICK HERE for Woo AudioCLICK HERE for Eddie Current AudioCLICK HERE for ECP AudioCLICK HERE for Cary AudioCLICK HERE for Icon Audio
