I know what you mean about not pushing the amp past about 50 percent...i
barely ever push my 2000 watt PA amp past 50 at home....things begin to
break....although, not in the amp but in the cupboard lol.
73
Colin, V A6BKX
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Louis Kim Kline" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2006 9:34 PM
Subject: Tube Radios


> Hi.
>
> Unfortunately, I was born at the close of the tube era, and most of the
> electronics in my life has been solid state.  I've never owned tube hi-fi
> equipment, so I can't really comment on tube vs. solid state stereo
> equipment, and I suspect that you might get into some interesting issues
> with modern CD players, etc.
>
> Having said that, I recall one of my prized possessions as a teenager,
> namely a used Hallicrafters S108 general coverage receiver that had very
> pleasing sound, and was probably one of the nicest sounding radios that
> I've ever used for medium wave listening.  Sure, it wasn't as selective as
> some of the newer solid state gear that I have, such as the Drake R8A, but
> the audio section in that radio sounded like a million bucks, and when I
> hear you guys talk about the rich sound from tube amplifiers, that
receiver
> is what I think of.
>
> The one thing I will say is that I think that tube gear requires a good
bit
> more maintenance than the solid state stuff does.  Tubes get weak after a
> few years of use and have to be replaced, and the solid state stuff just
> seems to keep going unless you have a catastrophic failure where the
device
> just fails altogether.  I'll agree with the person who said that tubes
will
> take a lot more, though.  The thing is that while solid state devices just
> keep going and going if treated carefully, the other side of that is that
> those catastrophic failures happen so much more easily if those devices
> aren't treated with care.  For example, I try not to ever push my solid
> state amplifiers to more than 50% of their maximum output, becuse it is in
> that upper 50% of the volume control where most amplifiers develop heat
> problems or push that component that is a little marginal to the point of
> failure.
>
> 73, de Lou K2LKK
>
>
>
> Louis Kim Kline
> A.R.S. K2LKK
> Home e-mail:  [log in to unmask]
> Work e-mail:  [log in to unmask]
> Work Telephone:  (585) 697-5753
>