Running tubes hot???

[turtletheyertle]

I love the sound it makes when you run them hot and i'm wondering if I just put a big array of cooling fans by the power tubes will I be able to run them hot safely? Also if the tubes were adjusted to run hot but were being cooled externally by a fan or something along the lines, would they sound like they are being run hot because I have a lot of current going into them or would the fact that i m cooling the tubes make them sound like they're not being run hot even though there is more current because the tubes actually need to be hot temperature wise to sound like they are running hot, and mabye if they are being run with high current but they are being kept cool they wouldn't sound like they would if i were to let them be hot?

 

Also what other parts inside the amp would be prone to damage from running the tubes hot, and could i replace those parts with different parts that can handle the stress without altering the signal noticeably. (I dont have the ears of an audiophile but I can pick up on subtle changes.)

[hairydangler]

Youd be able to hear the sound of premature and unecessary valve failure.

[tommythelurker]

I don't think it will work because the plate (the part that overheats from too much current) is in a vacuum which insulates it from your fan. All you'd be cooling is the glass which isn't really the problem.

 

Running the tubes hot itself isn't really going to stress other parts that much. The problem is that it can lead to premature tube failure which can damage other parts of the amp (and beefing up other parts of the amp isn't really going to help since we're talking about the potential of shorts and stuff which would require handling massive current).

 

If you are just running a little hotter and are in tune with how the tubes sound so you can hear when they're starting to wear out, it'll be fine as long as you replace them more often before they fail. But if you run too hot they can go pretty quickly.

[tinwhisker]

Make sure your tranny is protected in the event of tube failure.

[Johnny Z]

 

 

I don't know what amp you have or how much you know about electricty and tube amps but cooling hot tubes with a fan doesn't do much if you're running them at extreme voltages, you'll at the least cook the plates and be replacing tubes more often and maybe do other internal damage to your amp. Replacing parts can be expensive, fry an Output tranny and you'll see what I'm talking about.