[AllanS]

Please help fill in the blanks.  I’m most interested in preamps but anything in the path is fair game.
I think I want tubes in my next pre but, after a couple of expensive false starts, I want to be clear headed about where I’m going and why.
Thanks much.

[musicdre]

you might be a tube guy if you like a glow to the music (instead of harder edges)

[Early B.]

You might be a tube guy if:

1) you know in your heart and soul that tube gear sounds better than solid state, but you stopped saying that on audio forums many years ago; and
2) both your amp and preamp use tubes; and
3) you have gear that uses nonstandard signal tubes (typical is 12AX7, 12AU7, 6922, 6SN7, etc); and
4) you would never consider using the stock tubes; and
5) you have a collection of tubes in storage, most of which you don't recall when you bought them or what component they were for, but you refuse to throw them away; and
6) you buy only high-sensitivity speakers.   

[nlitworld]

You might be a tube guy if... your love of tinkering outweighs your need to "set it and forget it".

[Tyson]

You might be a tube guy if you buy an amp just because the tube “looks cool”.

[gene9p]

if you love listening to vinyl

[Early B.]

You might be a tube guy if you buy an amp just because the tube “looks cool”.

Absolutely!!! My next amp:

[FullRangeMan]

You might be a tube guy if:
5) you have a collection of tubes in storage, most of which you don't recall when you bought them or what component they were for, but you refuse to throw them away; and
6) you buy only high-sensitivity speakers.

Speaker below 96dB sound slow to my ears.
I have dozens of GM70 and others Russian tubes, that I dont a have a amp to use.

[SET Man]

Hey!

   You might be a tube guys if...

  1. You ignored the high THD of your SET amps and just listen to the beauty of the sound of music of your tube amp produces.

  2. You willing to put up with the heat specially in summer with air conditioner on driving up your electric bill!

  3. You willing to put up with the high cost of tubes when it comes time to retube your amp and pre amp.

  4. You have less speaker options to pair with your amp due to the low power your amp can put out.

  5. You can't help trying different tubes.. aka tube rolling... to see if you can make the sound better to your liking in your system and that cost more money and you ended up with more tubes in your closet.

    That's all I can think of right now. I have full tubed system with late '90s Audio Note UK M1 Phono preamp, Welborne Lab Apollo SET (KR Audio 842VHD) and Bel Canto SET 40 845 amp.

[AllanS]

I dunno know Early B, that is a lot to live up to. I’d love to dig into the non standard signal tubes at some point but I’ll have to start with the glow in the dark and the music, which I’ve gotten a taste of and like.
I don’t mind tinkering until it’s as right as it’s going to get but I may need to reconsider if that brings the constant temptation to scour the ether for that one more tube that promises to do that one more thing.

[nlitworld]

  2. You willing to put up with the heat specially in summer with air conditioner on driving up your electric bill!

Especially with that 845 amp, I'm sure you could fry an egg on that thing!

[Early B.]

I don’t mind tinkering until it’s as right as it’s going to get but I may need to reconsider if that brings the constant temptation to scour the ether for that one more tube that promises to do that one more thing.

Quit while you're ahead!! The most fundamental aspect of being a tube guy is the thrill of tube rolling. There's always a temptation to spend as much as a thousand dollars on a single tube just to hear if it sounds "better" than what you have. Quick story -- I bought a separate audio component to replace the rectifier tube in my preamp so I could swap out more types of tubes. Instead of the puny stock rectifier tube, I'm using a pair of 300B tubes. That's crazy! But I swear it sounds better.

[AllanS]

Maybe not so crazy if it allows you to do something with these

5) you have a collection of tubes in storage, most of which you don't recall when you bought them or what component they were for, but you refuse to throw them away
 

5. You can't help trying different tubes.. aka tube rolling... to see if you can make the sound better to your liking in your system and that cost more money and you ended up with more tubes in your closet.

I have dozens of GM70 and others Russian tubes, that I dont a have a amp to use.

[SteveFord]

In addition to boxes and drawers full of new and spare tubes, you have a cabinet full of dead ones that you're planning on turning into a display piece some year.

[SET Man]

Especially with that 845 amp, I'm sure you could fry an egg on that thing!

Hey!

    Yup! And to keep cool, I wear that outfit while listening to music with my system in summer! 

    By the way... to make things worse, I have a PS Audio P600 powering my system and that thing put out some heat also

[Bill Baker]

You listen to a buddy’s all solid state system and politely ask to be excused to go grab your tube preamp and give it a try.

[walkern]

I can't believe nobody has said this yet: You might be a tube guy if you have your own tube tester, and USE it now and then.

[novice]

I’m most interested in preamps but anything in the path is fair game.

SS: Solid-State
TB: Tube

Re: preamp -> amp in system, had all following combos, random sequence:

SS -> SS
TB -> TB
TB -> SS
SS -> TB

Actually liked TB -> TB least in hindsight memory and the last 2 best. This all wildly opinionated, likely confirmation biased, and no attempt whatever at quantifying any of it. Except, at least 1 set of the same speakers in the same room used throughout and 1 source (CD) constant. The easiest if you just want to get your toes in the water is tube preamp with solid-state amp. Especially if it's a minimal stage preamp with fewest tubes in phono & line sections. That also opens the door to easier tube rolling which is fun but may also lead to OCD. I am still in recovery...

[sonicboom]

 You're a tube guy if:

1) Your vocabulary contains words such as: direct heated, thoriated tungsten, mica, getter, fixed bias, damper diodes, octal, noval etc.

2) You use tube substitution charts to play around with different sub-types (i.e. 12AX7-> 5771, 6L6G -> 5881)

3) You use tube base adapters for substituting different variants (i.e. 6SL7 ->7F7, 6L6G -> 807, 6W6 -> 6DB5)

You're considered a bit more obsessive when you know more than let's say three transformer manufacturers, you know the difference between RC coupling and transformer coupling and can quickly name three transmitting tube types that are often used in audio.

These last attributes will grant you automatic status as a card-carrying tube-o-phile member