HOT TUBES = BETTER SOUND?

[thinskin57]

i don't know if it's my imagination, but i think my Tremoverb combo sounds better when it gets hot. i've always noticed that it sounds better after around 15 minutes or more of playing it at band levels. well, right now the east coast is in the middle of a major heat wave so i parked a big room fan behind it while my band rehearsed. didn't want the amp to melt! anyway, at this particular rehearsal it seemed like the sound never took off like it usually does. asked my band mates what they thought, and they said it sounds killer as usual. but I really could hear/feel a difference. put my hand to the chassis in the middle of practice and it was wayyyy cool due to the fan. hell, even the tubes were touchable. anyone with similar experiences or am i crazy?

 

[screamingdaisy]

Boogies have a reputation of sounding better once they've had a chance to heat up.

That, and they tend to be voiced for live performance, thus they tend to sound better once your ears have fatigued a little.

 

[fluff191]

If by "hotter" you mean "proper Bias range" then yes they do sound better.

 

[Anonymous]

Post removed.

 

[94Tremoverb]

I've never come across one single tube amp that didn't sound better when it was really warmed up. And sometimes noticeably louder too, without touching the controls. It's not your imagination and other people (band members, audience) can easily hear it if you ask them... and sometimes even if you don't!

Tubes are *meant* to run hot. Fan cooling is more to protect the other components inside the amp (especially electrolytic caps, which usually have a temperature rating of 85ºC/185ºF) than the tubes. Even so, I'm not sure that the better sound isn't caused by other components warming up as much as it is by the tubes themselves.

 

[Resonant Alien]

Yes, tubes always sound better after they have warmed up for 15-20 mins. Even if you just put your amp in standby for 15 mins before you start playing, it sounds better.