Tube Warmup

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

How long do you let your tubes warm up before flipping the standby switch?

Also, do you notice an improvement in your amp's tone after you've been playing for a half hour? And hour? Three hours?

- Keith

 

[The Golden Boy]

Re: Tube Warmup

About a minute or so.

After the amp warms up (after, say, 2 hours) the amps seem to get more "spongey," less distinct. I prefer the sound of a "cold" amp.

 

[marvar]

Re: Tube Warmup

My class A amp has no standby- so whenever the tubes warm up, the amp starts working. My Marshall's do have a standby, I usually let them warm up for a minute or so

 

[Xeromus]

Re: Tube Warmup

about a minute

 

[JeffB]

Re: Tube Warmup

I let 'em warm up for a couple minutes usually...

personally I think the longer my Rivera stays on the better it sounds...whether I'm using the POD XTL in front of it or just the amp.

 

[rinse_master]

Re: Tube Warmup

I have no standby either, I turn on, flip to silent uning, then once that's done I figure it should have been long enough anyway.

As for sounding better after longer, yeah, I agree, but then it also sounds better louder too

 

[jeremy]

Re: Tube Warmup

a minute or two. i prefer the sound of a non-master volume amp after its been on for a few hours and everything is nice and hot.

 

[Amateur]

Re: Tube Warmup

Probably about a minute. On amps with no standby switch, I usually wait for the buzzing sound to go down before I start playing. It is the signal that tells me the amp has reached a steady state.

 

[Scott_F]

Re: Tube Warmup

It is also rectifier dependent. 5AR4's are slow to glow. Not hitting high voltages as quickly as some other rectifiers.

I am tied by tradition to use the standby switch though. Seems like a good idea to me. 30 seconds to a minute and I'm ready to glow.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Tube Warmup

I let 'em warm up for a couple minutes usually...

personally I think the longer my Rivera stays on the better it sounds...whether I'm using the POD XTL in front of it or just the amp.

+1. Rivera amps don't really start to strut their stuff until they've been on for about 45 minutes; you know when they're totally warmed up, because they get even louder!!!!

 

[Scott_F]

Re: Tube Warmup

Louder huh? Hmm....

 

[DesertRose]

Re: Tube Warmup

earlier versions of the Reverend amps like the hellbound doesn't have a standby switch. So, I'd just on it and play !! =)

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Tube Warmup

I carry my amp and speakers into a venue first and set them up, and after about 10 minutes to 30 minutes flip it on (depending on weather outside and inside, condensation is the key word... either way after the rest of my gear is present).

Usually that gives between 30 minutes and 2 hours of warmup... and yes, the longer it´s on the better it sounds and FEELS, at least to my ears and hands... but that may be some psyche thing as well

 

[jeremy]

Re: Tube Warmup

i think it probably has to do with the tubes and all the componants getting hot. the harder and hotter the amp is run the better the feel

 

[casblah]

Re: Tube Warmup

I've also noticed a difference when you let the "standby" warm-up for a minute b-4 playing (this is on a class-A single-ended amp I'm working on). I wonder if the current needs some time to filtrate the rest of the circuit? The difference was slight, but it was audible, FWIW.

 

[HamerPlyr]

Re: Tube Warmup

I'm the world's worst about it, Keith. I know that I should let it warm up for about 30 seconds before flipping it on, but I rarely do it anymore. I usually flip it on because something has piqued my interest to play and I don't want to wait.

I do agree that it sounds better to my ears after the thing has been on for an extended period of time. As others have mentioned, it may be purely mental on my part, but it sounds better to me.