Systemic Development > Amplification and Preamplification

Audible Illusions M3A tube longevity

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henrylr:
I've read the warnings about Audilbe Illusions preamps being very hard on tubes. I've also read that the M3A had significant changes. Is the M3A easier on tubes such that other brands can have longevity similar to the Sovtek, Russian 6H23N & 6N1P, 7DJ8 and E288Cc?

Thanks

tmazz:
Audible Illusions preamps have gotten what I consider an undeserved bad rep for tube life over the years.

I bought a Modulus 3 for my son about 12 years ago. OK, I damn near stole it. I found one in a thrift  store with a $115 price tag on it. The tubes lit up and I figured at that price I could pay to repair anything that was wrong with it and still be way ahead of the game. Turns out it worked perfectly and has ever since. They just had no idea what they had, and far be it from me to educate them.

With us moving as a family and they my son moving out on his own I would say over the 12 years it has had about 6 or 7 years worth of regular use. and with all that usage I have replaced two tubes in all that time.

The thing you had to keep in mind with the AI Modulus preamps is that the button that is labels as the power switch does not actually shut down the unit, it just puts it in a standby mode. it it left plugged in , even with the power switch in the off position, tube tubes are running 24/7, which of course puts a lot of run time on those tubes, only a small fraction of which is being used to actually play music. So if you think about it, if you were to play your system for 4 hours every single day without fail you would be running the tube 24 hour to produce 4 hours of music or burning them for 5 extra hours for every hour you listen to them.  So most people looked at how often they had to change tubes as a function of listening time and said that the tubes in an AI pre lasted 1/6th as long as  when in reality the issue was really that they were running the tubes 6 time more than they needed to.

With this in mind the answer is fairly simple. Rather than using the power switch, which left the tubes running I just started pulling the plug we the unit was not in use. (You could also plug the AI into something with a power switch build into it like a power line conditioner.) Doing With the AC input cut off from the AI power supply the tubes shut down when not in use and mine have lasted just as long as other tube preamp.

Performance wise I think is a a very nice preamp. The only thing I don't like about it is the dual mono volume controls. I just find it a bit bothersome to have to adjust 2 controls to change volume and to have to be concerned with upsetting the L/R balance every time I do. It is a minor nuisance, and other than that I think it is a great sound per $ piece, especially for that you can get one on the used market.

Just to give you a point of reference, my main system uses an Audio Research SP-9 preamp which I bought new in 1988 and I am still very happy with. The AI has a slightly different character to it, but I would say they are definitely in the same league as far as overall sound quality goes.

Nick B:
Many years ago, probably at least 30, I heard Audible Illusions gear at a shop in so. California. I’m pretty sure the shop was called Optimal Enchantment in Santa Monica.
It was a simple setup using a turntable. I can’t specifically recall the brand of turntable, arm or cartridge, but I know the speakers were Spica TC 50s. It all sounded quite good. I was curious and it looks like AI is operating in Florida. I also looked up Optimal Enchantment and they are still going after 40 years…

Emil:
From the horses mouth :D

http://www.audibleillusions.com/technical/#p_tube_lifeHow long will the tubes in my preamp last?

The Russian “mil-spec” tubes currently installed in our preamplifiers should last 2-3000 hours or 1-2 years of normal use. However, we are aware that tube filaments are very fragile and susceptible to rough handling. For this reason, and not to inconvenience our customers, we include a spare tube with every new preamplifier shipped.  FAQ

Be aware, from what I've read, their customer service can be quite slow.

rollo:
  I owned one. Yes the older models were hard on tubes. Andy at Vintage tube service told me he no longer sells NOS tubes for that preamp since it eats them up to quickly. Sovteks seemed to last the longest.

charles

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