RobertAnthony Posted August 3, 2022 Share Posted August 3, 2022 (edited) I was going to make the title “Are My Tubes Tied?!” But I digress lol. I have an ART Pro MPA II tube mic pre, and I’m assuming/hoping the tubes finally crapped out after many years of faithful service (as opposed to the whole thing being dead). The main symptom I’m experiencing is a drastic drop in volume, which I read online is a good sign the tubes might be bad, but to also try and verify other signs. I don't know exactly but I want to say I read around -15dB when it was previously at around 0dB with a known signal from Logic Pro project going into it. Please forgive my naivety, as the last time I opened this thing up was… *checking Instagram*…2015! Today I opened it up for the second time, turned it on, and stared at it pretending I know what I’m looking at lol. I see two little dots of “glow” on the top of each tube, but again idk if this is expected, a second sign of bad tubes, if I’m an idiot for looking at them with no signal going through them, etc.? The blue glow is from the front panel lights, not the tubes. I took the tubes out and visually inspected them, and concluded they are in fact vacuum tubes lol. Nothing looked visibly “burnt” or broken or rattled when shaking (yes, I’m describing as if this is a lightbulb lol, it’s all I’ve got for a reference lol). I can’t stress enough the last time I looked at a vacuum tube was 7 years ago lol. Anyways, if anyone who actually knows abt these can derive anything from the pics and the loss of volume issue, or give me any other things I might be able to use to conclude it is actually the tubes, I’d appreciate it. I would like to be confident that the tubes are the problem before spending a million dollars on replacement tubes since, well, you know. Thanks! Edited August 3, 2022 by RobertAnthony Clarifying some details Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplets Posted August 3, 2022 Share Posted August 3, 2022 Preamp tubes are not expensive, but they also tend to last a long time. So getting a new set is probably cheaper than something wrong with the ART? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertAnthony Posted August 3, 2022 Author Share Posted August 3, 2022 3 hours ago, triplets said: Preamp tubes are not expensive, but they also tend to last a long time. I’m looking at these ones. Not the cheapest, not the most expensive. Honestly buying them cause they got a pretty box and I like the idea of Canadian tubes, aye. 3 hours ago, triplets said: So getting a new set is probably cheaper than something wrong with the ART? I mean yeah, but my question is “is it the tubes?” lol. I don’t wanna spend $100+ bucks on new ones, put them in and have it not fix the volume loss issue. I guess that’s part of the game and could still happen but was hoping for some input on if anyone else thinks the tubes are dead, since I’m just guessing it’s the tubes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Nahmani Posted August 4, 2022 Share Posted August 4, 2022 Here's a good primer on visually inspecting tubes to tell if they're dying: https://www.thetubestore.com/how-to-tell-if-your-tube-is-bad 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertAnthony Posted August 4, 2022 Author Share Posted August 4, 2022 7 hours ago, David Nahmani said: Here's a good primer on visually inspecting tubes to tell if they're dying: https://www.thetubestore.com/how-to-tell-if-your-tube-is-bad Read this before posting but gave it another look. I’m feel like I’m seeing more signs the tubes are good than signs they are bad. Guess I gotta decide if I wanna take it to a repair shop or sell it to someone who would know how to fix it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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