Can an amp "warm up" with age?

[Pbassred]

I have a selection of old and new P.A. amps. The older ones sound warmer. Certainly more mellow. Is that possible?

[AndrewT]

as dust contaminates the surfaces, the amp will gradually run warmer with age.
So maybe the question becomes; should I clean the internals to restore the performance to as new?

[alansawyer]

Personally after reading reviews over 35 years or so I have still to figure out what the common meaning of all such terms as "warmer" et al acrtually mean when referred to sound.

Warmer air, food, water I can grasp. Louder sound, higher pitched, etc but is there a dictionary for sound adjectives ?

[Pbassred]

Andrew,
I was laughing, and then a tinge of doubt crossed my mind. Maybe you weren't joking.

I wrote "sounds" warmer.

edit:- OK fatter, more mellow, more bass, less boxy. Perhaps its indefinable, but for "fatter" read the same adjectives that valve amp fans use.

[AndrewT]

Hi,
yes, my comment was very "tongue in cheek".
But my recommendation is very serious. Clean it so that it operates at the intended design temperatures. That may have a bearing on how it sounds and it'll cost nothing to find out.

[Pbassred]

Take it for granted that I clean things. where I was coming from is:- I like my older amps more than my newer amps. Will my newer amps mellow with age?

[HK26147]

That may have a bearing on how it sounds and it'll cost nothing to find out.

IMHO: It's well worth for a number of reasons. The coating of dust, and contaminants, definitely impede air cooling. It is sticky and an invitation for mold & mildew. Dust is primarily skin cells and hair ( yuck ).
My sister's Pioneer receiver ( circa 70 ) would overheat and shutdown. Opening up the case revealed a thick coating of fur over all surfaces.
Obviously heat sinks can't dissipate heat if they are covered in a blanket. Cleaning these solved the overheat.

Now the subjective part: I also use old toothbrushs long Q-tips and compressed air to clean the unit to it's original state. I have always heard an improvement in the sound for this effort Usually a restoration in clarity and detail.
I also deal with Pro Sound equipment, it is important to schedule cleanup PM because they operate in a varying, sometimes dirty enviroments.
* With the ban on smoking in many venues, gear is less contaminated

Perhaps the "warm" sound is merely a perception based upon comparison to the improved electronics today. Of course parts age - caps dry out and components values drift. this is probably part of the difference. Maybe dirt/dust form micro caps and rectifiers and affect performance ( just some harmless musing - no attacks please ).
Anyways I try to schedule some downtime for this sort of PM.

Syd

[jaycee]

Also consider the effect of aging electrolytic capacitors affecting things like power supply ripple and feedback components.

[HK26147]

aging electrolytic capacitors

In my experience, high on the list of things that go 1st.

I haven't really seen a definitive study on this but I've wondered if ultimately, it was better to operate old gear, if only occasionally, rather than warehouse it:

Come across old gear that languished in a closet or attic, for years, perhaps decades without being "fired up", The 1st impulse is to turn it on. But as just mentioned those old paper caps dry. I've seen the results as exploding caps in the PS of guitar amps.
One problem that seem to exacerbate it is, line voltages are higher ( In my area 125V+ ), than they were during the days of the old gear ( 110 -115 then ).
The P.S. voltage boosting in a tube amp results in a higher B+ now. At least in my area. So for repairs we are inclined to up-spec the voltage rating on some parts.

Syd

[ostripper]

By Pbassred -- I have a selection of old and new P.A. amps. The older ones sound warmer. Certainly more mellow. Is that possible?

I have a huge selection of pa amp schematics and most pre-80's
designs are bootstrapped as newer ones have CCS or
balanced VAS's or even IC frontends. At least on my DIY
amps ,the bootstrapped design sounds mellower.
OS