WARNING: Tube/Valve amplifiers use potentially LETHAL HIGH VOLTAGES.
Building, troubleshooting and testing of these amplifiers should only be
performed by someone who is thoroughly familiar with
the safety precautions around high voltages.
The output didn't sound squashed or muddy at all, so I'm really confident the tubes and likely the output caps are good, but I like to replace 'em every 10-15 years to be safe anyway. It's only $30 and can save $400 in tubes and xformers.
I have been told that many older amps used smaller caps to save money, space, and due to availability. And nowdays, caps are cheap, so i'm curious how to calculate optimum values. If i had a schematic it'd be miles ahead here.
ten to 15 years of tube life would be great. most US power tubes are good for 2000 to 3000 hrs while russian tubes are good for 3000 to 5000 hrs. 5000 hrs tube life divided by 20 hrs usage per week and 52 weeks per year gets me to 5 years.
