Quote Originally Posted by alancohen View Post
I guess different strokes for different folks. I can't think of any successful amplifier designer/manufacturer that would include in their marketing literature the phrase, "We could care less if your tubes last 2000 hours or 10,000 hours."

Reliability in any piece of equipment is not the main thing, it's everything. Personally, I would never buy an amplifier where I had to worry about tubes frying every time I turn it on. And I really can't see how pushing a tube to its limits enhances anything. It might boost a little power, but it can't improve its sonic characteristics. I find it hard to believe you have to sacrifice reliability to gain performance.
The question is what do you define as reliability? The amps themselves are typically bullet proof, at least the ones I've seen him build himself. Tubes are actually a disposable, and when they were in general use, that's how they were viewed. Today, we have a skewed view of them because they are a niche product, and not the only game in town. Even I remember when you could go down to the drug store and stick the tubes out of your TV into a floor standing tester and check them out. If your TV was more likely to pull in that station just on the edge of your viewing area, would you care so much if you had to change the tubes more often?

So in this respect, the marketing would emphasize "greater dynamic range, and more true power to your speakers" rather than "gentle on your tubes" If your tubes last you 2 years instead of 4 years, how does that compare to the investment cost of a couple of Cary monoblocks? Besides, these amps are all designed with new manufacture, and readily available tubes. If you want to put your 60 year old Western Electrics in them, then you might have an tech damp down the bias current and dial back the amp. Lastly, if you can justify your last statement on power versus sonic characteristics with some scientific info, say discussion of various tube curves and power dissipation, I would be more likely to lend some credence to it. Dennis has been building tube amps for close to 50 years, and I doubt there are many people around that know more about it than he does.