6080 tube longevity in Crack?

[dludingt]

Hey folks,

I just got a NOS Mullard CV2984 power tube in the mail today and man does it sound sweet in my Crack!!!! While I was enjoying my new tube, I was thinking about how long the tube will last since the 6080's are meant for short and brutal lives.

Considering the huge amount of current draw for the heater and how hot the 6080/6AS7 tubes get, what kind of lifespan can I expect from a power tube in the Crack?

[Paul Birkeland]

since the 6080's are meant for short and brutal lives.

Are they really?  I considered them to be quite the opposite.

Considering the huge amount of current draw for the heater and how hot the 6080/6AS7 tubes get, what kind of lifespan can I expect from a power tube in the Crack?

Neither of these factors is a particularly strong determinant of how long a tube will last. 

I think you will see 10,000-100,000 hours from a NOS 6080.

[dludingt]

PB,

I must have misunderstood something about the 6080s in my research. I'd imagine that with the Speedball upgrade and the tube running close to perfectly linear, that the life would be longer?

Thanks for the info!

[Paul Birkeland]

Tube life is going to depend on a lot of factors, including heater voltage, plate dissipation, heater cathode voltage differential, cathode current, etc.

The Crack circuit doesn't push any of these limits.

-PB