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AUDIO FORUMS >> General Discussion and Support >> How much to budget for tubes?
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Message started by Donnie on 10/13/25 at 16:27:17

Title: How much to budget for tubes?
Post by Donnie on 10/13/25 at 16:27:17

A friend of mine is interested in getting into a tube amp and he asked me a question that I really wasn't able to answer.
He wanted to know how much a year he would need to budget for replacing tubes?

I said that of course it would matter on what amp he bought and how much he played it and if he wanted to play around with tube rolling.

I'm a bad person to answer his question because I just change tubes when fire is shooting out of the top of them and have never really taken up interest in rolling them.
Yes, I've owned a Torii for 15 years and are still playing the exact same type of tubes that came in it, call me weird.

So what would be a good figure to throw at him, $250-500 a year?

Title: Re: How much to budget for tubes?
Post by ArtMan on 10/13/25 at 18:10:32

A Decware UFO tube replacement cost would be dramatically different than that of the Sara. Tube replacement costs is amp dependent.

Whatever tube amp he is considering, instruct him to get a list of the tubes and look up cost for each tube up on the internet. That would be a helpful answer that he can determine himself.

Title: Re: How much to budget for tubes?
Post by CAJames on 10/13/25 at 18:37:37

“If I get some money I buy tubes. If there is any left over I buy food and clothes.”

The only way to give any kind of educated answer is what you said:

What amp?

How much do you listen?

And mostly how interested in tube rolling?

You can spend all you have or not buy tubes for years or anything in between.