I just recieved a beautiful Torii MkIII amp but have yet to turn it on.

It arrived with 4 matched EL34 tubes but one of the EL34 tubes has a halo shaped ring that hovers near the top (getter ring?) that detached inside the tube. It is shaking around inside the upper quarter of the tube like a rattle.

Can I still use the tube? Or does it go have to be replaced? Or does the entire matching quad set have to be replaced?

Help. I want to listen to the amp ASAP.....

I would not use that tube. . . it's an accident waiting to happen.

You may have to get another matched pair, but it' may be best to get a matched quad. I'd see if you could get any compensation as it wasn't your fault that tube was bad.d . . ?

Thanks. Shipped via UPS today.

Thanks. Got the tubes.

The Torii MKIII is up and running. Wow! Great product. I'm still breaking it in with the 5 hours on, 5 hours off thing. If this amp gets sweeter with time, it's gonna be like electric sugar.

My initial feelings thus far, based on very limited listening:

1. Great soundstage out of the box. I listened to a cheesy Tomita record and the room became a giant aural ping-pong table.

2. Warm round bass. I had to change the bias on the heavier rock stuff. Focus "Hocus Pocus" was initially distorted, but one flick of the bias switch made it great. I also listened to Ella Fitzgerald's "Clap Hands Here Comes Charlie" on the same bias setting, yep, the ghost-of-Ella sang to me last night.

3. Great listenability. Music is "sung" rather than "reproduced". Instead of mechanical arms stamping sound into conveyor belt chunks, the Torii MKIII pours sound like warm chocolate pooling into smooth circular molds.

4. Shrill & strident toned instruments (trumpets, piccolo, synthesizers, etc) no longer burn the ear.

5. The build quality of the amp is truly outstanding. It's good to see American made products of this caliber.

dxp, what speakers are you playing through?

My Torii is breaking in on a 5/5 cycle, hooked to two tiny satellites stuffed into a drawer so I cannot hear them. My ERRs arrive Tuesday. That's when I plan to first start listening.