I have owned my PS2 for a while now, and I was wondering what some general signs of requiring new tubes are, just so I know what to look out for in the future. If possible, are there any specific signs for the 12ax7 and specific signs for the 6l6’s? I appreciate the info!
The signs would be the same as with any tube amp.
Preamp tubes can last a very very long time just depending on use. In the case of the 12AX7 in the PS-2, this is your phase inverter before the 6L6 power section. So, if it were going bad, you might find that you aren’t getting as much volume out of the Power Station or you might have some distortion issues.
The power tubes are much more likely to go sooner. However, unless you are driving the power section hard, you could still get a lot of mileage out of the factory 6L6s in the Power Station. Similar to the PI 12AX7 above, you might notice you aren’t getting as much volume. But you might also find over time that the sound of what you get out of the Power Station just seems to be missing something. You’ll lose frequencies or they won’t respond like they used to. Sudden mechanical power tube failures are much more likely to be dramatically noticeable. The Power Station might blow a fuse and / or you might notice red plating, etc.
If you just plain want to keep your Power Station sounding its best, you could replace your tubes on a regular schedule. Maybe every five years for the PI and maybe every two years for the 6L6s. However, depending on how long you’ve owned your Power Station and how much you’ve used it, I doubt you actually NEED to replace the PI. The power tubes are more likely. But, if you aren’t having any specific issues, you don’t use it frequently for long periods, and you aren’t pushing the power section hard, the power tubes are probably fine as well.
When you say you’ve owned it for a while, how long is that? If you have an OG PS-2 (before the PS-2A update) and it’s still on factory tubes, I would replace the power tubes mostly out of caution and just trying to keep the unit sounding its best. And I would probably still say that the PI could be left alone unless you are having specific issue.
Hope that helps.
calis
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