Any Guilty Pleasures?

[JoeFriday]

Well, I am into tube audio also, and I can't understand your need to "re-tube" every year. Properly adjusted tube amps with good capacitors and correct bias can give you decades of life on a good set of NOS tubes. I don't spend the big bucks on wires. Never understood that. I do use BIG wires, though. I have Macintosh tube amps and preamps used throughout the house and studio. Klipsch speakers, also.

I'm not in the habit of re-tubing every and agree that it's not necessary.. but my tubes last maybe 3 years before the luster of the sound diminishes enough for me to decide to replace them.. those are the power tubes.. I have yet to use up preamp tubes, altho I replace them frequently just for the sake of trying something new

I used to use "big wires" but no longer agree that bigger is better in that regard.. my current speaker wires are an economical brand (Mapleshade Golden Helix) at only $120 a pair, and are VERY small in diameter.. they do the job quite nicely for the price.. I'd like to replace them with Analysis Plus Oval 9 for comparison, but I seem to spend all my money on cameras these days, and never get around to buying the 9's