Hot swapping tubes ?

[gtrplayr1976]

What are the dangers / risks of swapping out tubes while the amp is on ?

[jbltwin1]

Do you mean OTHER than burning the crap out of your fingers? yes, tha dangers are, providing high B+ to the tubes before the heaters have a chance to warm up. Then there's the risk of that particular tube having bias issues with whatever control voltage is being applied to the control grid. Then there's the simple matter of just WHY would you want to? Turn it off, change tubes, check control grid voltage before you fire the mutha up and increase it to prevent accidental tube chernobyl and go from there.

[Steve Conner]

You can get away with it in standby, but it hits the tube heaters with a big thermal shock. I remember buying one of those weird Techtube preamp tubes, and the instructions said, "Do not hot swap". However, I've done it with other brands of 9-pin preamp tubes and power tubes, and not damaged any yet.

Swapping them with the B+ turned on is really not recommended. You'll get big pops and thumps with preamp tubes, sparks and electrocution with power tubes.

[gtrplayr1976]

Do you mean OTHER than burning the crap out of your fingers? yes, tha dangers are, providing high B+ to the tubes before the heaters have a chance to warm up. Then there's the risk of that particular tube having bias issues with whatever control voltage is being applied to the control grid. Then there's the simple matter of just WHY would you want to? Turn it off, change tubes, check control grid voltage before you fire the mutha up and increase it to prevent accidental tube chernobyl and go from there.

Just wondered...lol...Chernobyl...I think I'll power down...that's what I always do anyway

[Amp Kat]

You could also damage the output tranny if the volume happens to be wide open or could cause a short if they arc over from the high transient in-rush current / voltage. I do it in standby but never out of standby and it can't be good for the speakers either.