Whether you can have 'too many tubes' is a matter of temperament, not sound: anxious, fastidious listeners with many tube stages (preamp, amp, phono) will be bothered when one inevitably goes noisy, so they should limit tube count, whereas it is simply part of the care and feeding of tube gear.
normativepending
Speaker
Kevin DiehlEvidence Quote
“if you are wound really really tight maybe get yourself a tube amp and a tube preamp and just roll with that but don't get too many tubes... yes on an occasion you're going to have a tube that goes noisy then you got to figure out which one it is and then you replace it”
Source
What's More Important? Tube Preamp or Power Amp? Too Many Tubes? w/ Upscale Audio's Kevin Deal— Upscale Audio High FidelityCreated: 6/18/2026, 2:32:01 PM
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