The Twin Tube Mayhem is designed for years of solid performance. One of the secrets is the duo of type 6205 tubes. These sub-miniature pentodes represent the pinnacle of tube technology advancement. The 6205s were designed and manufactured to meet the MIL-E-1 spec for reliability under conditions of severe shock, vibration and temperature. They provide extremely long service life with virtually no tendency towards microphonics (see USA Department of Defense Standards, Test Methods for Electron Tubes). Also, unlike some "tube" stomp boxes that only use a tube as a clipping diode; the Twin Tube Mayhem employs a vacuum tube signal path with a high voltage power supply, coupled with a high voltage, low noise, discrete Class A input stage. This allows the tubes to operate at their fullest potential, and provides the greatest amount of tube gain and tone. The result is the authentic tube sound and feel, aggressive distortion, and low order harmonics you expect from the best tube amps. Two levels of Boost mean versatility. When coupled with (true) bypass, this effectively provides three-channels: Rhythm, Lead Boost, and bypass. The Boost level selector allows you to preset the amount of boost ready when you hit the switch. The meticulous internal layout minimizes cross coupling and unwanted circuit interactions that can be a major problem in high gain-high impedance vacuum tube circuits.