JAZZ2250 said:Thanks everyone for your comments.
Now, what tube preamp to start with, please?
Uh... er... um... I gotta go wash dishes.
Are you opposed to kits? If not, how 'bout something like the <a href="http://www.bottlehead.com/et/et.html">Bottlehead</a> Foreplay? If you haven't done anything with tubes before, it'd be a perfect way to get your feet wet.
se
Steve Eddy said:
Thanks, SE.
Foreplay was the first one that I could think of, actually. I have no doubt that the Foreplay is the bang for the buck. But, I also think that I could make better one at the same price if I go a complete DIY-way. I already have a good enclosure, RCA connectors, etc. So, I would not like to spend my hard-earned money to the parts that I don't want/need/like. Am I too picky?
Maybe Joel's preamp?
JAZZ2250 said:Foreplay was the first one that I could think of, actually. I have no doubt that the Foreplay is the bang for the buck. But, I also think that I could make better one at the same price if I go a complete DIY-way. I already have a good enclosure, RCA connectors, etc. So, I would not like to spend my hard-earned money to the parts that I don't want/need/like. Am I too picky?
Too picky? Naaaaaah. Just that as I said, tubes aren't my forte so I don't keep track of any of the various DIY tube circuits out there but I am familiar with the Foreplay and thought I'd throw that out seeing as the true bottleheads here can't seem to muster so much as a single suggestion for you. At least I tried.
se
PREAMP.
Hi,
Actually that's a headphone amp doubling as a preamp.
You could build it but did you browse around a bit here?
The previous pages of the "Tubes" section should contain at least a dozen of such projects....probably the main reason why the "bottleheads" around here haven't jumped in yet.
OTOH if you can provide a description of your requirements we may be able to get you started.
Cheers,
Hi,
Actually that's a headphone amp doubling as a preamp.
You could build it but did you browse around a bit here?
The previous pages of the "Tubes" section should contain at least a dozen of such projects....probably the main reason why the "bottleheads" around here haven't jumped in yet.
OTOH if you can provide a description of your requirements we may be able to get you started.
Cheers,
Re: PREAMP.
He wasn't just looking for circuits. He was looking for recommendations to suit his stated goal.
<i>I would like to get some recommendation from the tube guys here which project would be good for my plan.</i>
He laid it all out in his very first post.
I guess that's what you missed.
se
fdegrove said:
He wasn't just looking for circuits. He was looking for recommendations to suit his stated goal.
<i>I would like to get some recommendation from the tube guys here which project would be good for my plan.</i>
He laid it all out in his very first post.
I guess that's what you missed.
se
RE:REREAMP.
Hi,
From the first post:
There's more to a preamp than just that piece of info alone in my book.
Add to that that the preamp needs low Zo and your stuck with the classic "anode follower + cathode follower" recipe or an SRPP.
Source selector, volumecontrol and the most overlooked part : the PSU.
Tubes: 12AU7A,12BH7A,12/6CG7,6DJ8 in short anything with a u of 10-30.
As said before there a number of those around here already.
Nope.
REAMP.Hi,
From the first post:
There's more to a preamp than just that piece of info alone in my book.
Add to that that the preamp needs low Zo and your stuck with the classic "anode follower + cathode follower" recipe or an SRPP.
Source selector, volumecontrol and the most overlooked part : the PSU.
Tubes: 12AU7A,12BH7A,12/6CG7,6DJ8 in short anything with a u of 10-30.
As said before there a number of those around here already.
Nope.
Re: RE:REREAMP.
Yes. But since he has no experience along those lines, he's relying on the judgement of others to make some specific recommendations that he can consider.
Do you expect him to try every iteration out there until he happens to come across something he likes? If that were the case, he wouldn't be here asking for specific recommendations. He'd be busy breathing solder fumes for the next six months.
se
REAMP.fdegrove said:
Yes. But since he has no experience along those lines, he's relying on the judgement of others to make some specific recommendations that he can consider.
Do you expect him to try every iteration out there until he happens to come across something he likes? If that were the case, he wouldn't be here asking for specific recommendations. He'd be busy breathing solder fumes for the next six months.
se
Re: PREAMP.
I don't think you're missing anything.
Yes, I did looked around the tube forum. But, you know what? A newbie (to tube) like me feels even scared what to choose among the dozen projects here. I hope you understand it.
OK. Back to the topic. How's Joel's project? If I could have a headphone amplifier together with a preamp, that would be even better though headphone amplifier was not included in my initial plan. What's the Zo of his? Is it ~2.7k according to the last resistor at the output?
fdegrove said:
I don't think you're missing anything.
Yes, I did looked around the tube forum. But, you know what? A newbie (to tube) like me feels even scared what to choose among the dozen projects here. I hope you understand it.
OK. Back to the topic. How's Joel's project? If I could have a headphone amplifier together with a preamp, that would be even better though headphone amplifier was not included in my initial plan. What's the Zo of his? Is it ~2.7k according to the last resistor at the output?
Re:rereamp.
Hi,
Well, Burnedfingers/Joe built it but had difficulties getting it to bias correctly.
From the feedback he gives it doesn't sound all that exceptional, no surprise there since it was basically just an headphone amp Joel designed to kick his cans.
It can be pushed to sound really great but that's not quite beginners territory.
I think if you look for a preamp + headphone amp, than a really good one can be made based around a circuit presented by Aren Van Waarde at the Headwize site.
It comprises a 6DJ8 and a 6080/6AS7G, the end result will depend on how far you want to take it but it has a lot of potential.
Many other possibilities exist and you'll likely hear other bells chiming here.
For someone new to tubes however is has the advantage to operate at relatively low voltages which will bring cost down.
I'll try to find the circuit for you and post it here.
Cheers,
P.S.If you're on a specific budget, pls. let us know.
reamp.Hi,
Well, Burnedfingers/Joe built it but had difficulties getting it to bias correctly.
From the feedback he gives it doesn't sound all that exceptional, no surprise there since it was basically just an headphone amp Joel designed to kick his cans.
It can be pushed to sound really great but that's not quite beginners territory.
I think if you look for a preamp + headphone amp, than a really good one can be made based around a circuit presented by Aren Van Waarde at the Headwize site.
It comprises a 6DJ8 and a 6080/6AS7G, the end result will depend on how far you want to take it but it has a lot of potential.
Many other possibilities exist and you'll likely hear other bells chiming here.
For someone new to tubes however is has the advantage to operate at relatively low voltages which will bring cost down.
I'll try to find the circuit for you and post it here.
Cheers,
P.S.If you're on a specific budget, pls. let us know.
RE:RE:REREAMP
Hi,
Here's the link for you to take a look:
AREN VAN WAARDE.
Make sure to check the "Project Addendum" at the bottom of the page.
Let me know what you think.
Cheers,
REAMPHi,
Here's the link for you to take a look:
AREN VAN WAARDE.
Make sure to check the "Project Addendum" at the bottom of the page.
Let me know what you think.
Cheers,
Have a look at:
http://www.worldaudiodesign.co.uk/amplifiers.html
The Pre-II.
Its a kit, but the circuit diagram is published on the website, so you could scratch build. The only expensive bit would be the output transformers, WAD do sell these seperately
https://www1.securesiteserver.co.uk/kitfruit/world_shop/index.php
or you could look for an alternative. There is some information given, maybe enough to find something suitable locally to you
http://www.worldaudiodesign2.co.uk/parts_opt.html
http://www.worldaudiodesign.co.uk/amplifiers.html
The Pre-II.
Its a kit, but the circuit diagram is published on the website, so you could scratch build. The only expensive bit would be the output transformers, WAD do sell these seperately
https://www1.securesiteserver.co.uk/kitfruit/world_shop/index.php
or you could look for an alternative. There is some information given, maybe enough to find something suitable locally to you
http://www.worldaudiodesign2.co.uk/parts_opt.html
Re: Re: PREAMP.
Hi Jazz,
No, it's under 200 ohms - I can tell you exactly later today when I get home. The 2.7k looks like an open circuit from the point of view of the (very small) load.
The only reason this is seen as a "headphone amp" and not a preamp by some is that the capacitor on the output is large - due to the small load presented by headphones. If you wanted to make it a pre/headphone amp, you could quite easily add a switch to go from the 220uF cap to a .22uF one for preamp duty. This would improve performance. You could also lower the impedence of the PSU with either regulation or a choke.
Maybe I should post a "deluxe" version??
Anyway, in the US this can definitely be built for under your budget.
If you have any questions, let me know.
Joel
JAZZ2250 said:
Hi Jazz,
No, it's under 200 ohms - I can tell you exactly later today when I get home. The 2.7k looks like an open circuit from the point of view of the (very small) load.
The only reason this is seen as a "headphone amp" and not a preamp by some is that the capacitor on the output is large - due to the small load presented by headphones. If you wanted to make it a pre/headphone amp, you could quite easily add a switch to go from the 220uF cap to a .22uF one for preamp duty. This would improve performance. You could also lower the impedence of the PSU with either regulation or a choke.
Maybe I should post a "deluxe" version??
Anyway, in the US this can definitely be built for under your budget.
If you have any questions, let me know.
Joel
Re: Re: Re: PREAMP.
Thanks, Joel. Actually, your amp has been on the top of my list of candidates primarily because of its simplicity. I don't mean that the sound is not good.
One thing I'm wondering is that (some) people argue that it's difficult to bias it correctly. I've built couple of solid state amplifiers, but am new to tube stuffs. So, I'm wondering how difficult it's gonna be or whether it is really difficult to do it.
Anyway, I look forward to seeing your "deluxe" version.
Joel said:Maybe I should post a "deluxe" version??
Anyway, in the US this can definitely be built for under your budget.
If you have any questions, let me know.
Joel
Thanks, Joel. Actually, your amp has been on the top of my list of candidates primarily because of its simplicity. I don't mean that the sound is not good.
One thing I'm wondering is that (some) people argue that it's difficult to bias it correctly. I've built couple of solid state amplifiers, but am new to tube stuffs. So, I'm wondering how difficult it's gonna be or whether it is really difficult to do it.
Anyway, I look forward to seeing your "deluxe" version.
Maxwell said:
Thanks so much Maxwell for your kind recommendation, but it's beyond my scope. I prefer not having an output transformer. I believe that tubes can make nice sound even without the output transformer especially in the case of preamp. Though, I saved the links for my future reference. Maybe I'll try it when I have enough budget. Thanks anyway.
Re: Re: Re: Re: PREAMP.
No, only one person has said that, and I guaranty he will post another message here in this thread saying the same thing again.
What can I say? It worked great for me, and it's SELF bias! So, how it can be "hard to set" is a mystery to me!! That's the whole point of cathode bias - you don't have to set it at all.
JAZZ2250 said:
No, only one person has said that, and I guaranty he will post another message here in this thread saying the same thing again.
What can I say? It worked great for me, and it's SELF bias! So, how it can be "hard to set" is a mystery to me!!
That's the whole point of cathode bias - you don't have to set it at all.Foreplay a good choice
I have been lurking in the GC posts for a while, and I hope to throw one together one day.
I too considered putting a tube amp in front of the GC and having a complete integrated.
I've been building tube amps for a couple of years and have a foreplay that is not being used so thought I'd convert it to unity gain to drive the GC. (stock gain is very large)
Check out Voltseconds website for many ways to convert the FP to unity gain. (see loose parts page on Bottlehead page)
If you have many parts but no schematics, buy the manual from Bottlehead and build it unity, the manual is something like $15. Note: hum can get out of hand with layouts different than stock so beware you may be trouble shooting for a while.
T
I have been lurking in the GC posts for a while, and I hope to throw one together one day.
I too considered putting a tube amp in front of the GC and having a complete integrated.
I've been building tube amps for a couple of years and have a foreplay that is not being used so thought I'd convert it to unity gain to drive the GC. (stock gain is very large)
Check out Voltseconds website for many ways to convert the FP to unity gain. (see loose parts page on Bottlehead page)
If you have many parts but no schematics, buy the manual from Bottlehead and build it unity, the manual is something like $15. Note: hum can get out of hand with layouts different than stock so beware you may be trouble shooting for a while.
T
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