Class D amps vs Valve amps?

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by eem2am

Off topic but ..Cars will always be inefficient (non petro-chemical burning) until they go electric, and can use electricity derived from wind/solar/nuclear to power them.

But electric cars will never be good enough until formula 1 goes electric....as then the high quality design effort will go into electric cars.

The KERS system is already a little that way.

However, the massive problem with electric cars is batteries - to be viable there needs to be a MASSIVE leap forward in storage technology.

For those who read SciFi, it really needs something like the 'shipstone technology' in books by Robert Heinlein. Current battery technology and overnight charging is no use for a car.

[eem2am]

If formula 1 went electric, much better batteries would be developed.

Its just like gasoline cars......they became far more efficient and better because they benefitted from the research that went into Formula 1.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by eem2am

If formula 1 went electric, much better batteries would be developed.

There's already billions spent on developing battery technology, it's not that simple.

[eem2am]

True, also, what would Formula 1 be without that *roar*.....probably finished.

[zman01]

Originally Posted by eem2am

True, also, what would Formula 1 be without that *roar*.....probably finished.

So true, the roar - the signature sound of F1... With silent engines or rather motors, would the roar be artificially generated through speakers then?

The last few days have been tragic for racing overall with two deaths. May their souls rest in peace.

[Johnny2Bad]

I don't believe anyone will seriously "ban" vacuum state devices, whether they be audio devices, or other domestic (microwave oven) or RF (pretty much all radar, radio broadcast), etc. We're not buying Russian made tubes because the High Party Officials wanted a nice stereo at the Dacha.

Even the most rabid environmentalist doesn't want to see passenger airplanes crashing into the Farmer's Market or enemy bombers suddenly arrive undetected overhead, they recognize the energy efficiency of microwave ovens over conventional electric units, and so on.

Although the western vacuum tube industry has abandoned the audio variants, don't for a moment think nobody on this side of the old Iron Curtain make tubes today ... defence contractors are still at it, and they won't be allowed to quit or rely on foreign suppliers.

Aside from our little hobby, most modern vacuum state applications have no solid-state substitute available that offers the same performance level. That's why your local airport has some honkin' tubes installed.

The environmental regulations we're most likely to see will always be addressing products that are mass-market and found in most homes or businesses, because that's where the payoffs are found. Nobody is going to worry about the local guitar player or the even rarer tube audiophile ... they're just not numerous enough to make a meaningful difference in energy consumption.

Of course there is always the possibility that some naive idiot might come up with a brilliant idea to save the world ... I suggest ridicule would be effective, armed with the above vacuum state applications too important to screw with.

[Twaksak]

I play electric guitar, acoustic and bass and I find that d.i.y amps are great value for money. So far all instrument amps that I made were solid state with great effect. The output of valve amps are a bit smaller than that of solid state and therefore I might venture into hybrid design with a valve preamp driving class AB solid state power amp.

Effects are very good from guitar pedals and a lot of sound effects for different requirements are created by modern pedals. The aim is d.i.y no? To what end do we discuss industry made amps if not just that sound required. Overdrive and second harmony injection can be achieved in the preamp stage of a self made amplifier. Tone controls that act like frequency killers with a master level control are great for getting that bluesy overdrive sound.

Can we make our own class G power amp? If not let us consider something a bit more D.I.Y.

Just my 2c