Newbie from PA, USA

[Pottsvillain]

Hi everyone,

I've been researching DIY audio projects for a little while now. These forums have been a great resource. I am completely new to audio electronics, but I've been reading and learning alot lately. I have some books which i've started and have also found some great sites on the web.

My real interest is building some nice tube amps. So far my plan is to start out with a kit to get my feet wet, then proceed from there. I will probably order the Bottlehead Foreplay pre amp within a week. After that I will be looking for my first non-kit amp project. Being new to this, I have no idea what type of amp to start with... single ended...push-pull... any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

My background is in manufacturing, metal work and industrial design. I am looking forward to the chassis construction almost as much as the electronics. Luckily I have some great resources: CNC punch presses, CNC mills, lathes, etc... If anyone needs some construction help or advice, please don't hesitate to ask.

That's all for now...

[EC8010]

Welcome. The hardest bit in making a valve amplifier is the metalwork, so you're half-way there. A 6BQ5/EL84 push-pull amplifier is good as a beginner's project because it's almost guaranteed to sound good. Single-ended amplifiers are more fussy about component quality and construction techniques.

[Pottsvillain]

Thanks for the advice.
I've been searching for some EL84 PP schematics for the past couple days. Do you have any suggestions or websites with good plans? Since I am a beginner, a site that shows a parts list would be a great help.
In the mean time, I'll keep looking.

Thanks.