I am trying to design the output transformer for a push-pull class A headphone amplifier but I am having a tough time deciding what to do about the secondary configuration. For maximum power transfer the output and load impedances should be matched, but this gets a bit complicated when the load impedance ranges from 32 to 300 ohms. I would really like to limit the maximum number of secondary windings to two, so I figure that if each were 32R, then I could use a single 4pdt switch to select between parallel (32R) and series (128R) for both channels. Having more than two secondaries would require an expensive multipole rotary switch to implement, and I rather not go there.
But what effects will result from driving 300R cans, or even 600R studio cans, from a 128R impedance. I mean, besides the obvious effect of lower power output and higher damping factor (which I don't think is really important vis-a-vis headphones). What if I just went with a single 32R winding? Also, what about selecting the impedance via taps, instead of trying to rearrange parallel/series connections of the secondaries? This would certainly be much easier to accomplish, but what are the drawbacks?
Me with tube audio:
But what effects will result from driving 300R cans, or even 600R studio cans, from a 128R impedance. I mean, besides the obvious effect of lower power output and higher damping factor (which I don't think is really important vis-a-vis headphones). What if I just went with a single 32R winding? Also, what about selecting the impedance via taps, instead of trying to rearrange parallel/series connections of the secondaries? This would certainly be much easier to accomplish, but what are the drawbacks?
Me with tube audio:
Can you design for about 7 volts RMS behind a 30Ω source impedance? (Physical resistor, device plate impedance, or power supply regulation.) That will drive about any phones made to rated max power.
Ummm, this is the TUBES section, right? If you are coming out of triode tubes, match the plate resistance to 30 ohms, check that the no-load output voltage is 7VRMS or more. With most tubes, that is just not a problem.
You need 7VRMS or more for some hi-Z phones.
You need 100mA RMS or more for some lo-Z phones. (This is why transformerless headphone amps are rarely impressive in lo-Z cans.)
You never need both 7V and 100mA at the same time. A resistive model is (I was shocked) an excellent model to the galaxy of headphone impedances and power ratings. (May have something to do with the IEC mob, but also historical trends.)
That's assuming you actually want to supply the full rated 50mW-250mW that phones can stand without smoke. Many-many people do seem to be happy with just a few milliWatts. One tuner-tube in totem-pole push-pull with no transformer seems to make many people happy, even with lo-Z cans if they are not too insensitive or if listening levels are not high.
I did an extensive study once and posted (2-page thread) it on HeadWize. And the same idea in another form.
Ummm, this is the TUBES section, right? If you are coming out of triode tubes, match the plate resistance to 30 ohms, check that the no-load output voltage is 7VRMS or more. With most tubes, that is just not a problem.
You need 7VRMS or more for some hi-Z phones.
You need 100mA RMS or more for some lo-Z phones. (This is why transformerless headphone amps are rarely impressive in lo-Z cans.)
You never need both 7V and 100mA at the same time. A resistive model is (I was shocked) an excellent model to the galaxy of headphone impedances and power ratings. (May have something to do with the IEC mob, but also historical trends.)
That's assuming you actually want to supply the full rated 50mW-250mW that phones can stand without smoke. Many-many people do seem to be happy with just a few milliWatts. One tuner-tube in totem-pole push-pull with no transformer seems to make many people happy, even with lo-Z cans if they are not too insensitive or if listening levels are not high.
I did an extensive study once and posted (2-page thread) it on HeadWize. And the same idea in another form.
Hi,
Discalimer: I've never "designed" a transformer in my life! (Specified a few though
)
However, I would not be looking at maximum power transfer as an important factor.
Whether you gain of lose a few mW is unimportant. The most important thing IMO is that the variation of impedance is not reflected back into the driving circuit, where it could make operation unpredictable.
Far better to go for the low Z source and Hi Z load all the way through.
Cheers,
Discalimer: I've never "designed" a transformer in my life! (Specified a few though
)However, I would not be looking at maximum power transfer as an important factor.
Whether you gain of lose a few mW is unimportant. The most important thing IMO is that the variation of impedance is not reflected back into the driving circuit, where it could make operation unpredictable.
Far better to go for the low Z source and Hi Z load all the way through.
Cheers,
fdegrove said:
Yes, I know. The Grado SR-60's have a sensitivity of 98dB SPL for 1mW input and a 32 ohm impedance; the Sennheiser HD600 have a sensitivity of 97dB SPL at 1mW with a 300R impedance (rising to 600R at 100Hz). These two headphones require similar amounts of power to sound equally loud, but very different voltage/current combinations to get there.
My understanding of the tube OPT coupled stage is thus: the maximum amount of relatively undistorted voltage swing is produced when the anodes are loaded by the proper impedance. If 50Vrms is available at the primary, for 100mW total output a current of 2mA will flow (Z=25k). This turns into ~1.79Vrms and 100mA when transformed to a 32R impedance. The maximum undistorted signal at the secondary, then, is limited to 1.79Vrms. As far as I know, connecting 300R cans to the 32R winding will not automatically enable the output tubes to produce a higher voltage swing at a lower current.
If my understanding is correct, then having only an 8R winding available would be a disaster, n'est-ce pas?
Jeffreyj,
The maximum undistorted voltage swing will occur when the load is near infinite.
In practice, arrange for the impedance to be as high as possible to give the lowest distortion. Of course you'll need some power, so a compromise will be needed.
Cheers,
Not how I see it, at least for triodes.
The maximum undistorted voltage swing will occur when the load is near infinite.
In practice, arrange for the impedance to be as high as possible to give the lowest distortion. Of course you'll need some power, so a compromise will be needed.
Cheers,
Hi,
Pas vraiment...so, no it should be fine.
Look at it this way, the PP triodes should see a nice high load, as D'Haen points out, but the lower secundary impedance should not bother it or the headphones at all.
It should and will drive any impedance higher than its own without any problems...that's the beauty about tubes; you're most often fine when the load is equal or higher than the secundary impedance.
With semis, that's a totally different story, akin to the opposite.
Give it a try, find a half decent tubeamp and hook up a headphone to its' LS terminals using some loading resistors; 120R 5W IIRC and have a listen...
Should be fine, IME.
Cheers,
Pas vraiment...so, no it should be fine.
Look at it this way, the PP triodes should see a nice high load, as D'Haen points out, but the lower secundary impedance should not bother it or the headphones at all.
It should and will drive any impedance higher than its own without any problems...that's the beauty about tubes; you're most often fine when the load is equal or higher than the secundary impedance.
With semis, that's a totally different story, akin to the opposite.
Give it a try, find a half decent tubeamp and hook up a headphone to its' LS terminals using some loading resistors; 120R 5W IIRC and have a listen...
Should be fine, IME.
Cheers,
> the maximum amount of relatively undistorted voltage swing is produced when the anodes are loaded by the proper impedance. If 50Vrms is available at the primary, for 100mW total output a current of 2mA will flow (Z=25k). This turns into ~1.79Vrms and 100mA when transformed to a 32R impedance. The maximum undistorted signal at the secondary, then, is limited to 1.79Vrms. As far as I know, connecting 300R cans to the 32R winding will not automatically enable the output tubes to produce a higher voltage swing at a lower current.
Where to start?
You get the most power at the optimum load. Into higher loads, you get higher voltages (but less power).
Pentodes are funny and IMHO probably not a good idea for a hi-fi low-power amp that must face varying loads.
A Triode is roughly a constant resistance source. You would think (from basic power engineering) that best power transfer will happen when Rl=Rp. In fact the best power is more like Rl=2Rp (it takes a couple pages to explain why).
When Rl=2Rp, the peak voltage across the load is about Rl/(Rl+Rp)= 2/3rds of the supply voltage (really more like B+ minus a few dozen volts for origin-bend).
If you use a higher load resistance, the output is still Rl/(Rl+Rp) but with the high Rl the voltage approaches the supply voltage (minus origin effect).
Also, in a triode, distortion drops as load impedance increases, and power does not drop fast. Rl=5Rp is a nice value if THD is more important than raw power.
In headphone amps, quite small tubes can make more power than headphones require. We are rarely so desperate we need to match for max power.
> Z=25k ... 50Vrms ... 2mA
??? That is an awful high impedance for a transformer, especially a small one. It needs super-fine wire, which raises cost per pound and tends to break in the winding machine. The many-many turns needed to get 25KΩ in the bass have high self-capacitance and leakage inductance and will ring near the top of the audio band. Remember the total impedance is 2 or 4 times higher for push-pull.
Anyway, what tube will even notice 2mA? Maybe 12AX7 would have trouble, but you probably want something fatter like 12AU7 or one of the TV tuner tubes. These do over 10mA with ease. That allows a much lower transformer impedance and saves money and reduces the cost of making the transformer response nice and flat.
It is probably better to pick a transformer first, because stock trannies are VERY much cheaper than customs. One very common configuration is 5K:16Ω. Put a 32Ω load on it, the primary is 10K. Find a tube with a plate resistance about half of that: 6BQ7 is not my first choice but it will do and similar types are dirt-cheap. Bias it at 100Vp, 5mA, 50V 5mA peak swing. The RMS power is 35V^2/10K or around 122mW: you may want to raise your plate voltage and current (there's room in the specs). But that is single-ended (too hot here to do a push-pull workup). The plate resistance runs about 6K in this area. Reflected through a "5K:16" transformer the source impedance is about 19Ω.
The "5K:16" transformer has a voltage ratio of 17.7:1. The 50V on the plate reflect as 50V/18= 2.8V peak, 2V RMS at the secondary, or 125 mW in 32 ohms.
With a high-Z load the plate swing will run more like 79V peak. The unloaded output voltage is then 79/18= 4.5V peak, 3.1V RMS.
We can guess (or calculate) that for 100 to 600Ω phones we will get between 2V and 3V out. 2.5V RMS in 100 ohms is 62mW, not too shabby. However 2.8V RMS in 600Ω is 13mW, and we know that 3V in some 600Ω phones is not always enough.
If you follow through, a standard 5K:16 tranny with 180V or so plate supply will make ample power into almost any headphone.
Push-pull is almost over-kill for headphones: you have the extra cost of a phase-splitter, and your plate-to-plate impedance tends to wind up higher than your transformer winder wants to go. An old TV V-Sweep tube with hi-Mu and lo-Mu sections will give more than plenty single-ended power plus excess gain for feedback (which you are going to need if your amp is barely powerful enough and must have low distortion and wide response).
Where to start?
You get the most power at the optimum load. Into higher loads, you get higher voltages (but less power).
Pentodes are funny and IMHO probably not a good idea for a hi-fi low-power amp that must face varying loads.
A Triode is roughly a constant resistance source. You would think (from basic power engineering) that best power transfer will happen when Rl=Rp. In fact the best power is more like Rl=2Rp (it takes a couple pages to explain why).
When Rl=2Rp, the peak voltage across the load is about Rl/(Rl+Rp)= 2/3rds of the supply voltage (really more like B+ minus a few dozen volts for origin-bend).
If you use a higher load resistance, the output is still Rl/(Rl+Rp) but with the high Rl the voltage approaches the supply voltage (minus origin effect).
Also, in a triode, distortion drops as load impedance increases, and power does not drop fast. Rl=5Rp is a nice value if THD is more important than raw power.
In headphone amps, quite small tubes can make more power than headphones require. We are rarely so desperate we need to match for max power.
> Z=25k ... 50Vrms ... 2mA
??? That is an awful high impedance for a transformer, especially a small one. It needs super-fine wire, which raises cost per pound and tends to break in the winding machine. The many-many turns needed to get 25KΩ in the bass have high self-capacitance and leakage inductance and will ring near the top of the audio band. Remember the total impedance is 2 or 4 times higher for push-pull.
Anyway, what tube will even notice 2mA? Maybe 12AX7 would have trouble, but you probably want something fatter like 12AU7 or one of the TV tuner tubes. These do over 10mA with ease. That allows a much lower transformer impedance and saves money and reduces the cost of making the transformer response nice and flat.
It is probably better to pick a transformer first, because stock trannies are VERY much cheaper than customs. One very common configuration is 5K:16Ω. Put a 32Ω load on it, the primary is 10K. Find a tube with a plate resistance about half of that: 6BQ7 is not my first choice but it will do and similar types are dirt-cheap. Bias it at 100Vp, 5mA, 50V 5mA peak swing. The RMS power is 35V^2/10K or around 122mW: you may want to raise your plate voltage and current (there's room in the specs). But that is single-ended (too hot here to do a push-pull workup). The plate resistance runs about 6K in this area. Reflected through a "5K:16" transformer the source impedance is about 19Ω.
The "5K:16" transformer has a voltage ratio of 17.7:1. The 50V on the plate reflect as 50V/18= 2.8V peak, 2V RMS at the secondary, or 125 mW in 32 ohms.
With a high-Z load the plate swing will run more like 79V peak. The unloaded output voltage is then 79/18= 4.5V peak, 3.1V RMS.
We can guess (or calculate) that for 100 to 600Ω phones we will get between 2V and 3V out. 2.5V RMS in 100 ohms is 62mW, not too shabby. However 2.8V RMS in 600Ω is 13mW, and we know that 3V in some 600Ω phones is not always enough.
If you follow through, a standard 5K:16 tranny with 180V or so plate supply will make ample power into almost any headphone.
Push-pull is almost over-kill for headphones: you have the extra cost of a phase-splitter, and your plate-to-plate impedance tends to wind up higher than your transformer winder wants to go. An old TV V-Sweep tube with hi-Mu and lo-Mu sections will give more than plenty single-ended power plus excess gain for feedback (which you are going to need if your amp is barely powerful enough and must have low distortion and wide response).
PRR said:
Sorry, that was just an example. It isn't the actual operating condition of the output stage. That, I believe, will have a B+ of 100-120V and a standing current of 12mA per channel. The output tube selected at this point is a 6DJ8.
I can well imagine that a 25k impedance would require impossibly fine wire! As a matter of fact, I am building a winding machine right now to make a run of tiny pot core transformers which have secondaries of 42awg - the wire is thinner than a hair, but less strong!
Hi JeffreyJ,
A while back I drew up a push pull 6SN7 headphone amp. I believe the transformers I was looking at where Hammond 1609 transformers. Off the top of my head I think they were 10K PP/8 ohms. They are rather large for the application but they will work for a tube with a plate resistance of 3K or so. Also those little PP transformers that Harman Kardon used in their amps once upon a time will work also. They are smaller than the 1609s. Unless you just insist on winding your transformers, for the sake of doing it, ready made transformers can be adapted to need.
G
A while back I drew up a push pull 6SN7 headphone amp. I believe the transformers I was looking at where Hammond 1609 transformers. Off the top of my head I think they were 10K PP/8 ohms. They are rather large for the application but they will work for a tube with a plate resistance of 3K or so. Also those little PP transformers that Harman Kardon used in their amps once upon a time will work also. They are smaller than the 1609s. Unless you just insist on winding your transformers, for the sake of doing it, ready made transformers can be adapted to need.
G
Hello G,
I foolishly thought I could wind the OPTs myself, but after perusing a few resources on this somewhat arcane art, I've come to my senses and will be more than happy to just specify them!
But my original question remains: what happens when, e.g., a 300R headphone is connected to an 8R secondary. Does the primary voltage rise to partially offset the lower load or does NFB keep it more or less constant. If the latter occurs, then 300R cans will not be driven with near enough power!
I foolishly thought I could wind the OPTs myself, but after perusing a few resources on this somewhat arcane art, I've come to my senses and will be more than happy to just specify them!
But my original question remains: what happens when, e.g., a 300R headphone is connected to an 8R secondary. Does the primary voltage rise to partially offset the lower load or does NFB keep it more or less constant. If the latter occurs, then 300R cans will not be driven with near enough power!
(Assuming triodes.) While it's true that output power doesn't fall as fast as one might expect when RL is raised beyond 2ra, it certainly doesn't rise fast enough to compensate for such a large change as going from 8R to 300R.
The issue is about the difference between load matching and output resistance. Valves need to have their loads matched to their internal resistance to obtain maximum power. Negative feedback can reduce output resistance as seen by the load, but it doesn't change the amount of power that can be extracted from the valve. The best example of this problem is an OTL. Adding 40dB of global feedback reduces the output resistance to the point where it can damp a moving coil loudspeaker, but the valves' internal resistance hasn't disappeared, it's just that most of the power is developed across it, rather than the load, and that's why OTLs are so inefficient.
It doesn't take much negative feedback to hold the load voltage very nearly constant when going from an ideally matched 8R load to an almost open-circuit 300R load.
If one had power to spare, one could simply use a 4W amplifier matched to 8R, and there would be sufficient voltage for 300R headphones as well. If the amplifier is smaller than that, it has to be load-matched.
All you need to do is to match to your chosen headphones and be done with it. After all, nobody uses more than one set of headphones, so it's not as if the amplifier needs to be universal!
There are some things best left to the experts. Filming sharks underwater is one, and winding output transformers is another.
The issue is about the difference between load matching and output resistance. Valves need to have their loads matched to their internal resistance to obtain maximum power. Negative feedback can reduce output resistance as seen by the load, but it doesn't change the amount of power that can be extracted from the valve. The best example of this problem is an OTL. Adding 40dB of global feedback reduces the output resistance to the point where it can damp a moving coil loudspeaker, but the valves' internal resistance hasn't disappeared, it's just that most of the power is developed across it, rather than the load, and that's why OTLs are so inefficient.
It doesn't take much negative feedback to hold the load voltage very nearly constant when going from an ideally matched 8R load to an almost open-circuit 300R load.
If one had power to spare, one could simply use a 4W amplifier matched to 8R, and there would be sufficient voltage for 300R headphones as well. If the amplifier is smaller than that, it has to be load-matched.
All you need to do is to match to your chosen headphones and be done with it. After all, nobody uses more than one set of headphones, so it's not as if the amplifier needs to be universal!
There are some things best left to the experts. Filming sharks underwater is one, and winding output transformers is another.
> With NFB, won't the signal swing at the anode remain 50Vrms regardless of the loading (as long as it is not overloaded, of course)?
I thought we were discussing overload point.
Feedback does not change Power. (Feedback may move the THD at a given power, but the amp still overloads at about the same point, just more suddenly.)
If it swings 80V in a hi-Z load before overload, then you load it in a matching impedance, the overload point moves to about 40V.
Sure, with heavy feedback and an output well below overload, the output voltage will not change. That may not be what you want: lo-Z cans need much less voltage for a given volume. However even phones of the same Z have very different sensitivities (over 20dB different) so you gotta have a VOLume knob and let the user set the gain.
> a B+ of 100-120V and a standing current of 12mA per channel. The output tube selected at this point is a 6DJ8.
I thought we might come aroud to the DJ.
Modjeski says that in commercial use, he had reliability trouble at 1.1W, and prefers 0.6W. But he was building voltage amps, not power amps. (Note also his comments about "fake" 6DJ8s- actually some of these will work well in push-pull where they did not in single-ended..)
Looking at the 6DJ8 zero-grid and plate dissipation lines, 100-120V is too small for best triode power. Also the load resistance for best power is comparable to plate resistance (this one defies the rules because you and the DJ-specs have restricted the B+), which means higher THD and poor damping. However you can get over 1/2Watt this way, far more than you need, so you can fudge.
The real problem is practical transformer impedance. The 6DJ8 Rp runs about 3K. That suggests 6K loading, or 12K-24K for p-p class A. That's a high impedance for a hi-fi power winding.
Because the plate to plate impedance of two 6DJ8 is about 6K, you can base the transformer inductance on that, not on the reflected load impedance. For low core distortion in a push-pull transformer, you want the inductance to give response far below 20Hz (6Hz is a typical figure for good hi-fi). That says a 6K source needs over 100H primary winding, a lot.
Considering Modjeski's comments, and also improved voltage swing, I would idle at 5mA or 6mA per device (which may be about the same as your "12mA per channel"?). At high impedance, it would swing about 100V peak per plate. At very low impedance it would swing 25V 15mA per plate (which is class AB). At maximum pure-A it would swing 60V 6mA peak per plate.
60V 6mA per plate is 180 milliWatts, a healthy headphone driver. It is 10K load per plate, good for THD but an awkward transformer design. I think you have to design for inductance and turns ratio, and see where other parameters fall.
> 100mW into 32R is the design spec
1.8VRMS, 2.5V peak.
The plate swings 60V peak at max class A power loading. 60/2.5= 23.8:1 ratio from one plate to secondary.
Think ahead: no matter how much pencil you burn, you have to breadboard it with off-the-shelf parts to see if it comes close to goals and is worth getting costly good parts. 23.8:1 == 20:1 within tube accuracy. A 120/240VAC:6/12VAC power transformer gives that ratio, can handle over 100V swings on the primary, won't suck bad at 60Hz and will usually be flat well into KHz. And is cheap. And the math is easier. You can certainly test for power and distortion at 200Hz in varying loads. With dual primary you can check the effect of different ratios in different impedances. With a trace of feedback you can listen to music and know if the plan will NOT fly.
Eyeballing the plate curves, you will get 2.5V peak in 32 ohms, 3.8V peak in 120 ohms, 5V peak in 500 ohms. This is 100mW, 59mW, 24mW. In my opinion, there are several hi-Z phones that do want more than 3 or so volts RMS.
I say 7VRMS 10V peak in hi-Z is nice. The plates swing 100V in hi-Z. Let's try a 10:1 ratio from one plate to the load. (That's why I said to get a 120/240:6/12 transformer.)
With two tubes and 32 ohms, each plate can swing about 60V and 10mA. The 32Ω power is almost 300mW, however it is in class AB above about 100mW. At 120Ω the plate will swing about 70V peak, 7V pk in load is about 200mW. In 500 ohms the plate will swing about 75V pk, 55mW.
Either of those would be a fine design. 20:1 would have lower distortion but could feel weak in some hi-Z cans. 10:1 isn't high-THD and will really sock 32Ω cans (and you won't hear it slip from class A into class AB).
> use a single 4pdt switch
Way-overkill. If you must provide taps, wind the secondary all as one tapped winding. Center-tapped will work fine. Ground one end. Mount two headphone jacks. One is fed from the top of the winding and labeled "hi", the other from the center-tap and marked "lo". You can try to explain the difference to users, but they will be fine if they just try both jacks and use the one that sounds best.
I thought we were discussing overload point.
Feedback does not change Power. (Feedback may move the THD at a given power, but the amp still overloads at about the same point, just more suddenly.)
If it swings 80V in a hi-Z load before overload, then you load it in a matching impedance, the overload point moves to about 40V.
Sure, with heavy feedback and an output well below overload, the output voltage will not change. That may not be what you want: lo-Z cans need much less voltage for a given volume. However even phones of the same Z have very different sensitivities (over 20dB different) so you gotta have a VOLume knob and let the user set the gain.
> a B+ of 100-120V and a standing current of 12mA per channel. The output tube selected at this point is a 6DJ8.
I thought we might come aroud to the DJ.
Modjeski says that in commercial use, he had reliability trouble at 1.1W, and prefers 0.6W. But he was building voltage amps, not power amps. (Note also his comments about "fake" 6DJ8s- actually some of these will work well in push-pull where they did not in single-ended..)
Looking at the 6DJ8 zero-grid and plate dissipation lines, 100-120V is too small for best triode power. Also the load resistance for best power is comparable to plate resistance (this one defies the rules because you and the DJ-specs have restricted the B+), which means higher THD and poor damping. However you can get over 1/2Watt this way, far more than you need, so you can fudge.
The real problem is practical transformer impedance. The 6DJ8 Rp runs about 3K. That suggests 6K loading, or 12K-24K for p-p class A. That's a high impedance for a hi-fi power winding.
Because the plate to plate impedance of two 6DJ8 is about 6K, you can base the transformer inductance on that, not on the reflected load impedance. For low core distortion in a push-pull transformer, you want the inductance to give response far below 20Hz (6Hz is a typical figure for good hi-fi). That says a 6K source needs over 100H primary winding, a lot.
Considering Modjeski's comments, and also improved voltage swing, I would idle at 5mA or 6mA per device (which may be about the same as your "12mA per channel"?). At high impedance, it would swing about 100V peak per plate. At very low impedance it would swing 25V 15mA per plate (which is class AB). At maximum pure-A it would swing 60V 6mA peak per plate.
60V 6mA per plate is 180 milliWatts, a healthy headphone driver. It is 10K load per plate, good for THD but an awkward transformer design. I think you have to design for inductance and turns ratio, and see where other parameters fall.
> 100mW into 32R is the design spec
1.8VRMS, 2.5V peak.
The plate swings 60V peak at max class A power loading. 60/2.5= 23.8:1 ratio from one plate to secondary.
Think ahead: no matter how much pencil you burn, you have to breadboard it with off-the-shelf parts to see if it comes close to goals and is worth getting costly good parts. 23.8:1 == 20:1 within tube accuracy. A 120/240VAC:6/12VAC power transformer gives that ratio, can handle over 100V swings on the primary, won't suck bad at 60Hz and will usually be flat well into KHz. And is cheap. And the math is easier. You can certainly test for power and distortion at 200Hz in varying loads. With dual primary you can check the effect of different ratios in different impedances. With a trace of feedback you can listen to music and know if the plan will NOT fly.
Eyeballing the plate curves, you will get 2.5V peak in 32 ohms, 3.8V peak in 120 ohms, 5V peak in 500 ohms. This is 100mW, 59mW, 24mW. In my opinion, there are several hi-Z phones that do want more than 3 or so volts RMS.
I say 7VRMS 10V peak in hi-Z is nice. The plates swing 100V in hi-Z. Let's try a 10:1 ratio from one plate to the load. (That's why I said to get a 120/240:6/12 transformer.)
With two tubes and 32 ohms, each plate can swing about 60V and 10mA. The 32Ω power is almost 300mW, however it is in class AB above about 100mW. At 120Ω the plate will swing about 70V peak, 7V pk in load is about 200mW. In 500 ohms the plate will swing about 75V pk, 55mW.
Either of those would be a fine design. 20:1 would have lower distortion but could feel weak in some hi-Z cans. 10:1 isn't high-THD and will really sock 32Ω cans (and you won't hear it slip from class A into class AB).
> use a single 4pdt switch
Way-overkill. If you must provide taps, wind the secondary all as one tapped winding. Center-tapped will work fine. Ground one end. Mount two headphone jacks. One is fed from the top of the winding and labeled "hi", the other from the center-tap and marked "lo". You can try to explain the difference to users, but they will be fine if they just try both jacks and use the one that sounds best.
PRR:
So the voltage swing on the plate does increase with reduced loading of the secondary. Whither NFB? If the plate has not been overloaded, then why does the voltage swing change at all. The input stage will compare a fraction of the output voltage, see it is incorrect, and do something about it. Or at least that's how it works in power supplies, transistor amplifiers, servomechanisms, etc.
Interesting article, btw. Makes me all the more wary of the tubes I have. I better take them apart to make sure the grid pitch is constant.
EC8010: the part about filming sharks was priceless!
So the voltage swing on the plate does increase with reduced loading of the secondary. Whither NFB? If the plate has not been overloaded, then why does the voltage swing change at all. The input stage will compare a fraction of the output voltage, see it is incorrect, and do something about it. Or at least that's how it works in power supplies, transistor amplifiers, servomechanisms, etc.
Interesting article, btw. Makes me all the more wary of the tubes I have. I better take them apart to make sure the grid pitch is constant.
EC8010: the part about filming sharks was priceless!
Hi JeffreyJ,
Look at it this way. If you have a transformer that will present a 3K load to an amplifier with a 8 ohm load connected to the secondary then if you connect a 300 ohm load to the 8 ohm tap the primary of the transformer will now present a (300/8) x 3K = 112.5K load to the amplifier. Once you know the impedance ratio that you want it is easier to find an appropriate output transformer to suit your needs. I would recommend that you choose a tube with a low plate resistance. For say a tube with a 2K plate resistance I would use a transformer that will present a 20K load to the amplifier with a 300 ohm load on it's secondary. You can get away with that much damping in a headphone amp. The transformer I described would probably have to be custom made though. It's going to be easier to adapt a standard output transformer to a 32 ohm load. Then you will only have to worry about putting enough current into the load. How about push pull 6AS7?
Look at it this way. If you have a transformer that will present a 3K load to an amplifier with a 8 ohm load connected to the secondary then if you connect a 300 ohm load to the 8 ohm tap the primary of the transformer will now present a (300/8) x 3K = 112.5K load to the amplifier. Once you know the impedance ratio that you want it is easier to find an appropriate output transformer to suit your needs. I would recommend that you choose a tube with a low plate resistance. For say a tube with a 2K plate resistance I would use a transformer that will present a 20K load to the amplifier with a 300 ohm load on it's secondary. You can get away with that much damping in a headphone amp. The transformer I described would probably have to be custom made though. It's going to be easier to adapt a standard output transformer to a 32 ohm load. Then you will only have to worry about putting enough current into the load. How about push pull 6AS7?
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