tube preamp for Zen?

Hello,

Why don't you try Tube Penultimate Zen amplifier.

It is working really fantastic.

Best regards,
Kristijan Kljucaric
http://web.vip.hr/pcb-design.vip

... tube power supply :

... power stage power supply :

I don't now ith this is a good match?

Check out this site by a very respected designer:
http://www.borbelyaudio.com/hybrid.pdf

GAIN?

Hi,

What other sources then a CDP do you need to hook up?

Preamps have been widely discussed in previous threads here.

For your amps you may need a low Zout preamp with say 6 dB of gain and good curent capability?

Fill us in...

Which version of the Zen amp is it? If it is the original the input impedance is only 10K. This would put a large load on a tube stage. Maybe a 5842 (anode follower followed by a cathode follower) or a mu follower circuit would have a low enough output z to get the job done.

kristijan-k said:

... tube power supply :

Click to expand...

HI,
great design!
But can you say me more about the PS for Tube Power (transfo, relay)
Thanks


Regards,

PsykoK

I have a 1 stage triode connected EF86 preamp but I feel that it has not driveability for the ZenV4. I am too looking for a way to improve this (cathode follower EF86?).

It's a Zen V4 with a tube stage instead of a Zetex ZVP3310.

Hello PsykoK,

But can you say me more about the PS for Tube Power (transfo, relay)

Click to expand...

Well, as I already had a builted Tube Zen, I did not want to
wait a week or so to order and for arrival of 10 H inductors.
So, I tried with the relays that I already had at the hand.
Well, I can tell that they are working really excellent in this power
supply.

The relays will not actually operate, I use here only relay coil
as the inductor .

Instead relays you can use special high inductivity
inductors that are made for tube power supplies, but the relays
already do the job more than enough, and are more easier to find.

Best regards,
Kristijan Kljucaric
http://web.vip.hr/pcb-design.vip

Chokes / inductors

kristijan-k

I use here only relay coil

Click to expand...

That's a clever idea.
I must try one.

Cheers,

kristijan-k said:

Hello PsykoK,



Well, as I already had a builted Tube Zen, I did not want to
wait a week or so to order and for arrival of 10 H inductors.
So, I tried with the relays that I already had at the hand.
Well, I can tell that they are working really excellent in this power
supply.

The relays will not actually operate, I use here only relay coil
as the inductor .

Instead relays you can use special high inductivity
inductors that are made for tube power supplies, but the relays
already do the job more than enough, and are more easier to find.

Best regards,
Kristijan Kljucaric
http://web.vip.hr/pcb-design.vip

Click to expand...

Thanks for your explanations.
Nice idee to use relay only for coil!


Regards,
PsykoK

Hello,

does the 'tubed' zen have high enough gain for a passive preamp? as the normal zen certainly doesn't!

Click to expand...

Well, it is little more easier to drive it than normal Zen, especially
if you using balanced inputs.
When it operate without preamplifier and with unbalanced input only
( connected directly to the CD-player) it can play enough loud for normal
listening, but to drive it to the full power the preamplifier
would be required.
The Tube Zen would work the best with Balanced Line Stage,
Aleph P 1.7 or similar preamplifiers.
This Zen have advantage that the balanced outputs from these
preamplifiers can be used to drive it.
Also the preamplifier can be connected to the amplifier directly,
without the potentiometer between them.
This way there is no need for 4 gang potentiometer that usually
would be used.
The normal stereo (2 gang) potentiometer can be
used for volume control at the preamplifier inputs only,
as it is really dead quiet.


Best regards,
Kristijan Kljucaric
http://web.vip.hr/pcb-design.vip

Hanzwillem

hello,

to drive low impedance inputs of power amps it is a good idea to use an OTL headphone amplifier as a preamp. Mostly this amps can drive low impedance with enough current.
There are some samples on the web, Morgan Jones,
John Broskie and so on. Try a search.

Reinhard

balanced preamp

Hi!
I found a nice balanced tube preamp cicuit and I would like to ask your oppinion: would it be good for a SOZ ?
The picture is not the best and I don't know the value of the parts and what kind of PSU is used for?
(I have 4 ECC88 tubes and I would like to use for a simple preamp.)

Thanks!

Line Stage

Hello,

yes you can use this one, but the output inpedance is not really low. TubeCad tells me it is near 1500 Ohms per phase.

Be sure to use short cables.

Reinhard

Thanks Reinhard!
Could you tell me something about the PSU?