best tweeter amp?

nobody special · 8th November 2004, 07:55 PM

What would be the best amp to use in a tri-amp setup, in your opinion? This would be for tweeters only. Approx. 10-20W power. I tend to prefer class A designs with little or no global NFB. I considered an Aleph, but their high frequency performance seems to be lacking compared to their midrange performance. What about a JLH? No chip amps, please.

cunningham · 8th November 2004, 11:54 PM

To have no negative feedback in a SS amp, one would have to be pretty precise when matching transisors, resistors and other componants. 10-20W of power can be done without that many components. You could design it yourself, then you would have total credit for it in the DIY spirit

. No one says you can't use the basic topologies of others' designs, then you can use quality parts that are availible cheaply in your area. You need to have a good knowlege of electronics to make one completly from scratch though.

john curl · 9th November 2004, 12:02 AM

Personally, I would use tubes, but a good class A, fast, low power transistor or fet amp would be next best. You should keep the output power low, in order to protect the tweeter, and optimize the quality at 1W or less.

mikelm · 9th November 2004, 06:31 AM

I use and like and would recommend JLH simple class A type amps - one of the later versions...

http://www.tcaas.btinternet.co.uk/jlhupdate.htm

but it does have global feedback but does not seem to suffer from the "solid state / feedback" sound

If you implement it with care and choose good components it could sound great.

but perhaps you should check out this thread as well

Zero Feedback Impedance Amplifiers

there are some interesting design ideas discussed here. The design that AKSA mentions sound very interesting to me and could suit your reqirements.

mike

nobody special · 9th November 2004, 12:33 PM

Thank you for replies.
John,
Do you have any particular tube design in mind? Would it be single-ended class A, or something else? What tube types?
Thanks,
Steve

udip · 9th November 2004, 01:40 PM

I would go for the JLH class a amplifier, or the DOZ
amp from rod elliot. They are both fantastic amps for low
power applications, specially for mids and tweeters.

sound.westhost.com

Hornlover · 9th November 2004, 07:41 PM

I also cast my vote for the JLH design (or Rod Elliots version). Having been a tube lover for 30 or so years, I now no longer recommend them. As good quality tubes and transformers get more and more scarce, the price has gone up way beyond reason for what you get. I finally swapped out my tubes for the later JLH flavor, finding that I had all of the sweetness and purity I liked with tubes, plus gained better bass and treble extension, all with the stability of solid state.

8th November 2004, 07:55 PM	#1
nobody special diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: USA	best tweeter amp? What would be the best amp to use in a tri-amp setup, in your opinion? This would be for tweeters only. Approx. 10-20W power. I tend to prefer class A designs with little or no global NFB. I considered an Aleph, but their high frequency performance seems to be lacking compared to their midrange performance. What about a JLH? No chip amps, please. __________________ Steve

9th November 2004, 12:33 PM	#5
nobody special diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: USA	Thank you for replies. John, Do you have any particular tube design in mind? Would it be single-ended class A, or something else? What tube types? Thanks, Steve __________________ Steve

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8th November 2004, 11:54 PM	#2
cunningham diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Knoxville	To have no negative feedback in a SS amp, one would have to be pretty precise when matching transisors, resistors and other componants. 10-20W of power can be done without that many components. You could design it yourself, then you would have total credit for it in the DIY spirit . No one says you can't use the basic topologies of others' designs, then you can use quality parts that are availible cheaply in your area. You need to have a good knowlege of electronics to make one completly from scratch though.

9th November 2004, 12:02 AM	#3
john curl diyAudio Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: berkeley ca	Personally, I would use tubes, but a good class A, fast, low power transistor or fet amp would be next best. You should keep the output power low, in order to protect the tweeter, and optimize the quality at 1W or less.

9th November 2004, 06:31 AM	#4
mikelm diyAudio Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: England	I use and like and would recommend JLH simple class A type amps - one of the later versions... http://www.tcaas.btinternet.co.uk/jlhupdate.htm but it does have global feedback but does not seem to suffer from the "solid state / feedback" sound If you implement it with care and choose good components it could sound great. but perhaps you should check out this thread as well Zero Feedback Impedance Amplifiers there are some interesting design ideas discussed here. The design that AKSA mentions sound very interesting to me and could suit your reqirements. mike

9th November 2004, 01:40 PM	#6
udip diyAudio Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Israel	I would go for the JLH class a amplifier, or the DOZ amp from rod elliot. They are both fantastic amps for low power applications, specially for mids and tweeters. sound.westhost.com

9th November 2004, 07:41 PM	#7
Hornlover diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Central California	I also cast my vote for the JLH design (or Rod Elliots version). Having been a tube lover for 30 or so years, I now no longer recommend them. As good quality tubes and transformers get more and more scarce, the price has gone up way beyond reason for what you get. I finally swapped out my tubes for the later JLH flavor, finding that I had all of the sweetness and purity I liked with tubes, plus gained better bass and treble extension, all with the stability of solid state.