First Project.... and Hello

[wburgess]

Firstly... Hello!

This is my first post on diyaudio but certainly not my first visit, this site has been a priceless resource in my quest to understand how those little valves work!

So thank you for all your help so far....

My main question is... I'm looking to start my first diy audio project and would love it to be a nice little valve headphone amp. Is this a good start?

Also, I don't want to be playing around with voltages that are too high at this moment, so again is a headphone amp a good choice!

And lastly, I would have jumped into diy audio quite a while ago, but the risks do worry me, am I being over cautious.

Kind Regards,

Will

[DigitalJunkie]

I think a small headphone amp would be a good start.

You're correct about the high voltages,Have a look over this thread:
Safety Practices, General and Ultra-High Voltage

If you need any help feel free to ask,someone will help you out.

[VictoriaGuy]

Originally posted by wburgess

Also, I don't want to be playing around with voltages that are too high at this moment, so again is a headphone amp a good choice!

And lastly, I would have jumped into diy audio quite a while ago, but the risks do worry me, am I being over cautious.

Will-
Welcome! Tubes are way more fun than solid state stuff.

It's a good idea to treat these things with respect, and you are probably 'careful by nature' by the sound of your comments. No need to be terrified, though....
If a headphone amp is something you want to have anyway, it could be a good first project.
Any project that's connected to the AC (residential) lines has the potential for fatal consequences and deserves to be treated with respect. So a headphone amp with an AC-connected power supply will not be that much 'safer' than a run-of-the-mill amp to drive speakers.

Keep your wits about you, double check, ask questions, don't work when you are tired, one hand in your pocket, etc etc

There are lots of good safety tips here at diyaudio and on the web- use them.

If you have an amateur radio club in your community, you might be able to hook up with an 'old guy' from the tube era who could guide you a bit at first.

My advice would be to be respectful and careful, but not frightened.

Cheers
John

[korneluk]

Originally posted by wburgess

My main question is... I'm looking to start my first diy audio project and would love it to be a nice little valve headphone amp.
...
Also, I don't want to be playing around with voltages that are too high at this moment, so again is a headphone amp a good choice!

Will,

Here's a low-voltage simple single-stage, two-tube headphone amp.



Follow the links for more tube circuits:
http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/t..._Circuits.html

Enjoy,

-- josé k.

[wburgess]

Thats great guys, thanks.

I'm just getting into real headphone listening (thank you Grado Labs) and the headphone opamp in my audiolab isn't up to scratch as expected!

Right, off to read up about power supplies and try and understand impedance!

Regards,

Will