Free Download Vacuum Tube Design Book

[HollowState]

Essentially for guitar amps. 11.4 meg PDF. Found this on another forum and got permission to post it here. Don't knock it, it's free.
https://acrobat.com/#d=UjgTcfpvfqvboIiQLKn5rQ

[kevinkr]

Downloaded, and recommended based on reading part of the introduction...

[ChrisA]

A "micro-review"... I just skimmed through it. It would be useful to beginners wanting to design and build a hifi amp too. It seems more accessible than the Morgan Jones book, It only uses math up to high school algebra, is well written and you can't beat the price.


Thanks to the poster here and to the author.

[Soonerorlater]

Always thought of myself as a bit of a, "tool capable guitarist"

Many thanks Hollowstate

[Cassiel]

He likes an Ampeg circuit I also like so great book. Hehe.
However, he wouldn't like this forum. Some tasty quotes:

"Capacitors have no tone"


"As a matter of interest, we note that the production of vacuum tubes is totally dependant upon the opinions of the people who believe that tube sound qualities are superior and are willing to pay HUGE sums of money
to support those opinions. We mention this as an indication of how important opinions can be and how the market - especially influenced by the internet - influences opinions.

Large sums of money are spent, not on overt advertising, but on advertising disguised as user opinion. Take care, especially avoid "reviews" that state that differences in similar vacuum tubes produce audible differences in musical quality.

The human ear is the most unreliable, ever-changing, non-traceable, un-standardized measurement device one could devise. The adjectives that "reviewers" use to describe subtle differences in quality offer a clue to the substance of their observations.

Objective, double-blind scientific tests universally reveal that "reviews" are biased from the knowledge of what is being tested and why. In other words, there is probably an agenda. An interesting article, written by a highly respected designer can be found here:"



Douglas Self Site

[kevinkr]

Originally Posted by stalker

he likes an ampeg circuit i also like so great book. Hehe.
However, he wouldn't like this forum. Some tasty quotes:

"capacitors have no tone"


"as a matter of interest, we note that the production of vacuum tubes is totally dependant upon the opinions of the people who believe that tube sound qualities are superior and are willing to pay huge sums of money
to support those opinions. We mention this as an indication of how important opinions can be and how the market - especially influenced by the internet - influences opinions.

Large sums of money are spent, not on overt advertising, but on advertising disguised as user opinion. Take care, especially avoid "reviews" that state that differences in similar vacuum tubes produce audible differences in musical quality.

The human ear is the most unreliable, ever-changing, non-traceable, un-standardized measurement device one could devise. The adjectives that "reviewers" use to describe subtle differences in quality offer a clue to the substance of their observations.

Objective, double-blind scientific tests universally reveal that "reviews" are biased from the knowledge of what is being tested and why. In other words, there is probably an agenda. An interesting article, written by a highly respected designer can be found here:"



douglas self site

It's too bad I'm not allowed to post a single word "OUCH!" in all caps for emphasis at the beginning of a one word phrase, it seems that the forum software prevents this. This really ought not to be the case - obviously the software ought to be smart enough to parse an entire sentence for all caps, but one word?? A little too controlling IMHO..

In any event, whilst the comments above are not all ones I would entirely agree with, there is a lot of good technical content here.

I'm particularly disturbed by his comments about reviewers as I have always tried to review things in an impartial manner. I'm not perfect I'll admit so perhaps I am as brainwashed as he represents or in collusion with the purveyors of fashion..

Funny I started buying a lot of certain NOS tubes because they seemed more parametrically consistent, measured and sounded better.. Not to mention my preference for JJ 300B over a lot of competing brands, both more and less expensive..Oh well..

[Irakli]

Skimmed the book quickly this evening. I think it is a very nice one for beginners.

What I really liked is his design of dummy load for power amps with paint can filled with cooking oil. I think I'll make one

[tubelab.com]

What I really liked is his design of dummy load for power amps with paint can filled with cooking oil. I think I'll make one

Heathkit sold a similar design for testing ham radio transmitters for like 50 years. It was called the "Cantenna" and could handle a killowatt of power.

[Miles Prower]

Originally Posted by stalker

He likes an Ampeg circuit I also like so great book. Hehe. However, he wouldn't like this forum. Some tasty quotes:

"Capacitors have no tone"

May be he can learn? That capacitors can have an affect on sonics has a basis in fact. Sound of Capacitors

We mention this as an indication of how important opinions can be and how the market - especially influenced by the internet - influences opinions.

Since when has it ever been any different? During the 1970s, you had a whole bunch of short wave receivers being sold with way excessive front end gain. That, too, was driven by popular opinion, not technical merits (above 40M, you just don't need amplification ahead of the first detector since noise riding in on the antenna is greater than the noise of that first detector). If enough people demand it, you can be sure it will be offered. Even if it offends your technical sensibilities, someone else will surely cater to that demand if you won't.

Objective, double-blind scientific tests universally reveal that "reviews" are biased from the knowledge of what is being tested and why. In other words, there is probably an agenda. An interesting article, written by a highly respected designer can be found here:"



Douglas Self Site

Beware that site. Doug Self has an agenda of his own.

He also has a blind spot big enough to fly a 747 through: if you can't measure it, then it doesn't exist. He is every bit as bad as the Subjectivists he's always complaining about.

[SemperFi]

I'm looking forward to find out why he is hoping to address 'the jazz guitarists'. What about all the real guitarists out there?