Hi all,
I am thinking about building a Tube HiFi kit, Im a relative newbie to electronics been tinkering for about a year now. Has anyone got any ideas? I have interest in KT88's and 300B tubes but thats not a requirement if there is something really excellent out there.
I am keen to hear your suggestions!
Cheers
I am thinking about building a Tube HiFi kit, Im a relative newbie to electronics been tinkering for about a year now. Has anyone got any ideas? I have interest in KT88's and 300B tubes but thats not a requirement if there is something really excellent out there.
I am keen to hear your suggestions!
Cheers
Yes, start with something simple and not too expensive. Get that to work, and learn from your mistakes. Then try something a bit more ambitious. Don't strive for excellence too early as it is likely to lead to disappointment.
A year is not a long time in electronics! After about 8 years I thought I understood electronics. After 20 years I realised I still had a lot to learn.
A year is not a long time in electronics! After about 8 years I thought I understood electronics. After 20 years I realised I still had a lot to learn.
Hi,
Get this:
A great tube valve amp.very smooth and warms sounds,beautifull appearance | eBay
it cheap and modify it if you like I bought one and I replace EL34 with KT88 without any mod. I don't think you can buy all the parts for the price they charge. The chrome chassis alone is worth more than AUD$100.
More importantly they sound great as it is and you can mod them if you like, I will mod them at later stage in the mean I am enjoying the sound. You can see the internals(well made) of this amp from my photo website, scroll down to the bottom. BTW I got mine from the wholesaler for AUD$200 plus postage.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54808408@N04/?saved=1
Hope this helps.
Get this:
A great tube valve amp.very smooth and warms sounds,beautifull appearance | eBay
it cheap and modify it if you like I bought one and I replace EL34 with KT88 without any mod. I don't think you can buy all the parts for the price they charge. The chrome chassis alone is worth more than AUD$100.
More importantly they sound great as it is and you can mod them if you like, I will mod them at later stage in the mean I am enjoying the sound. You can see the internals(well made) of this amp from my photo website, scroll down to the bottom. BTW I got mine from the wholesaler for AUD$200 plus postage.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/54808408@N04/?saved=1
Hope this helps.
I didn't name the link, that's what his page default shows up as. Click on the link and see for yourself.
Simple SE
Someone decided to use the name he created. Someone with deeper pockets. I call it the "Monster" syndrome.
jeff
My apologies Jeff, you're correct. This is what I had read but got my facts wrong! Sorry.
Quote:
The last email that I got before the site went down was from a company called NuVo Technologies. It seems that they own the trademark "Simplese" which is used on a solid state multi room audio system. They claim that my use of the term SimpleSE as applied to anything audio "violates their trademark". They further state that I must immediately "discontinue the use of the brand name treatment "SimpleSE", or they "would have no choice but to pursue further legal action to rigorously defend that which WE have invested over 4 years of time and resources to
protect." There are no more SimpleSE's, but there are plenty of Simple SE's. Since these people found my "violation" by using a Google search, please refer to this amplifier by the name Simple SE in all future posts.
End quote
I'm sure I read somewhere else he asked for people to call it "SSE". Oh well, my mistake.
Best regards, Pete.
Quote:
The last email that I got before the site went down was from a company called NuVo Technologies. It seems that they own the trademark "Simplese" which is used on a solid state multi room audio system. They claim that my use of the term SimpleSE as applied to anything audio "violates their trademark". They further state that I must immediately "discontinue the use of the brand name treatment "SimpleSE", or they "would have no choice but to pursue further legal action to rigorously defend that which WE have invested over 4 years of time and resources to
protect." There are no more SimpleSE's, but there are plenty of Simple SE's. Since these people found my "violation" by using a Google search, please refer to this amplifier by the name Simple SE in all future posts.
End quote
I'm sure I read somewhere else he asked for people to call it "SSE". Oh well, my mistake.
Best regards, Pete.
Sorry, I'm not trying to hijack the thread. I just found this on the tubelab site.
Quote:
SSE update
Due to legal issues the amp formerly known by the name "Simple" and the common abbreviation for the term "Single Ended" is now called the SSE. I can no longer use the word combination together in print. I ask that you refrain from using them together to describe this project as well. Some search engines detect this word combination as a trademarked name for another company's audio / home theater product. Searching for their product produced more pictures of proudly built SSE's than references to their product. They were justifiably unhappy about this.*
Unquote
I'll send a pm to George later on and ask him to clarify.
Best regards, Pete
Quote:
SSE update
Due to legal issues the amp formerly known by the name "Simple" and the common abbreviation for the term "Single Ended" is now called the SSE. I can no longer use the word combination together in print. I ask that you refrain from using them together to describe this project as well. Some search engines detect this word combination as a trademarked name for another company's audio / home theater product. Searching for their product produced more pictures of proudly built SSE's than references to their product. They were justifiably unhappy about this.*
Unquote
I'll send a pm to George later on and ask him to clarify.
Best regards, Pete
Only a moron or a lawyer (or a search engine) could confuse a solid state multi room audio system aimed at the general public with a straightforward valve amp aimed at DIYers, or a pair of words including a well-established abbreviation with a single made up word. However, our world is run by lawyers and morons (and search engines) so I guess we have to accept this foolishness.
Could we call it "The amp formerly known as S*m*l* SE"?
Could we call it "The amp formerly known as S*m*l* SE"?
Agreed on both counts.
The SSE is as it sounds - simple - but sounds great.
Being a fellow Australian, I can tell you now that the biggest pain for you if going to be getting decent priced transformers. Haven't been a huge fan of the local offerings (expensive and the quality isn't high enough to justify it) but then you have to deal with $100+ worth of freight ordering internationally. My next order will probably be from Edcor - sure the freight is a pain, but they're good quality at a damn good price.
+1 On the Simple SE!
I tell you what, you can build this amp on the cheap for <$250 USD like I and many others did at first and have a really swell amp.
BUT, if you had a nice experience and good results and get bitten by the bug you may end up doing what I and many others ended up doing...hot rodding it!
The biggest improvements that really make a difference are:
1. a PT capable of at least 200mA for HV
2. "good" coupling caps, (Auricap, Mundorf, Jantzen silvers, Russion PIO) you dont have to spend a fortune here but you can get good caps here for like $15 each
3. As large and heavy OPT's as you can afford. I went cheap with the Edcor XSE's and they sounded really good. Ultimately went with the big honkin CXSE's - well worth the $$$.
All in all I now have a rocking little amp that with SS rectification runs about 490V and about 95mA per channel with some new issue EH KT90's - no red plating at all.
This amp is a really great place to start and you will learn a lot building and tweaking it.
I tell you what, you can build this amp on the cheap for <$250 USD like I and many others did at first and have a really swell amp.
BUT, if you had a nice experience and good results and get bitten by the bug you may end up doing what I and many others ended up doing...hot rodding it!
The biggest improvements that really make a difference are:
1. a PT capable of at least 200mA for HV
2. "good" coupling caps, (Auricap, Mundorf, Jantzen silvers, Russion PIO) you dont have to spend a fortune here but you can get good caps here for like $15 each
3. As large and heavy OPT's as you can afford. I went cheap with the Edcor XSE's and they sounded really good. Ultimately went with the big honkin CXSE's - well worth the $$$.
All in all I now have a rocking little amp that with SS rectification runs about 490V and about 95mA per channel with some new issue EH KT90's - no red plating at all.
This amp is a really great place to start and you will learn a lot building and tweaking it.
If you are into 300B's (and can swing the $$), there is also the Tubelab SE, not to be confused with the Tubelab SSE......
It's fixed bias, uses mosfet followers and puts out about 8W of power with 300B's.
The SSE will do about 6-12W or so depending on tube choice and few other things. Either design is available as a PCB and parts list from Tubelab George with great support here on the forum and step by step instructions on the Tubelab site.
It's fixed bias, uses mosfet followers and puts out about 8W of power with 300B's.
The SSE will do about 6-12W or so depending on tube choice and few other things. Either design is available as a PCB and parts list from Tubelab George with great support here on the forum and step by step instructions on the Tubelab site.
Ok I have looked at the options mentioned, there is overwhelming support for the SSE, I am interested however in the SE as well. I have just completed a 5F1 fender for my guitar and it was quite a success. Taking this into account would you all still recommend the SSE as a first HiFi design? or wouldn't it matter? The costs involved are not too much of a concern to me I was expecting to pay $1000 for the pleasure of a valve amp anyway.
Cheers all!
Cheers all!
How sensitive are your speakers and what are your listening habits? That will determine your power requirements.
$1K is easily enough to build a very nice 300B TubelabSE using top-shelf iron like James, Hashimoto, Electra-print, etc, and a very nice SSE could be done for under $500 easily, depending on the iron. BTW, similar iron (both power and output transformers) can be used for either design.
I've bought 2 Tubelab SE boards and 1 SSE board. One SE is a 300B and presently my main amp powering 95db sens FR drivers. The second SE is imminently being hatched as a 45 version ( may be finished tonight!) with about 1.5 glorious triode watts. The SSE board has been populated for a few years and is sitting on my bench.
$1K is easily enough to build a very nice 300B TubelabSE using top-shelf iron like James, Hashimoto, Electra-print, etc, and a very nice SSE could be done for under $500 easily, depending on the iron. BTW, similar iron (both power and output transformers) can be used for either design.
I've bought 2 Tubelab SE boards and 1 SSE board. One SE is a 300B and presently my main amp powering 95db sens FR drivers. The second SE is imminently being hatched as a 45 version ( may be finished tonight!) with about 1.5 glorious triode watts. The SSE board has been populated for a few years and is sitting on my bench.
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I've been back in the electronics industry for about 8 years now, after about a 12 year hiatus. I chose to focus on tubes, I started out building preamps, and worked my way up to power amplifiers. I would recommend a Dynakit, maybe the Mark IV, it is a very simple kit to build. Check with Kevin over at Dynakitparts.com, He was very helpful.
A few comments about relative complexity between the SE and SSE.
The SSE is very straightforward, uses cathode bias and requires no adjustments once it's up and running. It'll run many of the common output tubes like 6L6GC, EL34, KT88 with a minor change of the cathode resistor. It uses a common 12AT7 as the driver tube.
The SE is fixed bias and uses SS mosfet followers (AKA "powerdrive"). The output tubes are a bit pricey (NOS 45's or New stock 300B's), and the input tubes are not as mainstream as the 12AT7. It has adjustment pots for the output tube's bias and for the anode voltage of the drivers (4 trimmer pots total).
If you've got a successful "champ" clone build under your belt, you can probably have success with either of these.....only you can decide.
The SSE is very straightforward, uses cathode bias and requires no adjustments once it's up and running. It'll run many of the common output tubes like 6L6GC, EL34, KT88 with a minor change of the cathode resistor. It uses a common 12AT7 as the driver tube.
The SE is fixed bias and uses SS mosfet followers (AKA "powerdrive"). The output tubes are a bit pricey (NOS 45's or New stock 300B's), and the input tubes are not as mainstream as the 12AT7. It has adjustment pots for the output tube's bias and for the anode voltage of the drivers (4 trimmer pots total).
If you've got a successful "champ" clone build under your belt, you can probably have success with either of these.....only you can decide.
I don't have drivers at the moment must buy some, I wanted to work out what amp I was going to build before I open that can of worms 
. I am liking the SE more and more I think the challenge is what I need. I should be able to find all the tubes I might check that out first before committing.
Thanks denny for the heads up on dynakits BTW. I will go with tubelab for now, simply because of the online support here.
cheers
. I am liking the SE more and more I think the challenge is what I need. I should be able to find all the tubes I might check that out first before committing.Thanks denny for the heads up on dynakits BTW. I will go with tubelab for now, simply because of the online support here.
cheers
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