Hey,
In a nutshell, I've been really into the DIY area of sound.
Built a pair of Dayton III's, 3 cubic foot subwoofer encloser, and a bit more.
Starting soon, I'm going to build an Adire Shiva based Sonotube subwoofer along with a TNT flexy rack.
Go ahead and check my homepage link on the top for my system's info.
Anyway, back to the topic.
I really like using my current Sun power amplifer for powering my Dayton III's.
Then, I got reading and found out that you can get MUCH better sound from Tube amps.
Well, I think I'm going to try and go audiophile on this one.
I want to "test the waters" and make my own tube amp(s) to drive my pair of D3's.
What I need is a cheap (Around $100 or less), well documented project.
Soldering probably won't be an issue as my youth group leader has a 6 year electronics degree and has volunteered to help me out with any soldering problems.
I'll probably make the amplifier encloser out of MDF.
Thanks so much!
Nathan
In a nutshell, I've been really into the DIY area of sound.
Built a pair of Dayton III's, 3 cubic foot subwoofer encloser, and a bit more.
Starting soon, I'm going to build an Adire Shiva based Sonotube subwoofer along with a TNT flexy rack.
Go ahead and check my homepage link on the top for my system's info.
Anyway, back to the topic.
I really like using my current Sun power amplifer for powering my Dayton III's.
Then, I got reading and found out that you can get MUCH better sound from Tube amps.
Well, I think I'm going to try and go audiophile on this one.
I want to "test the waters" and make my own tube amp(s) to drive my pair of D3's.
What I need is a cheap (Around $100 or less), well documented project.
Soldering probably won't be an issue as my youth group leader has a 6 year electronics degree and has volunteered to help me out with any soldering problems.
I'll probably make the amplifier encloser out of MDF.
Thanks so much!
Nathan
Nathan,
Nice to see someone so excited. Honest truth is that there is no way you could make a tube amp that will compete with that Sun for driving subs for $100. Also there is no reason. Where tubes really show their glory is in the mids and highs. A good Solid State amp can do lows as well and for high power apps even better unless you want to build a real monster of an amp, which is not recomended for newbies because of the extremely lethal voltages involved in high power tube amps. If you want to have a chance to hear real audiophile tube amps at their best you are in luck. St Louis happens to be home to some very serious tube heads that are into what many consider to be the finest full range speakers in the world. Do a search for "Lowther" and you should be able to find these guys. Sorry I don't have a URL for you. If you are lucky you will get a chance to listen to some magic. One thing you need to understand 1st is that this is Hi Fi not HT. No big booming bass etc. What you will find is a startling clarity that will make it sound like the performance is right there. You might not even like it because it will be so different from what you are used to. A warning...if you do like it you will never be the same. You might even start to protect your ears from the music you listen to now so that you can enjoy great sound for a lifetime. Keep an open mind. You won't find body pounding bass or ear ripping metal dome tweeters. Audiophile is not about that at all. Stay excited!
Nice to see someone so excited. Honest truth is that there is no way you could make a tube amp that will compete with that Sun for driving subs for $100. Also there is no reason. Where tubes really show their glory is in the mids and highs. A good Solid State amp can do lows as well and for high power apps even better unless you want to build a real monster of an amp, which is not recomended for newbies because of the extremely lethal voltages involved in high power tube amps. If you want to have a chance to hear real audiophile tube amps at their best you are in luck. St Louis happens to be home to some very serious tube heads that are into what many consider to be the finest full range speakers in the world. Do a search for "Lowther" and you should be able to find these guys. Sorry I don't have a URL for you. If you are lucky you will get a chance to listen to some magic. One thing you need to understand 1st is that this is Hi Fi not HT. No big booming bass etc. What you will find is a startling clarity that will make it sound like the performance is right there. You might not even like it because it will be so different from what you are used to. A warning...if you do like it you will never be the same. You might even start to protect your ears from the music you listen to now so that you can enjoy great sound for a lifetime. Keep an open mind. You won't find body pounding bass or ear ripping metal dome tweeters. Audiophile is not about that at all. Stay excited!
. I just converted to another terribly secret underground fullrange speaker My Sun amp just isn't for my Sub.
Hi again guys!
Thanks so much for the responses.
Maybe you took me wrong Dave, but the Sun has speakes A & B so I was going to use "A" for my Dayton III loudspeakers and "B" for my subwoofer.
I'm looking for something around $100 that can drive my loudspeakers.
Just wanting to clear things up if you missed anything!
I'll go ahead and do that search!
Nathan
Hi again guys!
Thanks so much for the responses.
Maybe you took me wrong Dave, but the Sun has speakes A & B so I was going to use "A" for my Dayton III loudspeakers and "B" for my subwoofer.
I'm looking for something around $100 that can drive my loudspeakers.
Just wanting to clear things up if you missed anything!
I'll go ahead and do that search!
Nathan
Re: My Sun amp just isn't for my Sub.
$100 for a fully documented kit is going to be hard to find. The least expensive kit i have run across is this 11MS8 Push-Pull Amp. About 8 watts wired in Pentode. The kit is $140. The 11MS8 is something like the more common 6BM8.
Here is a thread on the FR Forum of someone's implementation with pictures.
For under $100 you will need to find an old console amp or some-such and rebuild it. No instructions come with these thou ... and they all need rebuilding. A good way to really get a handle on how these things work.
My 5-buck amp is an example of this approach. There are others out on the net.
dave
$100 for a fully documented kit is going to be hard to find. The least expensive kit i have run across is this 11MS8 Push-Pull Amp. About 8 watts wired in Pentode. The kit is $140. The 11MS8 is something like the more common 6BM8.
Here is a thread on the FR Forum of someone's implementation with pictures.
For under $100 you will need to find an old console amp or some-such and rebuild it. No instructions come with these thou ... and they all need rebuilding. A good way to really get a handle on how these things work.
My 5-buck amp is an example of this approach. There are others out on the net.
dave
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