Tube Design Books

[TomWaits]

I have downloaded a lot of information from Pete Millett's Site but I was wondering if any of the literature from Old Colony Sound is worth purchasing?

Please, if you like a particular piece of literature, explain a little about it and why you like it but I would like to stick to books that are currently available (free download, purchase and/or Toronto Library).

Cheers,

Shawn.

[SY]

Old Colony should still have Norman Crowhurst's "Understanding Hifi Circuits." Not in-depth on design details, but a really good overview of topologies and feedback.

Available from more conventional sources (e.g., Amazon), "Valve Amplifiers" (Morgan Jones) is very specifically directed at audio design using modern techniques and parts and a hard-nosed engineering approach. Absolutely invaluable.

edit: I see that OC carries both Jones books. "Building Valve Amplifiers" is more oriented toward the physical task of laying out and assembling tube gear, leaving design and theory to "Valve Amplifiers."

[Tony]

and both books are available at www.evatco.com.au

[TomWaits]

Originally posted by SY
"Valve Amplifiers" (Morgan Jones) is very specifically directed at audio design using modern techniques and parts and a hard-nosed engineering approach. Absolutely invaluable.

Sounds exactly what I am looking for. Thanks, Shawn.

[Sherman]

I would also recommend 'Tube Circuit Design for Beginners' (IIRC) by Rosenblitz. Some good basic info and some practical design advice. Some say that Rosenblitz can be a bit... opinionated but if you can look past that the book has good value.

If you have both 'Tube Circuit' and 'Valve Amplifiers' you have almost all the basics covered and at least one book will explain things in a way you are sure to understand!

[Miles Prower]

Hard question to answer. For myself, that would be The Radiotron Designers Handbook, plus a whole bunch of "white papers" from Steve Bench and others I've found scattered all around the 'net.

Of course, I was already quite familiar with solid state, and so simply needed to translate that know-how from silicon to glass. As for the raw n00b, I don't know what I'd recommend.

[rwellerson]

Wanna be in tube's heaven concerning more than enough info about the hot and nice audio bottles?
Check this:
http://www.pmillett.com/tecnical_books_online.htm
(and it's free...)

[ ]
Ricardo

[kevinkr]

Definitely all of the books heretofore listed and volumes 1 - 4 of the audio anthologies. There are six in total, the last two seem less useful.

I would also recommend reprints of the Sylvania and RCA tube manuals .

I'd buy from Old Colony if practical, they are the publisher of these books and most of the time they're just hanging on.. If not for them I think most of these books would have vanished into obscurity and books like the anthologies listed above would not even exist.

[JoshK]

I'll just chime in with my experience. I am not an engineer unlike a lot of members here. My background is in statistics and applied math but I work in finance. Anyway, I found my way into DIY with basically zero electronics knowledge.

I read a lot on the internet for the last couple years, but reading a couple of books really progresses you much quicker. I recently picked up Morgan Jones VA and read about 1/3 of it thus far. It really is a great book and recommended to anyone that wants to learn about building and designing tube amps.

[TomWaits]

Originally posted by kevinkr
...and volumes 1 - 4 of the audio anthologies. There are six in total, the last two seem less useful.

What are these anthologies and where do I get them?

Originally posted by JoshK
...reading a couple of books really progresses you much quicker.

For me this is true. The nice stuff that I have downloaded, I had printed at Kinko's so I can acess it when i want. Not cheap though. I will build the "library" over time.

Cheers,

Shawn.