Iron Pre Essentials Kits For The DIYA Store - Register Your Interest

Time spent drilling holes and assembling today. I am an amateurish machinist at best.

But close enough!

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The way I have tried to think about it is that I never want either the power amplifier or the pre amplifier to ever voltage clip. It is also nice if the pre amplifier has enough gain and voltage output capability to drive the power amplifier close to clipping, but not over. However, I don't like to have it be able to go over the limit in case someone accidentally turns it all the way to the highest volume. In my mind, a pre-amplifier should NEVER clip with a reasonable music source at its highest output with the source putting out a signal of 0dBFS.

So the maximum voltage output of the pre-amp should always be greater than its gain * 2V (typical rms max output of a source) * 1.414 (convert to Vp).

So the max output of an SE pre with 2x (6dB) gain needs to be greater than 4Vrms or 2 * 2 * 1.414 => 5.7Vp

Max output of an SE pre with 4x (12dB) gain needs to be greater than 8Vrms or 4 * 2 * 1.414 => 11.4Vp

To calculate the required maximum output of a balanced pre, I use 5Vrms as potential input. Most sources will only output 4Vrms, but oddly, I have one that will do 5Vrms.

So the max output of an Balanced pre with 2x (6dB) gain needs to be greater than 10Vrms or 5 * 2 * 1.414 => 14.14Vp

Those were for example, but the Iron Pre will safely do all those input voltages at any of those gains and not voltage clip. It will also do it at more than adequate distortion.

Next... what gain to use. Slightly different angle. I look backwards from the power amplifier. The goal is to be able to 'preserve the signal' and not attenuate as much. Running your volume knob at maximum '9 o'clock' is a waste of gain, but on the opposite end, clipping your amplifier is bad.

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Note ... I still am not sure I think about it correctly... 😉

You realize of course that you are assuming an amplifier with gain... This is not always true.

... Imagine trying to use something like an F4. Your assumptions then are out the window.

Example, My current Conrad Johnson PV9 outputs 20Vrms with an input of 2Vrms... this is a gain of 20db. Which puts it in a very nice place to drive the full current out of the F4 at ~40Vpp. I routinely run the preamp at 2 o'clock, which puts it nicely in what I'd expect to be a linear range with no distortion or noise: the F4 is rated at 40Vpp... so that's 14.14Vrms ( 20/33/50 wpc into 8/6/4 ohms).

Indeed, many tube amplifiers have lots of gain... I think the lowest is around 10Vrms... modern ARC.... but CJ still drives 20Vrms. Single ended.

Now my quest is to go bridged F4.. so I need a balanced preamp that will put drive 80Vpp... for 100/133/200 wpc into 4/6/8 phms. That means ~28.28Vrms from the preamp. Hence, 40Vrms from the preamp will nicely drive the bridged F4s with room to spare.

That means a gain of 23db from the balanced preamp. Quite a bit more than your calculations.
 
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"You realize of course that you are assuming an amplifier with gain..."

No, I'm not. Your assumption about my assumption is incorrect. 😉

"This is not always true."

Agreed. Thus, I would never assume all power amplifiers have gain.

... Imagine trying to use something like an F4. Your assumptions then are out the window.

No, they're not. And they're not assumptions. It's just math. If my math is incorrect, I welcome corrections.

"Example, My current Conrad Johnson PV9 outputs 20Vrms with an input of 2Vrms... this is a gain of 20db. Which puts it in a very nice place to drive the full current out of the F4 at ~40Vpp. I routinely run the preamp at 2 o'clock, which puts it nicely in what I'd expect to be a linear range with no distortion or noise: the F4 is rated at 40Vpp... so that's 14.14Vrms ( 20/33/50 wpc into 8/6/4 ohms)."

Yes, and ....

"Indeed, many tube amplifiers have lots of gain... I think the lowest is around 10Vrms... modern ARC.... but CJ still drives 20Vrms. Single ended."

Yes, and ...

"Now my quest is to go bridged F4.. so I need a balanced preamp that will put drive 80Vpp... for 100/133/200 wpc into 4/6/8 phms. That means ~28.28Vrms from the preamp. Hence, 40Vrms from the preamp will nicely drive the bridged F4s with room to spare."

Yes, and ... I've repeatedly shown you that in another thread. I fail to see your point.

"That means a gain of 23db from the balanced preamp. Quite a bit more than your calculations."

Where did I calculate a gain? Please show me.
 
"You realize of course that you are assuming an amplifier with gain..."

No, I'm not. Your assumption about my assumption is incorrect. 😉

"This is not always true."

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Where did I calculate a gain? Please show me.

Your calculations are correct. However, you did state that you were happy with a 6db gain in the preamp... I just showed you why this is not necessarily the case when the amp has no gain and the preamp has to do all the voltage amplification.

That's all.
 
You realize of course that you are assuming an amplifier with gain.

IAIMH was talking abot relation of preamp gain and it's clipping capability, taking in account normal source levels today; nothing about amps

you're introducing your own fixation, now solved, with need to drive F4

:rofl:

I already explained to you cheapest way of driving bridged F4, especially applicable now when you have CJ swinging 40Vpp at output; just put appropriate iron in between CJ and set of F4

again to both of you (so Man who's working with wood), of things ready on disposal - for driving bridged F4 - take Bal Ba3 FE

or wait zillion years - I have plans to revisit (and fully redo) my venerable Pumpkin; this time full shebang, servos, onboard regs, selector, 64step attenuator blahblah

but not soon, time is relative :clown:
 
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