• WARNING: Tube/Valve amplifiers use potentially LETHAL HIGH VOLTAGES.
    Building, troubleshooting and testing of these amplifiers should only be
    performed by someone who is thoroughly familiar with
    the safety precautions around high voltages.

Amp switch safety load

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rknize

rknize

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Joined 2009
knizefamily.net/russ/electronics/electron-tube-audio/
#1
I'm constructing a simple amp switch for my speakers. I find myself swapping cables frequently between 3 or 4 amps, depending on what I am doing and what I am listening to. It's not going to be completely idiot-proof (switching speakers while playing music, output interlock, etc), but one of the safety features I'd like to have is a dummy load for each amp so that an amp can be warmed-up or left on. It may or may not be receiving an input signal.

It seems unnecessary to have a true 8-ohm load. 16-ohm is more reasonable and that would halve the power/dissipation requirement of the load. Can I go higher? The idea it just to protect the OPT, not to do any sort of testing.
 
#2
16 ohms would quarter the power dissipation and would probably be fine, However....

Why worry, unless you are driving the amps hard. Normal listening levels are below 1W with efficent speakers (>90dB/W-M).

8 Ohm 5W 5% resistors would probably be overkill.
 
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