First Tube Amp Needs an Overhaul

[kff322]

I was digging through some old boxes and I found my very first tube amp . It still sounds like it did when I fist built it which is very good highs but terrible bass/lows with no volume. Its impossible to listen to good music unless an equalizer is used.

I was wondering if there is anything I can do to improve its sound.
A link to the schematic and build instructions.

http://wkinsler.com/radios/7tubeamp1.html

or if you think it would be better to gut it and build a new amp using the same tubes...

Thanks
~Kff322

 

[Giaime]

Take C2, C5, C3 and C6 and replace them with 10x values 😀

Assuming you're using decent output transformers...

Or you could rebuild this: search for "the Baby Huey" amp in this forum.

 

[Jeb-D.]

I'm not the audio master but here's my 2cents. If your output idle current is running close to the max of the OPT then lower the idle current. Also, you can try and 8ohm load on the 4ohm tap(if you have multiple taps on the output). It can lower the Zout, which should help. It's putting out a pretty good ammount of power so don't be affraid to sacrafice some power to improve sound quality. When all else fails add a sub. Or if the mid-bass sucks too, have a seperate amp/speakers to run those frequencies.

 

[Giaime]

I'm not the audio master

Nobody is 😉

 

[DigitalJunkie]

Are the coupling caps marked 0.047uf and 0.0047uf ?
Are they really different sizes? Why?