>>> The moral of the story is, I'd either have beautifull valve amps or go the other end of the scale and use a T-amp which everyone should have anyway, just because they're so cheap and not far behind any SS amp out there.
I totally agree with you doubtingthomas! I love my Cary tube gear. But i also love my T-amps. I've compared them and think they both are excellent amps. My solid state sounds grainy compared to tubes and T-amp... i don't miss SS at all!
I totally agree with you doubtingthomas! I love my Cary tube gear. But i also love my T-amps. I've compared them and think they both are excellent amps. My solid state sounds grainy compared to tubes and T-amp... i don't miss SS at all!
I Echo Ty's exhortation not to abandon the idea of an EL84 - for a driver with the sensitivity of the 206E and in an BLH that many would agree would be a great candidate, a few watts of SET could be more than enough power.
Too bad that Steve Deckert dropped the full "experimenters" kit package of the great little Zen C from his line-up - it would be near the top of my list for a DIY build, but there must be bazillions of alternative circuit designs for the 6BQ5/EL84 in either SE or P/P mode. I'm more comfortable in the woodworking shop, but am still here to tell the tale after several EL84 & 2A3 tube amp builds (kits and scratch) - if I can build one from scratch, anyone can.
Depending on budget, etc another scrumptious sounding type well suited to the 206 would be the 2A3 - there are a few kits for those as well - e.g. Bottlehead Stereomour
Too bad that Steve Deckert dropped the full "experimenters" kit package of the great little Zen C from his line-up - it would be near the top of my list for a DIY build, but there must be bazillions of alternative circuit designs for the 6BQ5/EL84 in either SE or P/P mode. I'm more comfortable in the woodworking shop, but am still here to tell the tale after several EL84 & 2A3 tube amp builds (kits and scratch) - if I can build one from scratch, anyone can.
Depending on budget, etc another scrumptious sounding type well suited to the 206 would be the 2A3 - there are a few kits for those as well - e.g. Bottlehead Stereomour
After a bit of research I'd go with either F3 or Aleph J, more inclined towards J, and for a box I think I'll go for Dallas II design. Anyone got at hand a pcb supplier for Aleph J pcb as well as the ps pcb and complete list of parts?
guys can you help me out please? I am looking for the exact dimensions for the parts, but I could only find the attached file for the description of the Dallas II. There are quotes there but a lot of the pieces are angle cut and I need the whole piece lenghts, not the resulting ones after cutting in an angle. The sheets of wood that are put into individual parts are only numbered but not measured. I presume that you can make one cabinet from one 250/125 cm sheet of birch?
Looks like everyone whants to talk you into a valve amp. For what it's worth, i've run my Vulcans on 8 wpc SET and there was no shortage of power in a big room. Those really are sensitive speakers.
Yes, god damn, I will finish my tube amp! Laid everything back on the working table, and tomorrow I will do some tests and see where I left off. It was hard to test anything for sound quality because I had some stupid bi-amped speakers and I couldn't tell anything. Now I put one fostex into a test box and will further work on the amp.
I attached my scheme, but I don't know if it was the final one, I must have tinkered a bit at it and didn't note the changes. I will follow the breadboard layout and see exactly where I left off. If you can give me some hints/ideas I would very much apreciate. It is a push-pull EL84, with 6n1p for preamp stage and dephase (sorry but can't remember english tech term, I'm so tired). The power is delivered by a toroid with 240V at 400mA and 2x6.3V at 6A each for lamps filaments. The output transformers are custom made by someone I met on a local forum and he told me they got about 6k6 ohm. I remember that measured anod of one el84 was 270V with 45mA... I will post the new values after I set everything right and fire it up. Any help with my current scheme will be much appreciated. Thank you for your answers so far, made me choose a Dallas II enclosure and you guys made me go back to my tube amp. Damn you! 🙂 j/k thanks
p.s. the stage coupling capacitors are 0.22 now wima mks4 630V 10%
I attached my scheme, but I don't know if it was the final one, I must have tinkered a bit at it and didn't note the changes. I will follow the breadboard layout and see exactly where I left off. If you can give me some hints/ideas I would very much apreciate. It is a push-pull EL84, with 6n1p for preamp stage and dephase (sorry but can't remember english tech term, I'm so tired). The power is delivered by a toroid with 240V at 400mA and 2x6.3V at 6A each for lamps filaments. The output transformers are custom made by someone I met on a local forum and he told me they got about 6k6 ohm. I remember that measured anod of one el84 was 270V with 45mA... I will post the new values after I set everything right and fire it up. Any help with my current scheme will be much appreciated. Thank you for your answers so far, made me choose a Dallas II enclosure and you guys made me go back to my tube amp. Damn you! 🙂 j/k thanks
p.s. the stage coupling capacitors are 0.22 now wima mks4 630V 10%
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Which T amps in particular? DIY or consumer? What about this one? Lepai Tripath TA2020 Class-T Hi-Fi Audio Amplifier 310-300
GM
GM
The T-amp I used was a consumer model with built in USB DAC and basic power supply, I think it was a TA2024 and it was very impressive. I reckon the kits could be even better because you could put a better power supply on them and maybe uprate other bits, I'm no electronics guy though, strictly a newbie but keen to learn, I'll probably do a T-amp kit myself.
I strongly recommend Vulcans for the 206's though, I'm listening to mine now, awesome and totally un fatiguing.
I strongly recommend Vulcans for the 206's though, I'm listening to mine now, awesome and totally un fatiguing.
I should add that I prefer them to my Vienna Accoustics Beethovens and Quad 988's so that should give you an idea.
I'm sure you won't regret going tube, good luck.
I'm sure you won't regret going tube, good luck.
For the 206E, it would have to be designed plus ideally would need to be driven with a matching impedance tube amp to keep the acoustic XO low enough, otherwise use a line level series resistor to a powerful enough, squeaky clean SS amp to raise the effective Qts up to at least 2x and still have sufficient dynamic headroom. Ideally you need to know the room gain curve to best blend the horn's roll off slope. Way back when, they didn't bother since a ~30-35 Hz tuning was below the lowest recording's F10, so today it could be a real 'boomer' on some recordings if there's no electronic bass control to tone it down. Since you can't shrink a sound wave, expect a ~30 ft^3 bulk if not corner loaded for solid gain down to the low 30s, so a stereo pair will shrink it somewhat if the room isn't too big, open and/or spaced too far apart to not couple up good enough down low.
GM
GM
something along the lines of Jensen Imperial?
or as re-imagined by Steve D?
DECWARE Imperial Folded Horn
performance varies by model
or as re-imagined by Steve D?
DECWARE Imperial Folded Horn
performance varies by model
In concept to the Imperial, though would have more initial folds like in Olson's patent due to smaller driver, lower effective Qts/higher mass corner [smaller throat/longer path-length]: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...sg=AFQjCNEHqVDRl3Wr9_hM4GwAaBhuqif4iw&cad=rja
GM
GM
I tweaked my tube amp and now it sounds almost perfect, got a bit of buzzing but everything is on a breadboard so I don't wonder why...
I will post the final schematic with all the readings as well. My main problem at the moment is that I applied negative feedback from one of the speaker leads, but I cannot connect the other to ground as it produces unbearable noise. But without grounding, only negative feedback it sounds good. I biased the cathodine with 2 leds for about 3.5V. Hope I have the time tomorrow to post everything maybe you could help me a bit to fine tune it. Right now I pus one Fostex speaker into an older box, 134 liters volume, classic shape 🙂) 10x10 cm round vent. Best I could do to test the speakers and amp. Sounds ok, no clipping at max volume but I could feel the need for more 😀 I decided on Dallas II design, so if anyone knows a schematic with all the cut values I would very much appreciate it. Now begins the hard part where I have to fit everything into a box. Amp and speakers as well.
I will post the final schematic with all the readings as well. My main problem at the moment is that I applied negative feedback from one of the speaker leads, but I cannot connect the other to ground as it produces unbearable noise. But without grounding, only negative feedback it sounds good. I biased the cathodine with 2 leds for about 3.5V. Hope I have the time tomorrow to post everything maybe you could help me a bit to fine tune it. Right now I pus one Fostex speaker into an older box, 134 liters volume, classic shape 🙂) 10x10 cm round vent. Best I could do to test the speakers and amp. Sounds ok, no clipping at max volume but I could feel the need for more 😀 I decided on Dallas II design, so if anyone knows a schematic with all the cut values I would very much appreciate it. Now begins the hard part where I have to fit everything into a box. Amp and speakers as well.
Hi Trileru, you are connecting feedback line to wrong tube - you should try submitting your problem on the different section on diyaudio to get help from more members ( tubes / valves section ).
Since you are busy building EL84 amp, I would strongly recommend afterwards to build Babyhuey project on this site - it sounds first class - the best I heard from EL84 and by miles better than most of other drawings using EL84...
I have one drawing of similar amp which shows how to connect feedback line ( please don't forget to connect output transformer secondary to ground if you using feedback! ).
Max
Since you are busy building EL84 amp, I would strongly recommend afterwards to build Babyhuey project on this site - it sounds first class - the best I heard from EL84 and by miles better than most of other drawings using EL84...
I have one drawing of similar amp which shows how to connect feedback line ( please don't forget to connect output transformer secondary to ground if you using feedback! ).
Max
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Not happy at all with the design, lots of problems on the way to make it functional. I think I will go for a Baby Huey/red light or drop it altogether. Maybe even go SE. Since I'll have to change all of my transformers anyway, pi/driver tubes etc.
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