• 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.

How to "add tube sound" to a system

Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.
Just now,

Billie Holiday / Nina Simone / Bettye LaVette - Original Grooves (2020) Vinyl, RSD exclusive, US
Announcing beta-test of PKHarmonic VST plugin | Page 2 | Audio Science Review (ASR) Forum

index.php


Again better sound with -90, -100 and -110 dB.
 
Wow ... 5 pages? I guessed this was probably a very covered subject. I should maybe give a touch more information. I already own a Topping preamp and Dac90. Good solid state units, known for extreme transparency, with little coloration. I just wanted to play with some tube coloration a bit. I'm NOT trying to improve my sound quality. Just have some flavor choices. I do not need gain. Just wanted to do a bit of inexpensive tube rolling. I know I could buy a tube preamp, amp, or even DAC. But that isn't what I wanted exactly. I just wanted to experiment some.
 
Seems like a very specialty device and as such, not commercially available; certainly at commodity prices. You'd have to build one of the suggestions given. The device I had was DAC, headphone amp and tube buffer coloring - three in one - in order to "sell" in the audio marketplace.

There's the LampizatOr guy from Poland who took the idea of adding a "lamp" (tube) into a CD player output many years ago - now he's got a whole line card of preamps, DACs and probably tube buffer products too. I for one couldnt afford anything he makes today...
 
Wow ... 5 pages? I guessed this was probably a very covered subject. I should maybe give a touch more information. I already own a Topping preamp and Dac90. Good solid state units, known for extreme transparency, with little coloration. I just wanted to play with some tube coloration a bit. I'm NOT trying to improve my sound quality. Just have some flavor choices. I do not need gain. Just wanted to do a bit of inexpensive tube rolling. I know I could buy a tube preamp, amp, or even DAC. But that isn't what I wanted exactly. I just wanted to experiment some.

A correctly executed cathode follower (buffer) is highly transparent. Since the goal is to add some 2nd order harmonic distortion euphony, we come back to the low μ (amplification factor) 12B4. A minimum amount of "padding" resistance at the I/P of a common cathode wired 12B4 will maintain correct overall gain structure, while doing little damage to S/N performance.

What is the I/P impedance of the device to be driven? Since the generation of a small amount of 2nd order harmonic distortion is the goal, the sometimes troublesome IHF "standard" of 10 Kohms works in our favor.

Quite a few 12B4 based designs can be "mined" from the archives. I'm providing my version. A suitable power supply can be built at low cost.
 

Attachments

  • 12B4 Preamp Signal.JPG
    12B4 Preamp Signal.JPG
    57.4 KB · Views: 247
Account Closed
Joined 2018
Those Maestros look like someone changed the woofers. So hard to say anything about them, sound-wise or electrically.
If all you want is extra distortion, I would go to a guitar store and audition a bunch of effects boxes.


I replaced the woofers about 18 years ago, when the old ones surrounds rotted out.
I used a better grade woofer which digs a bit deeper down in bass,(38Hz) has better power handling, and non rotting surrounds.
The improvement was definitly worth it.
I also added a cycolac horn tweeter on the rear, directly behind the front tweeter, and a 3 position switch on the rear terminal panel for normal /subdued midrange/ rear tweeter on. - this gives a spacious reflected sound that I like.



Also added a front to back brace just above the woofer for added rigidity.
 
Thank you Eli. I am only so good at reading schematics, but can ask my local electronics got for help if need be. I think every one of you for your suggestions. I may try several of them. I no I can buy a tube component and get what I'm looking for. In my ignorance, I just figured this would be something that had been addressed long long ago. It seems if you could create a simple small circuit that was extremely transparent, and did not negatively affect the signal, yet would allow you to have different tube flavors via rolling would make someone rich. This just seems business logical to me, and what address tons of people wanting to experiment with tube sound. Oh well, as I said I am ignorant in the tube part of the industry
 
What is the I/P impedance of the device to be driven? Since the generation of a small amount of 2nd order harmonic distortion is the goal, the sometimes troublesome IHF "standard" of 10 Kohms works in our favor.

Quite a few 12B4 based designs can be "mined" from the archives. I'm providing my version. A suitable power supply can be built at low cost.

The input impedance of the ASP 1000 monoblock amplifiers is a rather low 7400. As far as I am concerned, once again speaking out of ignorance, this device could go after the preamp, after the DAC, it doesn't matter to me. I do like the sound of building one of those cathode followers. As long as I have the ability I'm going to try.
 
The 12B4 schematic I uploaded is wired common cathode and it has a few dB. of voltage gain.

A cathode follower (buffer) exhibits a tiny voltage insertion loss. The SS analogs of the cathode follower are the source follower (FET) and emitter follower (BJT). Voltage followers amplify signal current.

The input impedance of the ASP 1000 monoblock amplifiers is a rather low 7400.

That is outright nasty and definitely does not comport with the IHF "standard". The plate resistance (RP) of the 12B4 is 1030 Ω and a common cathode triode should work into a net load that is >= 3X RP. The 12B4 is 1 of a very few tube types, when wired common cathode, that can cope with the ASP 1000 monoblocks.

That schematic I uploaded needs little in the way of adjustments to directly drive the ASPs. A high quality, cascode, constant current source (CCS) is needed. The 500 Ω cathode bias resistor would be bypassed by a 220 μF. Nichicon UKZ series capacitor. A 4.7 μF. metallized polypropylene (MKP) part bypassed by a 0.47 μF. 716P series "Orange Drop" will be adequate in the O/P coupling position.

When you want to "experiment", DAC into 12B4 line stage into ASP monoblocks could be quite enjoyable.
 
Disabled Account
Joined 2002
Thank you Eli. I am only so good at reading schematics, but can ask my local electronics got for help if need be. I think every one of you for your suggestions. I may try several of them. I no I can buy a tube component and get what I'm looking for. In my ignorance, I just figured this would be something that had been addressed long long ago. It seems if you could create a simple small circuit that was extremely transparent, and did not negatively affect the signal, yet would allow you to have different tube flavors via rolling would make someone rich. This just seems business logical to me, and what address tons of people wanting to experiment with tube sound. Oh well, as I said I am ignorant in the tube part of the industry

Hi I reread every post I write and nearly always correct or edit it. Sometimes I even delete my post as it is either offensive or ignorant. Your post is so full of contradiction I suggest to reread your own post :D

Then I read you have power amplifiers with an input impedance of 7k4. That is what we call a system choice. It puts severe limits on what can and what can't be done. In general those that do system choices often are also the ones that want to combine stuff that is impossible because of the predefined system choices. This is such a case.

Many of the devices in the field of what you think you need won't be able to do what you want them to do. Eli created his simple small circuit that is transparent and does not negatively affect the signal and this would get you there as its is one of the few circuits that drives 7k4. It is a DIY forum after all you know. But then again, if it is transparent and does not negatively affect the signal... what is the point of putting it in between? You want the sound to change or be different or ... ?! On the other hand the sources of today laugh at 7k4 so anything tube that will be put in between should be able to mimic this behavior and this is one of the qualities most tube preamps/buffers do not have. The 7k4 system choice makes you run in circles you see?

Maybe the shortest path to what you need is to replace the power amplifiers and go for an integrated tube amplifier. You will have the transparency/coloration you are seeking and you can roll tubes for years to come.
 
Last edited:
Last edited:
Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.