Newbie question...

[croccodillo]

Hi all,

My name is Giovanni and I'm from Italy.
This is my first post here, I'm a complete newbie to the tube world; I've already built a few preamplifiers and amplifiers in the past (including a Nelson Pass Aleph 30 clone), but never tried to build a tube amp.
Now I feel the need to build one.
I read a lot of threads, articles, opinions about tube amps (PP, SE, UL, etc....) and at the end I think I will build a PP amplifier, with a power not higher then 20W, with a solid state PSU and a class A DIY mosfet amplifier (I already have it).
I was thinking to use EL34 tubes, is this a good choice?
Any other type of tube suggested?
If EL34 are fine for this kind of a project (I have not yet decided the circuit design, I like the Tadaki design), which are the best?
- Electro harmonix EL34EH
- Svetlana EL34
- JJ Electronics EL34L

Thanks in advance for your answers.

Ciao,
Giovanni

 

[Sch3mat1c]

I read a lot of threads, articles, opinions about tube amps (PP, SE, UL, etc....) and at the end I think I will build a PP amplifier, with a power not higher then 20W, with a solid state PSU and a class A DIY mosfet amplifier (I already have it).
I was thinking to use EL34 tubes, is this a good choice?

Welcome to the one true amplification device

Sure, EL34 will work, in class A or so. 6L6 is comparable, and equivalents 5881/KT66/etc...
20W can also be had by 6V6's (they top out around 15W, but you could push 20 I bet), quad EL84, and who knows how many unorthodox types, small dodecal sweep tubes from the 60s and 70s, for example.

Tim