NFB in tube amps is basically trading voltage gain for linearity.
Most SET builders go the route of no NFB and using the most linear tubes, such as DHTs. EL34 in SET would be quite bad without any NFB.
There are a great number of cheap and easily available tubes that can be triode strapped (set up as triodes) and provide good results.
I see the schematic for baby Huey. Is that something I should look into?
I see the schematic for baby Huey. Is that something I should look into?
By all means look into it, bit it's not a single ended amp. Also read thru some of George's (tubelab.com) pages, specifically the Tubelab SSE.
jeff
Oh boy, I thought there was just one beginner amp for noobie like me. I graduated as an EE, but never practiced all these years, So just by looking at schematic won't tell me much. Would anyone of you also a noob too and can tell me which one you built as the first project?
P.s. I updated my profile now
P.s. I updated my profile now
For a noob first project you could consider this DCPP Amp
Everything on a PCB. Plenty of opportunity to play later, but build to BOM and it will work and sound great.
UNLESS you hanker for a euphonic solution.
You have to decide if you want a 'sound' or a neutral amplifier. Some like one, some like the other.
Everything on a PCB. Plenty of opportunity to play later, but build to BOM and it will work and sound great.
UNLESS you hanker for a euphonic solution.
You have to decide if you want a 'sound' or a neutral amplifier. Some like one, some like the other.
Well, I've never duplicated a schematic off the internet wholesale. My first amp was a direct coupled SE Darling amp with 1626 output and a whole bunch different input tubes and later different plate loads.
From my years from listening to Av receivers I find them too edgy and vocal are thin. So I am not sure what will fit me when looking for a tube amp. I am looking for a more wide open sound stage and solid vocal and bass with authority. My limited vocabularies are SET and push pull. I have only been reading up stuff for 3 days so I am guessing there's a type of tube amps that would fit me better which I yet to know.
just build something.
Anything.
It doesn't matter what within the bounds of reason.
Tubelab SE, or any other 5w-ish SE if that's what you hanker for.
The type of amp you describe as wanting ie bass authority is likely to be outside your price / skill range. "Authority" implies both power and control and "solid" vocals and "authoritative" bass imply dynamic power They cost.
The rest of your list of wants in all honesty are more about your speakers and room. The amp sure as hell can't make decisions about how you picture the location of instruments.
Anything.
It doesn't matter what within the bounds of reason.
Tubelab SE, or any other 5w-ish SE if that's what you hanker for.
The type of amp you describe as wanting ie bass authority is likely to be outside your price / skill range. "Authority" implies both power and control and "solid" vocals and "authoritative" bass imply dynamic power They cost.
The rest of your list of wants in all honesty are more about your speakers and room. The amp sure as hell can't make decisions about how you picture the location of instruments.
These days you can't assume that an EE knows any electronics, or at least any analogue electronics - at least in UK universities. EEs can study ergonomics, project management, system integration, coding gain, IT, professional integrity etc. etc. - with just a trivial first year course on electronics and nothing useful on electromagnetism, solid state physics, filter synthesis, noise.billshurv said:Your profile says you are an EE.
Well, the profile says an "EE at Uni" - so an undergrad I suppose. Don't be too hard on him... Although some of his questions do raise eyebrows - just what are they teaching in school these days?!
EE in Canada learn about op amps shun shun rectifier digital processing feedback loops, but that was 16 years ago for me and I have no memories on anything except dc is a straight line and ac is a sine wave lol. Raising eye brows is my specialty now.
just build something.
Anything.
It doesn't matter what within the bounds of reason.
Tubelab SE, or any other 5w-ish SE if that's what you hanker for.
The type of amp you describe as wanting ie bass authority is likely to be outside your price / skill range. "Authority" implies both power and control and "solid" vocals and "authoritative" bass imply dynamic power They cost.
The rest of your list of wants in all honesty are more about your speakers and room. The amp sure as hell can't make decisions about how you picture the location of instruments.
If authority cost $2000+, then I rather keep this authority in my wallet for now.
Would you give me some tips on how I can get some better sound stage? I have been moving my speakers to different positions and Angles and never able to get a so called sound stage. What kind of speakers should I look into? I have some rf 82 and Polk rti4
Somewhere I read someone said they get wider sound stage after amp break in period and then they roll some Russian tubes in and the sound stage was even wide for them. I guess it's a psychological thing?
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Sorry to have mistaken you as an undergrad... I guess you really need to hit the books and refresh your memory - as most of your questions are EE 101.EE in Canada learn about op amps shun shun rectifier digital processing feedback loops, but that was 16 years ago for me and I have no memories on anything except dc is a straight line and ac is a sine wave lol. Raising eye brows is my specialty now.
I guess it's a psychological thing?
Yes, its an illusion. Some placements and positions of you relative to the speakers will enhance the illusion, but regardless, its an illusion.
It certainly helps if you THINK its wide/deep/forward/ etc etc. Its amazing how different a single piece of music can sound when you actually LISTEN to it (as against hearing it).
I'm not good at advising on this - I have heard it myself in my own very ordinary set-up at various times with various speakers and in various locations, but I can't tell you why or how.
The most amazing time I experienced this was listening to some Dire Straits coming off a cheap Garrard turntable through an EL84 SE amp into a pair of full range drivers taped into a couple of cardboard boxes. It was this experience that taught me that good results can be a case of just dumb luck.
Oh please. 🙂It is not significant whether a tube is a true triode, or a triode strapped pentode / beam tetrode / tetrode. What matters most are
1) the curves
2) plate resistance at desired op point
3) can the tube provide desired amount of current (meaning, deliver enough output power)
What kind of circuit are you looking to build?
4 ohm speakers eat up more current than 8 ohm speakers. Damping factor basically is your amp's ability to deliver current to the speaker load. You'll have better damping factor (all other things being equal) with 8 ohm speakers.
We are talking tube amps here, with output transformers, so 4 or 8 ohm speakers will be connected to matching 4 or 8 ohm OT taps.
Which means both will reflect the same load impedance to plates and vice versa, plate internal impedance will be reflected as the same percentage of the load, at every tap, so damping , which really is damping *ratio* stays the same.
Factor also means ratio, in this context.
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