SOMOS. Sound of One MOSFET Headphone Amp

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Then I guess my original question was not that stupid... the "preceding follower" is not only for gain, gain can be low, like 2, it is also for handling these issues...
Thanks for your notes Mr. Csaszar 😉
I want to build 3 very similar headphone amps, using the same IRF510 follower, but one with ECC82 tube, the other with JFET, and the third with TL081 opamp as the "preceding follower" and geek my heart out comparing them 🙂
I hope I will have the persistence to see thist hrough...
 
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Like this?
Then I guess my original question was not that stupid... the "preceding follower" is not only for gain, gain can be low, like 2, it is also for handling these issues...
Thanks for your notes Mr. Csaszar 😉
I want to build 3 very similar headphone amps, using the same IRF510 follower, but one with ECC82 tube, the other with JFET, and the third with TL081 opamp as the "preceding follower" and geek my heart out comparing them 🙂
I hope I will have the persistence to see thist hrough...
Please, tell us the results;-)
 
Regarding my way and the fear of input capacitance.
Here you can see what @Nelson Pass does with IRF610 input.
It is his classical 'Bride of Zen' circuit.
It is also a one mosfet amplifier.

Bride of Zen.jpg
 
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Okay, back to the rowing bench for me...
Thank you all!
I can still add - just heard: IRLZ24NIR, IRLZ34N, IRFZ34, IRFZ44N, IFL510VIS, UF640L-TA3, 2SK2545, STPN52K3.
I would make recommendations - IRF530 (wide, rolling), IRF820 (clean, open, elaborated, more focussed than IRF530); IRLZ24N (like "tok tok", wooden, tact, "authentic"), IRL510VIS (more focus than IRF820) - if I didn't know that every batch can sound different. Whereby 2SK2545, STPN52K3 go in the direction of BjT, but sound a little less clean in the fundamentals and deepths (compared with a TIP 31C).
Keep your hands off TO-247 types.
And: I had a quick listen to my IRF610: not suitable for audio.
 
One MOSFET and One resistor ...

This amplifier is for you who have a headphone: 8, 16, 32, 60 or 64 Ohm impedance.
The trafo is 2x12VAC.
The MOSFET can be any TO-220 or TO-247.
For example IRFP240, IRFP140, IRFP044, IRF540. (IRF520 and IRF610 gives a little more distortion = more MOSFET sound)
The resistor should be 5 Watt.

If you have some MOSFET laying around, this project is for you.
You get good use of your MOSFET.
I have not built it. But the SPICE test shows it is a good, solid and fun design.
It works 🙂
When I replace R3 by a CCS, I get Andrea Ciuffoli's single ended power follower - go to
Has anyone ever compared the sound of different MOSFETs in this version with CCS ?
Important is R3 - best results you will get by use of a TO247 or TO220 outline from Caddock
P.S.: image 1+2 under
show a preamp version of this power follower - I guess, the headphone amp works even as preamp fine.
 

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The VFET Lottery Amplifier is a source follower with a constant current load.

The Zenductor2 Amplifier is a (pair of parallel) source followers with an inductor load.

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