output transformer for 600 Ohm headphones

[Nectarpuke]

I should mention that my 6p15p amp is triode strapped. I chose it for it's price and current to avoid slew rate issues with the toroids.

 

[jackinnj]

Heresy -- but I did build a headphone amp with 6360 (dual tetrode) and a pair of small power transformers with 15-0-15 voltage rating. Worked. You can get a couple watts from a 6360, not elegant.

 

[kodabmx]

For a headphone amp, the linearity and drive requirements of a 6080 aren't bad, at least if used as a OTL (capacitor coupled) cathode follower.

I've built this one. It sounded nice enough, but the design I listed earlier sounds better and uses less power

 

[gabdx]

if you take 2 minutes you can visit tubcad / glassware, he has the best designs for any heaphone amps with tubes.

tbh the only advantage I see is to be able to start from the DAC signal, bypassing all opamps/transistors.

 

[Mark Tillotson]

Perhaps the headphones need to be larger then, for instance: World’s Largest Headphones: Sound of the Colossus

 

[gabdx]

You can actually plug in the hphone into any tube power amp output. I never tried it.

 

[jackinnj]

You can actually plug in the hphone into any tube power amp output. I never tried it.

Most tube receivers of the 1960's had a headphone jack which was coupled to the output trannies with a resistor.

You need a fraction of a watt to drive a decent set of cans to an ear-blasting level.

Jack

 

[PRR]

...The answer is distortion for a strapped pentode increases at both high and low loads....

*Near and beyond maximum "undistorted" output* When blindly testing with the *same* drive voltage for all conditions.

Hi-Z load a pentode and the gain goes up, the plate clips, both up and down, which makes 3rd.

If they had turned-down the drive for high level and high load (as you would do when the sound was harsh) the 3rd would drop way down.

Any tube bigger than your thumb, properly loaded (none of this R-C coupling to 250r load), will have quite low THD until your ears implode.

 

[gabdx]

Most tube receivers of the 1960's had a headphone jack which was coupled to the output trannies with a resistor.

You need a fraction of a watt to drive a decent set of cans to an ear-blasting level.

Jack

Yes. The only advantage I see in using tubes is with electrostatics.

There isn't much difference with an opamp and a tube tbh in sound.

 

[gabdx]

In the case of 600 ohm you don't need a resistor.

I did a test and hooked my cans direct on the amp (there is hum in background), I recognize the sound and its problems, but having a good amp with headphones doesn't make me like the headphones any tiny bit. On the other hand it sounds great listening to vinyl, which I never did before with headphones, I recognize the sound, its limitations and it is way better than dac sound, powerful, true, superb sound.