[acidtripwow]

I was just wondering if anybody(DIYer) here has ever built a tube amp?

 

[Videoshielded]

One tube preamp from a kit. Modifying a commercial tube headphone amp. Scraping together parts for Kurt Strain's headphone amp and modifications to a pair of commercial monoblocks.

I actually did DIY in "reverse" -- started with tubes, then went to solid state. Frankly, I have found the tube stuff easier to build and troubleshoot.

 

[ppl]

I also started on Tubes then went to Solid state. Ya Tubes are Moreforgiving than Solid state because as the power comes up if anything is wrong you can catch it while the Filiments are still Warming up. My First Headphone Amp I built in JH School used a Push Pull pair of 50C5's on each Channel and put out about 1 watt, I later used Better Tubes and Complex Casscode Circuits to build Better Tube amps. But I must say i Like The Current state of the Art Solid state Better.

 

[Videoshielded]

Hey ppl, long time no see.

A long time ago you suggested using BIG coupling caps in the MG Head, to set cutoff freqencies at some phenomenally low levels.

Well, I tried it, and it sounds very, very good.

I didn't try medium-sized ones first -- I just went straight to 2.2uf, because I had salvaged a pair of Auricaps in that size from another project (output caps in an OTL preamp).

So, thank you very much, and I will always think of you kindly when I listen to my tube amps (which are all going to get the same treatment as soon as I can get around to it).

 

[ppl]

Videioshield: Thanks for the Kind words. I am Glad this worked for You. I as you Know, post quite contraversial ideas hear and it seems most of the time i get just flames from People who will not evean try somthing because the Simulator says it was not Needed or wount work. Well all sims aside i have actualy Built, listend to and Modified equipment using the Methods i Post. Thay are not just an opioin other than the sound is my type of sound rather than someone elces but i put disclaimers on this now days.

Yes 1-5uF is about right with Tubes and the Cutoff frequency on the cathode resistor Bypass capacitor if used should also be large with a time constant 1.618 or so greater than the one for Coupling.