Transformer Heaven

[Ducatista47]

Here is a different way to build an amp. He goes his own way, listens to his ears and heart, and is coming from the right place.

http://www10.big.or.jp/~dh/gallery/pic/memoryc.html

This is hopefully the goal of our audio quests:

Sakuma says "It is easy to build from a reference book or from MJ.
But we can not make the amplifier better that way. When I make an amplifier, I listen and listen to music so as to find 'what I need' in my imagination.
Once I find It, the amplifier design is very easy".

The title of his book and the name of his audio concerts is "Rememberance of Sound Past".
This is not to say that we wish to listen old sounds like a music box.
When we listen to an audio system, there is first, our own emotion.
It is the start of audio life. But after hearing many audio systems and reading other's audio reports, we may lose our own emotion.

"Rememberance of Sound Past" is the memory of our first emotions brought forth by music and audio.

Thanks to Lynn Olson for the links.

http://www10.big.or.jp/~dh/

Clark

[Ducatista47]

I knew the old directly heated triodes Sakuma san uses are big, but they are dwarfed by the amplifiers. I have never seen most of the tubes he uses in person. Here is an RCA 50! And a 12A! The 4P55 I did not know about at all.

[Allanvh5150]

If you hunger for a lager power tube check this one out. 2800Kw plate disipation!

http://www.cpii.com/docs/datasheets/...0KG-X-2274.pdf

Allan.

[jcrobso]

The tube in my transmitter is rated at 30KW with a 10KV plate voltage.
Since the tubes are designed for RF, I don't think they would make good audio tubes.

[Ducatista47]

If you hunger for a lager power tube check this one out. 2800Kw plate disipation!

http://www.cpii.com/docs/datasheets/...0KG-X-2274.pdf

Allan.

I'm guessing that would be for television, not FM radio. The old directly heated triodes were from the early days of radio transmission. The WE300B is often sited as the only receiving triode designed for audio use, but that is no longer true. The KR T-1610 is a purely high fidelity audio design, and is also the largest audio receiving triode I have heard of. While the Cary amps sometimes blow them up, I have heard that none have ever failed in the KR amps.

http://www.kraudioproducts.com/Kr/Pr...3&ProductID=8#

[jcrobso]

The spec sheet list 80 MHz for max power, with max frequency of 210 MHz.
It could do the lower VHF as well as FM band. Note: it can be vapor cooled, AKA water cooling.

[stephane RAME]

211
max plate voltage: 1.25kV
long-anode dissipated power: 75W
Filament voltage: 10V
filament current: 3.25A

845
max plate voltage: 1.25kV
long-anode dissipated power: 105W
Filament voltage: 10V
filament current: 3.25A

GM 70
max plate voltage: 1.5kV
long-anode dissipated power: 125W
Filament voltage: 20V
filament current: 3A

WE 212
max plate voltage: 3kV
long-anode dissipated power: 275W
Filament voltage: 14V
filament current: 6A

Stéphane

[jcrobso]

211
max plate voltage: 1.25kV
long-anode dissipated power: 75W
Filament voltage: 10V
filament current: 3.25A

845
max plate voltage: 1.25kV
long-anode dissipated power: 105W
Filament voltage: 10V
filament current: 3.25A

GM 70
max plate voltage: 1.5kV
long-anode dissipated power: 125W
Filament voltage: 20V
filament current: 3A

WE 212
max plate voltage: 3kV
long-anode dissipated power: 275W
Filament voltage: 14V
filament current: 6A

Stéphane

The WE 212 uses 84 watts to heat up the filament.

[Ducatista47]

The spec sheet list 80 MHz for max power, with max frequency of 210 MHz.
It could do the lower VHF as well as FM band. Note: it can be vapor cooled, AKA water cooling.

My ignorant guess - I am not in the field - was based on the 2.8 million watt figure. That would be one heck of a radio station.

The WE 212 uses 84 watts to heat up the filament.

True, but I say use whatever creates the best sound at home. It is not a business with a bottom line to be guarded for the stockholders. I am a watt miser about most things, but not my stereo.

I have several friends who hear a ton of systems and have been doing so for many years. They are in agreement that the KR T-1610 based amps are the best they have ever heard, and produce the best bass - quality and quantity - by a wide margin. That takes a large, hot cathode (or filament) to supply a lot of free electrons. Those are watts I would be willing to pay for. Go ahead, call me selfish. But I don't see posts around here about downsizing amps to save electricity.

Large Triode for audio

Stephane, could you tell us something about the tubes and tube amps you use? You seem to be seeking true high fidelity as I understand it. Your knowledge seems great. I use high efficiency speakers and electrostatic headphones, so all I know much about is driver tubes and smaller power tubes.

Clark

[jcrobso]

When I was in school most of my electronic theory was in tubes.
I have kicked around the idea of building a tube amp, I'm look around for parts. I tend to like Pentodes that are run ultra linear. A transformer for this costs about $100, my estimate to build is about $500~600. This would give me a 60 watt/channel stereo amp.
Tube amps are big, heavy and hot, as long as one understands that this is the price of admission.

[louped garouv]

the one's i've managed to get some experience with
seem to change ever so slightly from listening session to session also...

probably b/c I am not using the nicest, most stable ones around...


or that i am going mad...

[stephane RAME]

Clack
My main amp is a 845 single-end 2x28w.
http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/s...&postcount=404
I have a push-pull of EL34 to 2x50W.
http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/s...30&postcount=5
My speakers using high-performance GPA 515-8G and GPA 399-8A + MR564.
http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/s...ad.php?t=11750
Stéphane

[Ducatista47]

I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with tubes.

Actually, there is plenty wrong with tubes. But there is more wrong with bipolar transistors. Nothing is perfect...

The ecologist in me does not like the higher power tubes use, but if great sound is the goal I find it a far lesser evil than almost any characteristic of bipolar transistors. Some cite high voltages as a minus re: tubes, but 117 volts will kill with equal abandon and ease. A psychological issue with some, but of no practical bearing at all. My Stax headphones have a 580v polarizing current right next to my ears and I am quite safe and free from nightmares about it. More heat, better in Winter and worse in Summer. A wash in temperate climates like the Midwest.

And so on. The bottom line is what sounds better. From Alan Kimmel, the genius amplifier designer:

5. Another myth: Tube amps always sound better than solid-state amps.

Actually, this myth is often true. But everyone knows that the best sounding solid-state amp sounds better than the worst-sounding tube amp. What the solid-state-only crowd won't entertain is that the best sounding tube amp may well sound better than the best sounding solid-state amp.

At the current state of the art, that is certainly true. But since solid state includes devices other than bipolar transistors (MOSFET, JFET, etc.), it may be that hybrid SS/tube devices will eventually rule the quality wars. The KR t-1610 amps are a good example. They all have FET front ends. The best preamp circuit I am aware of, Alan's MU Stage, can be pure tube or a triode/MOSFET hybrid.

Clark

[jcrobso]

Yes, tubes have a sound, it is their lot in life. We like JBL speakers, but not all of us like the same JBLs.
I might start collecting parts for that tube amp, but won't start on it until 1011 after I retire. Assuming no other problems.

[Ducatista47]

Since this thread has struck a chord with tube users, I will link over to a post of mine in a headphone thread. The link there is a stunner.

http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/s...9&postcount=63

Clark