can you show us how to design a tube amp? How the different stages of the amp are being chosen. what the formulas and load line drawings help us determine the next or previous stages. What to look for.
This would be the equivalent of a two year college program! But I get what you're asking and perhaps we can give an overview of the process of designing tube amps in a future Tube Lab. We have a number of overview videos of each of the Kit Amps that explain how the circuit works - that would be a good start.
Maybe, but with a lot of Qualifiers and Cautions. IF you had a quad of matched power tubes from a reputable supplier and you had an amp like the R8, if you lost one or two tubes you could use the bias current gauge to sub in tubes till you got a reasonably close match to the remaining tubes, that would work. But you need to understand IF the tube has a dead short you could damage your amp and you need to start with some already matched tubes to make this work around practical. One of the reasons vintage power tubes are so expensive is that it takes a lot of expertise and time to properly test and match them.
@@tubelab194 I do own an R8 with stock KT88s. I just want to know how closely matched they are or did they just throw in any tube at the factory? I have changed the front end tubes (Philips JAN NOS 6SL7s and AWA NOS 6SN7s (licensed RCA Radiotron tubes) that improved the sound quality and removed a lot of scratchy/crackling noises coming from the speakers.
@@mddawson1 right, so with the bias centered, shut down and switch v1&2, use v1 as your zero tube, now every tube you switch out with v1 should be very close on the bias meter. That simple test will tell you how closely matched the quad is. In my experience they'll be way off. Let everyone know what you discover.
@@tubelab194 I may try that too. I was pretty happy with the sound of the factory tubes. The Svetlana's were definitely an upgrade, but would be interesting to see if some amps got lucky and had closer matching sets originally.
Hi Tube lab, in the past you've discussed how EL34s sound great for small ensemble jazz recordings and KT88s are a bit more exciting for rock and rollers. What about for classical music listeners? If I want the full force of Beethoven's fifth symphony, is high powered solid state my best bet?
Possibly a lot will depend on your speakers and how efficient they are. If they are moderately efficient>90db, then most tubes amps should create a satisfying dynamic sound. Generally Classical music fans have two choices the warmth and richness of the EL34 or the bass and dynamics of the KT88 type. I have a large Classical collection and have season tickets to our local symphony and I would be happy with either choice, so long as they were quality vintage tubes.
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Thank you very much for this.
Now I know :)
can you show us how to design a tube amp? How the different stages of the amp are being chosen. what the formulas and load line drawings help us determine the next or previous stages. What to look for.
This would be the equivalent of a two year college program! But I get what you're asking and perhaps we can give an overview of the process of designing tube amps in a future Tube Lab. We have a number of overview videos of each of the Kit Amps that explain how the circuit works - that would be a good start.
Is there any other method to roughly match tubes when you don't have access to a tube tester?
Maybe, but with a lot of Qualifiers and Cautions. IF you had a quad of matched power tubes from a reputable supplier and you had an amp like the R8, if you lost one or two tubes you could use the bias current gauge to sub in tubes till you got a reasonably close match to the remaining tubes, that would work. But you need to understand IF the tube has a dead short you could damage your amp and you need to start with some already matched tubes to make this work around practical. One of the reasons vintage power tubes are so expensive is that it takes a lot of expertise and time to properly test and match them.
@@tubelab194 I do own an R8 with stock KT88s. I just want to know how closely matched they are or did they just throw in any tube at the factory? I have changed the front end tubes (Philips JAN NOS 6SL7s and AWA NOS 6SN7s (licensed RCA Radiotron tubes) that improved the sound quality and removed a lot of scratchy/crackling noises coming from the speakers.
@@mddawson1 right, so with the bias centered, shut down and switch v1&2, use v1 as your zero tube, now every tube you switch out with v1 should be very close on the bias meter. That simple test will tell you how closely matched the quad is. In my experience they'll be way off. Let everyone know what you discover.
@@tubelab194 I may try that too. I was pretty happy with the sound of the factory tubes.
The Svetlana's were definitely an upgrade, but would be interesting to see if some amps got lucky and had closer matching sets originally.
@@pnichols6500 my stock R8 tubes were so bad I binned them all.
Hi Tube lab, in the past you've discussed how EL34s sound great for small ensemble jazz recordings and KT88s are a bit more exciting for rock and rollers. What about for classical music listeners? If I want the full force of Beethoven's fifth symphony, is high powered solid state my best bet?
Possibly a lot will depend on your speakers and how efficient they are. If they are moderately efficient>90db, then most tubes amps should create a satisfying dynamic sound. Generally Classical music fans have two choices the warmth and richness of the EL34 or the bass and dynamics of the KT88 type. I have a large Classical collection and have season tickets to our local symphony and I would be happy with either choice, so long as they were quality vintage tubes.