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In Reply to: RE: Will direct coupling shorting tube life?? posted by bouncy ball on May 20, 2012 at 19:04:57
Many questions,
Is 425 VDC the highest voltage in the circuit?? What is the VDC (B+) that feeds the output transformer?
What does the 2A3 plate dissipate as your amp is configured??
What is the VDC after the output transformer, on the plate of the 2A3, at the tube socket?
What is the VDC on the grid of the 2A3, at the tube socket?
What is the VDC on the filament of the 2A3, at the tube socket, and what is the Ohmic value of your self bias cathode resistor for the 2A3?
Do you use solid state or tube rectification?? What type?
Solid state will require some design work to cope with "instant on".
Do you use any thermistor to reduce turn-on surges?
NOTE : I am familiar with DC 2A3 amps that give tens of thousands of hours of good use to 2A3s, and it is safe to run up to 480 VDC on the plate (maximum) of a VINTAGE 2A3, and, up to 510 VDC on the plate of a JJ 2A3-40, without arc-over on turn on, using conservative current draw (41 to 43 mA.) and about 245 VDC P-K. Define yours !!
What is your driver tube, and its op points?? Do you have a schematic with operating voltages you can share??
How sure are you that you were measuring the output tubes properly and uniformly both times??
Jeff Medwin
Follow Ups:
There isn't enough info to make any suggestion.
It is 6sl7 // dc to 2a3. The setting is pretty what the book suggestded, 250vdc plate voltage, bias -45 +/- 2v, the plate current is around 55-60ma, depends on the condition of the tube. B+ is 425 +/- 3, plate ref to ground is 420v, filament ref to ground is around 170vdc.
I guess I am within the parameter except making one careless mistake. Wrong filament voltage!!
Lets take this opportunity for me to make some design comments on what I see is not optimized with your amplifier, in terms of op points, and the DC couple. This is all just my humble opinion.You already know, IMHO, the best op point for the 2A3 is 245-250 VDC at 41 to 43 mA, which is usually -49 to -50 VDC of self bias. This is THE best trade off I know for long life and unstressed, relaxed sound. 'Takes good internal wiring to optimally pull off.
What you listen to the MOST in a DC two stage amp, is the DRIVER tube, and its op point has to be NAILED and optimized up the whazoo. The 2A3 is acting more like a unity coupler. You MOSTLY hear the driver tube.
In your case, with 420 VDC on the 2A3 plate, and 170 VDC on the cathode, this means, for -45 VDC of self bias, you have ONLY 125 VDC on the 6SL7 plate. This 125 VDC Ea is simply too low, too unoptimized, to have a brilliant sonic presentation. The too-low of an op point will forever hinder the ultimate level of your new amp's sonic performance. Ohh, it will pass a signal, last forever, but it will NOT sound as good as it can.
I find the absolute lowest B+ on the 2A3 plate in a DC 2A3 amp is 450 VDC, and I really prefer 480 VDC on the plate of the 2A3. This allows you to have a B+ on the driver tube's plate of about 175 VDC minimum, and sometimes as high as 195 VDC (maximum) which gives a far more brilliant presentation of the music than your present value of 125 VDC Ea on the 6SL7.
It is paramount to get the operating point of the 6SL7 driver NAILED and optimized. The tube data sheets suggest 250 VDC Ea at 2.3 mA. and I usually will try to keep it close to the Ea, but lower the Ia to develop the best sonics overall. Obviously, I think HALF of 250 VDC (125 VDC Ea) is too low on the 6SL7 plate for optimal sonics.
Additionally, your self bias on the 6SL7 needs to be OVER 1.5 VDC, and likely over 1.75 VDC for optimal sonics. If you have efficient speakers, one 6SL7 section, at low current, will usually sound better than a parallel driving a 2A3, as it will avoid a time smear from two not identical sections.
One 6SL7 section will easily drive the 2A3 in a direct couple. One can assume that a 6SL7 in parallel will outperform a single section, and I say, YOU better listen to both and decide.
The wire between the DC needs to be really good, try three in parallel, one run of Kimber AGSS, one of Kimber TCSS, and one run of teflon coated Percy 21 AWG solid silver. That works very well.
The final 6SL7 bias point you alone need to determine BY EAR, by inserting a 10 turn pot as the Rk, and adjust the bias till it sounds the best to YOUR ear, often it will end up at 1 mA. or less, as per all the Loftin White professional designs I respect, Isamu Asano, Nobu Shishido, and Dennis Fraker's. Replace the pot's Ohmic value with two fixed value Rks in parallel, matched to .1% if you can measure that.
Have fun, a Loftin White (two stage DC 2A3, etc.) is a rewarding design, which can perform nicely. I've heard it do so, many times, and I prefer a two stage DC amp above the other tube amps I have made.
OOOOHHH, I just noticed you have an adjustable high Voltage B+ supply, maybe you can get another 25 to 70 VDC out of it !!!
Jeff Medwin
Edits: 05/21/12 05/21/12
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