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Single Ended Triodes (SETs), the ultimate tube lovers dream.

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RE: curious...

Posted by tube wrangler on July 4, 2012 at 00:06:56:

Yes, I have borrowed them. I wasn't willing to part with $150,000 or more just to "prove" what I know already exists.

But I am curious-- always-- so when I got a chance to borrow the whole diesel engine diagnosis tools-- which I had used before, but only on engines-- I got right after it. I've posted on this before.

It's no big deal. It's there-- the VC heat-- it should be-- that's obvious.

I didn't change anything in amp design because of it-- I had already designed amplifiers to have high transfer factors throughout-- the reasoning was simple-- keep the input signal intact until it reaches the room. That's all. I wasn't into changing the signal in any way, and I wanted to lose as little of its character as possible.

The result was many, many direct-thinking approaches-- with the idea of maximizing signal expression-- that is, not attenuating anything, and not re-routing or changing anything's essential character.

This, of course, automatically eliminated all coupling devices, and dictated Direct-Coupling. That was easy. Then, that's what we do.

Next? Well, we can't allow signal attenuation, so we have to have the best wires in the amp. That's also easy. Simply contact Siltech or an equivalent, keep your wiring short, and keep it away from bad influences. Hint: shielding is ALSO a bad influence---.

Of course, we can't allow signal compression to take place in the driver stage, so we have to have plenty of extra current-on-demand available WITHOUT power supply voltage-drop, and we want PLENTY OF GAIN. Why not? You think maybe I might wreck an entire amplifier by adding an extra amplification stage to it? NO WAY! That's almost as bad as Linestage Preamps--- whoops! There goes most of the music!

Nawwwwwwww----- I don't think I'll fall for that! Another easy, obvious thing-- since we can't have a power supply changing-- drooping under momentary load, and then re-charging out-of-time with the music signal, we have to minimize capacitance in power supplies in order to lessen its horrible effects on signal, and choose very fast, wideband caps. That's easy--just contact Mundorf, Rel-Cap, Wima or Dynamicap. There are a FEW others....

Of course, a large plate current draw on the input stage makes that stage impervious to small signal input, rendering music less fun because micro-dynamic details are missing. So? Use a low-plate current driver, and find an output tube that THAT driver can drive, because any other kind of driver will be sub-standard. OK-- that was easy-- done.

Let the thing pull less than one milliampere, but provide it with a 160 ma. plate supply, and then run 40 ma. of it to ground thru a resistor. That was also easy! Now it regulates without a regulator! SO? I like it.

Why won't I use a voltage-regulator or a Constant-Current Source instead? That would regulate the driver. SURE-- it will regulate the fun right out of your music! BUT-- on a poor power supply, it IS better than not doing SOMETHING.

But we don't have to do anything stupid here, just let the shunt-load regulate the driver PS-- and we're done. Good regulation with NO regulator, and NO CCS.

There! Like I said, it was SIMPLE.

What happens when these ideas all come together and drive a speaker? It makes more music-- at higher SPLs on MUCH less watts.

Well, I Ok with that! Now, I can, and do-- listen to music all the time-- leave equipment on-- and I get no heat problems, and no tube failures. You wanted 20,000- 40,000 hour tube life didn't you? I did-- otherwise, I'll buy Solid-State-- HEY! I'm easy!

Just let it play the music and don't bother me. I'll go thru it about every 6 years or so-- just for kicks.

Do I need to measure the heat in the VC? Well, most people sure need to! Do I? NO! Very little is there!

Anyhow, heat-sensing equipment is available at CAT, Detroit Diesel, and Cummins engines, and, of course, at NASA, and of course-- at your fave E-E College-- maybe. Are they into books or are they into creativity?

Maybe they hit a nice balance of both. You got one like that-- maybe you could attend it?

Of course, in the case of excess heat in the VC, it should be obvious-- so just know it's there and design equipment that doesn't contribute to it.

After all-- didn't you want the other bonuses too? Better clarity, speed, precision, better detail, much better musical layering, much more look-see into performer's minds, hearts, emotions, attitudes and intentions.

Why not? Decide what you want to reproduce and then design equipment that will do THAT. In my case, it's everything-- all that is in any kind of music.

And why not? If it's good music I like it-- any kind. If it's bad, I don't-- any kind.

Just design your equipment so it does what it's supposed to do-- AND NOTHING ELSE. Now, isn't that easier than driving people crazy, asking for this and that, when what you really need is clear thinking?

---Dennis---