Tube Headphone Amp Schematic Needed

D

Dave.H

Guest
I want to build a headphone amp to connect to my laptop's audio
output, and thought a tube based one would be a nice change from all
the IC driven ones I've built in the past. I would prefer a simple one
with low cost components, and low voltage operation, if possible, and
no more than 3 tubes. Any tube type will do.

Thanks
Dave
Australia
 
"Dave.H" wrote:

I want to build a headphone amp
Click to expand...
OH WHY ?

Why would you want to degrade the sound so faithfully preserved today
through ultra-accurate high bit density recordings at the final listening
stage.

Why not just listen on some ex-army headphones ? It'll do the same thing.

Graham
 
On Sat, 2 Aug 2008 08:21:25 -0700 (PDT), "Dave.H"
<the1930s@googlemail.com> wrote:

I want to build a headphone amp to connect to my laptop's audio
output, and thought a tube based one would be a nice change from all
the IC driven ones I've built in the past. I would prefer a simple one
with low cost components, and low voltage operation, if possible, and
no more than 3 tubes. Any tube type will do.
Click to expand...
---
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=tube+headphone+amp

JF
 
John Fields wrote:

On Sat, 2 Aug 2008 08:21:25 -0700 (PDT), "Dave.H"
the1930s@googlemail.com> wrote:

I want to build a headphone amp to connect to my laptop's audio
output, and thought a tube based one would be a nice change from all
the IC driven ones I've built in the past. I would prefer a simple one
with low cost components, and low voltage operation, if possible, and
no more than 3 tubes. Any tube type will do.

---
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=tube+headphone+amp
Click to expand...
As good a way as any to get a crap sound.

Graham
 
Eeyore wrote:
"Dave.H" wrote:

I want to build a headphone amp

OH WHY ?

Why would you want to degrade the sound so faithfully preserved today
through ultra-accurate high bit density recordings at the final listening
stage.

Why not just listen on some ex-army headphones ? It'll do the same thing.

Graham

Clearly you need to spend more time with true audiophiles. Of course
Click to expand...
tubes sound better -- they're weirder! Everything will sound even
better yet if the whole kit and caboodle is dipped in LN2.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Do you need to implement control loops in software?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" gives you just what it says.
See details at http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html
 
Tim Wescott wrote:

Eeyore wrote:
"Dave.H" wrote:

I want to build a headphone amp

OH WHY ?

Why would you want to degrade the sound so faithfully preserved today
through ultra-accurate high bit density recordings at the final listening
stage.

Why not just listen on some ex-army headphones ? It'll do the same thing.

Graham

Clearly you need to spend more time with true audiophiles. Of course
tubes sound better -- they're weirder! Everything will sound even
better yet if the whole kit and caboodle is dipped in LN2.
Click to expand...
I like your sense of humour !

Graham
 
On Sat, 02 Aug 2008 08:21:25 -0700, Dave.H wrote:

I want to build a headphone amp to connect to my laptop's audio output,
and thought a tube based one would be a nice change from all the IC
driven ones I've built in the past. I would prefer a simple one with low
cost components, and low voltage operation, if possible, and no more
than 3 tubes. Any tube type will do.
Click to expand...
Er, "tubes", "low cost components" and "low voltage operation" are
mutually exclusive.
 
Stephen J. Rush wrote:
On Sat, 02 Aug 2008 08:21:25 -0700, Dave.H wrote:

I want to build a headphone amp to connect to my laptop's audio output,
and thought a tube based one would be a nice change from all the IC
driven ones I've built in the past. I would prefer a simple one with low
cost components, and low voltage operation, if possible, and no more
than 3 tubes. Any tube type will do.

Er, "tubes", "low cost components" and "low voltage operation" are
mutually exclusive.
Try to get hold of some nuvistors.
Click to expand...
Googling for nuvistor produced a nice hit of
explanations and designs.
Oh, and start saving up some money, they are expensive. ;)
 
On Sun, 03 Aug 2008 03:01:24 +0200, Sjouke Burry wrote:

Stephen J. Rush wrote:
Er, "tubes", "low cost components" and "low voltage operation" are
mutually exclusive.
Try to get hold of some nuvistors.
Googling for nuvistor produced a nice hit of explanations and designs.
Oh, and start saving up some money, they are expensive. ;)
Click to expand...
Nuvistors are vhf/uhf tubes, originally used in TV tuners. None of them
would handle enough power to drive headphones, which was the OP's
application. There were low-voltage audio power tubes designed for pre-
transistor portable radios, but "low-voltage" meant 45 or 90 volts on the
plate, and those tubes are collector's items now.
 
On 3 Aug, 13:13, "Stephen J. Rush" <sjr...@comcast.net> wrote:
On Sun, 03 Aug 2008 03:01:24 +0200, Sjouke Burry wrote:
Stephen J. Rush wrote:
Er, "tubes", "low cost components" and "low voltage operation" are
mutually exclusive.
Try to get hold of some nuvistors.
Googling for nuvistor produced a nice hit of explanations and designs.
Oh, and start saving up some money, they are expensive. ;)

Nuvistors are vhf/uhf tubes, originally used in TV tuners.  None of them
would handle enough power to drive headphones, which was the OP's
application.  There were low-voltage audio power tubes designed for pre-
transistor portable radios, but "low-voltage" meant 45 or 90 volts on the
plate, and those tubes are collector's items now.
Click to expand...
45 to 90 volts is OK by me. It's voltages higher than 200 volts which
I didn't want to use

Dave
Australia
 
John Fields wrote:
On Sat, 2 Aug 2008 08:21:25 -0700 (PDT), "Dave.H"
the1930s@googlemail.com> wrote:

I want to build a headphone amp to connect to my laptop's audio
output, and thought a tube based one would be a nice change from
all
the IC driven ones I've built in the past. I would prefer a simple
one
with low cost components, and low voltage operation, if possible,
and
no more than 3 tubes. Any tube type will do.

---
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=tube+headphone+amp

JF
Click to expand...
I looked at your link and thought, how about an amp for electrostatic
phones? I found the Gilmore amp indirectly because of you. Thanks

G˛
 
Eeyore wrote:
Tim Wescott wrote:

Eeyore wrote:
"Dave.H" wrote:

I want to build a headphone amp
OH WHY ?

Why would you want to degrade the sound so faithfully preserved today
through ultra-accurate high bit density recordings at the final listening
stage.

Why not just listen on some ex-army headphones ? It'll do the same thing.

Graham
Clearly you need to spend more time with true audiophiles. Of course
tubes sound better -- they're weirder! Everything will sound even
better yet if the whole kit and caboodle is dipped in LN2.

I like your sense of humour !

Graham

I have to admit that I'd like to build some tube amps. But it comes
Click to expand...
from my admiration for obsolete technologies (obsidian knives, anyone?),
not because I think (or care) if it'll sound better.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Do you need to implement control loops in software?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" gives you just what it says.
See details at http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html
 
On 3 Aug, 17:02, Tim Wescott <t...@seemywebsite.com> wrote:
Eeyore wrote:

Tim Wescott wrote:

Eeyore wrote:
"Dave.H" wrote:

I want to build a headphone amp
OH WHY ?

Why would you want to degrade the sound so faithfully preserved today
through ultra-accurate high bit density recordings at the final listening
stage.

Why not just listen on some ex-army headphones ? It'll do the same thing.

Graham
Clearly you need to spend more time with true audiophiles.  Of course
tubes sound better -- they're weirder!  Everything will sound even
better yet if the whole kit and caboodle is dipped in LN2.

I like your sense of humour !

Graham

I have to admit that I'd like to build some tube amps.  But it comes
from my admiration for obsolete technologies (obsidian knives, anyone?),
not because I think (or care) if it'll sound better.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Serviceshttp://www.wescottdesign.com

Do you need to implement control loops in software?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" gives you just what it says..
See details athttp://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html
Click to expand...
I love the old tube equipment, radios, amplifiers, etc. I don't care
for best sound quality either.

Dave
Australia
 
Dave.H wrote:
I want to build a headphone amp to connect to my laptop's audio
output, and thought a tube based one would be a nice change from all
the IC driven ones I've built in the past. I would prefer a simple one
with low cost components, and low voltage operation, if possible, and
no more than 3 tubes. Any tube type will do.

Thanks
Dave
Australia
Click to expand...
If you define "low voltage" as "a lot lower than what an 807 wants" then
there are plenty of projects.

If you define "low voltage" as "won't kill me" then there are a few, but
sound quality and power output will suffer a lot.

If you define "low voltage" as "runs off of a 12V rail" then there
really aren't any at all.

A 6V6 or 6AQ5 wants around 250V and will function down to 100V or so at
reduced output, should power headphones nicely (I dunno, I haven't done
it, but it's like one of the World's Most Popular Tubes), and 250V won't
kill you instantly if you do something stupid.

250V will make your heart go "rumpity-thump" for a minute or two instead
of "lub-dub", but it'll only kill you if you hang on for a while.

So keep one hand in your pocket any time the circuit's powered up, and
have fun.

I have _never_ been shocked by a piece of tube equipment. AC mains,
yes. Telephone lines, yes (you have to jam the wires into your finger
to do this, but man it hurts when you do). Ringing telephone lines, yes.

But never tube equipment.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Do you need to implement control loops in software?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" gives you just what it says.
See details at http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html
 
Tim Wescott wrote:
<snip>
So keep one hand in your pocket any time the circuit's powered up,
and
have fun.
Click to expand...
Excellent advice.

I have _never_ been shocked by a piece of tube equipment. AC
mains,
yes. Telephone lines, yes (you have to jam the wires into your
finger
to do this, but man it hurts when you do). Ringing telephone
lines, yes.

But never tube equipment.
Click to expand...
You haven't 'lived' until you touched the anode cap of a color TV
horizontal output. The anode of the CRT isn't much fun either.

G˛
 
On 4 Aug, 06:04, Tim Wescott <t...@seemywebsite.com> wrote:
Dave.H wrote:
I want to build a headphone amp to connect to my laptop's audio
output, and thought a tube based one would be a nice change from all
the IC driven ones I've built in the past. I would prefer a simple one
with low cost components, and low voltage operation, if possible, and
no more than 3 tubes. Any tube type will do.

Thanks
Dave
Australia

If you define "low voltage" as "a lot lower than what an 807 wants" then
there are plenty of projects.

If you define "low voltage" as "won't kill me" then there are a few, but
sound quality and power output will suffer a lot.

If you define "low voltage" as "runs off of a 12V rail" then there
really aren't any at all.

A 6V6 or 6AQ5 wants around 250V and will function down to 100V or so at
reduced output, should power headphones nicely (I dunno, I haven't done
it, but it's like one of the World's Most Popular Tubes), and 250V won't
kill you instantly if you do something stupid.

250V will make your heart go "rumpity-thump" for a minute or two instead
of "lub-dub", but it'll only kill you if you hang on for a while.

So keep one hand in your pocket any time the circuit's powered up, and
have fun.

I have _never_ been shocked by a piece of tube equipment.  AC mains,
yes.  Telephone lines, yes (you have to jam the wires into your finger
to do this, but man it hurts when you do).  Ringing telephone lines, yes.

But never tube equipment.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Serviceshttp://www.wescottdesign.com

Do you need to implement control loops in software?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" gives you just what it says..
See details athttp://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html
Click to expand...
By "low volltage" I meant any voltage below 160v.

Dave
Australia
 
On Sun, 03 Aug 2008 13:04:52 -0700, Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.com>
wrote:

Dave.H wrote:
I want to build a headphone amp to connect to my laptop's audio
output, and thought a tube based one would be a nice change from all
the IC driven ones I've built in the past. I would prefer a simple one
with low cost components, and low voltage operation, if possible, and
no more than 3 tubes. Any tube type will do.

Thanks
Dave
Australia

If you define "low voltage" as "a lot lower than what an 807 wants" then
there are plenty of projects.

If you define "low voltage" as "won't kill me" then there are a few, but
sound quality and power output will suffer a lot.

If you define "low voltage" as "runs off of a 12V rail" then there
really aren't any at all.
Click to expand...
---
12AD6, 12AE6A, 12AF6, 12BL6, 12EK6, 12F8...

JF
 
John Fields wrote:
On Sun, 03 Aug 2008 13:04:52 -0700, Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.com
wrote:

Dave.H wrote:
I want to build a headphone amp to connect to my laptop's audio
output, and thought a tube based one would be a nice change from all
the IC driven ones I've built in the past. I would prefer a simple one
with low cost components, and low voltage operation, if possible, and
no more than 3 tubes. Any tube type will do.

Thanks
Dave
Australia
If you define "low voltage" as "a lot lower than what an 807 wants" then
there are plenty of projects.

If you define "low voltage" as "won't kill me" then there are a few, but
sound quality and power output will suffer a lot.

If you define "low voltage" as "runs off of a 12V rail" then there
really aren't any at all.

---
12AD6, 12AE6A, 12AF6, 12BL6, 12EK6, 12F8...

JF
Click to expand...
IIRC those are all for signal processing and are exceedingly wimpy,
requiring you to implement the audio output stage with germanium
transistors.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Do you need to implement control loops in software?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" gives you just what it says.
See details at http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html
 
Dave.H wrote:
On 4 Aug, 06:04, Tim Wescott <t...@seemywebsite.com> wrote:
Dave.H wrote:
I want to build a headphone amp to connect to my laptop's audio
output, and thought a tube based one would be a nice change from all
the IC driven ones I've built in the past. I would prefer a simple one
with low cost components, and low voltage operation, if possible, and
no more than 3 tubes. Any tube type will do.
Thanks
Dave
Australia
If you define "low voltage" as "a lot lower than what an 807 wants" then
there are plenty of projects.

If you define "low voltage" as "won't kill me" then there are a few, but
sound quality and power output will suffer a lot.

If you define "low voltage" as "runs off of a 12V rail" then there
really aren't any at all.

A 6V6 or 6AQ5 wants around 250V and will function down to 100V or so at
reduced output, should power headphones nicely (I dunno, I haven't done
it, but it's like one of the World's Most Popular Tubes), and 250V won't
kill you instantly if you do something stupid.

250V will make your heart go "rumpity-thump" for a minute or two instead
of "lub-dub", but it'll only kill you if you hang on for a while.

So keep one hand in your pocket any time the circuit's powered up, and
have fun.

I have _never_ been shocked by a piece of tube equipment. AC mains,
yes. Telephone lines, yes (you have to jam the wires into your finger
to do this, but man it hurts when you do). Ringing telephone lines, yes.

But never tube equipment.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Serviceshttp://www.wescottdesign.com

Do you need to implement control loops in software?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" gives you just what it says.
See details athttp://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html

By "low volltage" I meant any voltage below 160v.

Dave
Australia
Click to expand...
I suspect that any circuit that works up to 300V will work at reduced
power at 160V.

I found a bunch of OTL circuits on the web. The authors thought they
were cool because once you've got an OTL amplifier you're just one LN2
dip away from audiophile nirvana -- I think they're cool because you
don't need to spring for an expensive audio amplifier for each channel.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Do you need to implement control loops in software?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" gives you just what it says.
See details at http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html
 
On Mon, 04 Aug 2008 09:28:50 -0700, Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.com>
wrote:

John Fields wrote:
On Sun, 03 Aug 2008 13:04:52 -0700, Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.com
wrote:

Dave.H wrote:
I want to build a headphone amp to connect to my laptop's audio
output, and thought a tube based one would be a nice change from all
the IC driven ones I've built in the past. I would prefer a simple one
with low cost components, and low voltage operation, if possible, and
no more than 3 tubes. Any tube type will do.

Thanks
Dave
Australia
If you define "low voltage" as "a lot lower than what an 807 wants" then
there are plenty of projects.

If you define "low voltage" as "won't kill me" then there are a few, but
sound quality and power output will suffer a lot.

If you define "low voltage" as "runs off of a 12V rail" then there
really aren't any at all.

---
12AD6, 12AE6A, 12AF6, 12BL6, 12EK6, 12F8...

JF

IIRC those are all for signal processing and are exceedingly wimpy,
requiring you to implement the audio output stage with germanium
transistors.
Click to expand...
---
They're car radio tubes but you're basically right. With a 12V B
supply you can't get a lot of power out of them

JF
 
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