A push-pull 211 can have double the power in watts of a PP KT88/6550 amp. With correspondingly more expensive parts/output transformer. Doubling the watts only gives a 3db increase in volume level. Not much!
Tube preamp topologies and music
I am searching for a tube power amplifier. I know very little (nothing) about what the pros and cons of tube topologies as they relate to certain types of music.
as an example, let’s take hard rock/heavy metal. It seems to be the consensus that say 300b single ended amps would be the wrong choice even if you had 100+db efficient speakers. Why is this?
Also, tube compliment. 211? EL84? 300B? I understand that they have power output differences, but what else?
I welcome everyone’s input.
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- 42 posts total
A OP - As to your specific question, single ended 300B amps tend not to be very well controlled in the bass - even with efficient speakers. A 300B valve is only good for a couple of watts before it starts to distort. A say eight to ten watt advertised SE 300B amp will not deliver that wattage at 1%THD. So they are not a good choice for rock music. The following link will give you a good overview of technical issues related to SE amps - a "high powered" one in this case.
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Tube amps are as subjective as anything in audio, which is extremely. The most important opinion is yours. IMHO it's more important to have an amp that works well with your speakers, and sounds good in your room than to try to match an amp to a music style. Every tube type and brand tend sound a bit different, and they also tend to vary from circuit to circuit, so absolutes are tough to come by. The preamp that you use will factor into the final sound as well. Either way, there's a lot to like about a good tube amp. Midrange clarity and depth galore. With that said, I agree that a Dyna 70 is a nice starting point. Legendary amp for the price. The VTA version from tubes4hifi.com takes things a step further, and is just a wonderful sounding amp....it has some good American iron, a great circuit, and sells new for as little as $995 in kit form, or $1650 complete.
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First of all, I disagree with some of the comments above. A well-contructed single-ended amp can rock pretty hard with the right speakers. But the key thing for you is, what kind of speakers do you have? That's going to determine the amount of power you need, and that in turn will go a long way toward dictating the tube choices. |
- 42 posts total