Tube amplifier in a PSU

posted Sep 12th 2009 12:44pm by
filed under: home entertainment hacks

tube_amp_in_psu

[Niclas] sent us his home made tube amplifier. For the case he used a computer power supply unit, took out the guts and replaced them with the amplifier board. He based this build off of an existing design but took a more minimalist approach. The wooden face plate has an on/off switch, an audio jack, and volume control. Apparently, the tubes are floating loose inside of the case. We’d recommend a more secure mounting method for these delicate parts.

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17 Responses to Tube amplifier in a PSU

  • CH says:
    September 12, 2009 at 1:29 pm

    You know what we really need? A good tutorial on making your own cases/boxes for projects – I’m a stranger to woodworking etc.

    Reply Report comment
  • steve says:
    September 12, 2009 at 1:46 pm

    needs more leds

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  • Dion says:
    September 12, 2009 at 2:25 pm

    Be neat if the Valves popped out the top.

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  • wanka says:
    September 12, 2009 at 2:38 pm

    nah it wouldn’t

    nice build, the valves are probably clipped to the lid.

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  • Bob says:
    September 12, 2009 at 4:20 pm

    40 volts on an el84, he must have a fetish for even order harmonics.

    That thing needs at least 200 volts on its anode.

    Reply Report comment
  • James says:
    September 12, 2009 at 4:36 pm

    Just wanted to say thanks for the cool unique hardware hack posts. this is what hack a day is all about.

    Reply Report comment
  • Gankinator says:
    September 12, 2009 at 7:13 pm

    Can anyone confirm that they are using a regular transformer as the output transformer in this circuit?

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  • therian says:
    September 12, 2009 at 8:24 pm

    Well tubes are thing of past but for hobby and good time this is great project

    Reply Report comment
  • cyanide says:
    September 12, 2009 at 8:43 pm

    @therian tubes still have plenty of uses
    for instance, in instrument amplifiers. they create a sound that is unreplicatible by other means. even diode clipping distortion can’t bring you the same sound as classic starved-circuit or hot-circuit tube distortion.

    Reply Report comment
  • therian says:
    September 12, 2009 at 11:37 pm

    also for high power RF there is nothing strong as tubes

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  • CH says:
    September 13, 2009 at 11:21 am

    @they create a sound that is unreplicatible by other means

    I think you mean “without more expensive equipment”. Tube distortion can be replicated in via software.

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  • bigbob says:
    September 13, 2009 at 12:25 pm

    @ CH

    While we can do some quite powerful things with our computers, but we can’t exactly replicate the sound of a tube amplifier. Why do you think so many audiophiles spend the time and money that they do to get their systems sounding the way they do rather than just installing a program on their computer or adding an in-line computer? Why do so many musicians make a choice of tubes vs. solid state? It’s all because they want that tube sound, and we CAN NOT replicate that in software.

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  • therian says:
    September 13, 2009 at 2:19 pm

    “Why do you think so many audiophiles spend the time and money that they do to get their systems sounding the way they do” Same reason they buy 1K$/meter cables…

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  • space says:
    September 13, 2009 at 3:11 pm

    Actually, that power amplifier can fit into old DVD / CD box. EL84 have nice sound if used in feedback circuit and have just enough output power if used on medium efficiency loudspeakers.
    This power amplifier looks like good candidate for driving AT-705 Electret Condenser headphones.

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  • Mark Richards says:
    September 14, 2009 at 8:06 am

    Tubes still have certain uses- an audio amplifier should not be one of them. You could make the argument that using a tube amp with an instrument gives you certain distortion that you like. But using a tube with a recording is doing nothing but distorting the music that the artist created. The goal of any amplifier should be just that- amplification- not distortion.

    Do some audiophiles like tubes? Sure- because they look cool and are expensive- most audiophiles are idiots.

    The only real use I have for tubes is extremely high power radio amplifiers. You can get solid state amps with high power capabilities- but they cost a small fortune.

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  • Grunfus says:
    September 14, 2009 at 9:27 am

    Mark-

    I disagree with your comments about tube amps and audio. Listening to music is about the experience, not about accurate reproduction.

    *nobody* listens to music the way the artist intended. They twiddle knobs until it “sounds good.”

    Even audiophiles jigger with their bass, treble, and eq settings, flat-response be damned. This also explains the morons driving around town, thumping music so loud that it literally drives their eardrums to the point of distortion.

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  • WA5ZNU says:
    September 14, 2009 at 10:42 am

    The low plate voltage is the novelty; the article came from Elektor 10/2003 by Burkhard Kainka. Looks like a PCB is available from them, or at least was at one point: http://www.elektor.com/magazines/2003/october/valve-headphone-amplifier.55372.lynkx

    Search around and you’ll find the article as well.

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