From: gherold@teachspin.com   
      
   On Monday, November 5, 2018 at 6:55:03 PM UTC-5, default wrote:   
   > On Mon, 5 Nov 2018 12:36:12 -0800 (PST), George Herold   
   >  wrote:   
   >   
   > >On Monday, November 5, 2018 at 3:00:12 PM UTC-5, default wrote:   
   > >> On Mon, 05 Nov 2018 10:02:04 -0800, etpm@whidbey.com wrote:   
   > >>   
   > >> >On Mon, 5 Nov 2018 06:56:30 -0800 (PST), George Herold   
   > >> > wrote:   
   > >> >   
   > >> >>On Sunday, November 4, 2018 at 1:44:53 PM UTC-5, et...@whidbey.com   
   wrote:   
   > >> >>> On Sat, 3 Nov 2018 18:05:59 -0700 (PDT), George Herold   
   > >> >>>  wrote:   
   > >> >>>   
   > >> >>> >On Friday, November 2, 2018 at 2:26:21 PM UTC-4, et...@whidbey.com   
   wrote:   
   > >> >>> >> Since I will be playing a low wattage tube amp through speakers it   
   > >> >>> >> seems that high efficiency speakers are in order. How can I tell   
   the   
   > >> >>> >> efficiency of a speaker from looking at the specs?   
   > >> >>> >> Thanks,   
   > >> >>> >> Eric   
   > >> >>> >   
   > >> >>> >Hey Eric, Can I ask why the tube amp obsession?  If you're interested   
   > >> >>> >in how they work, then you could fix up some old one or build your   
   own.   
   > >> >>> >   
   > >> >>> >George H.   
   > >> >>> >   
   > >> >>> It's not an obsession. It's just that I need a new stereo because the   
   > >> >>> old one crapped out. The stereo will be in the area where we entertain   
   > >> >>> and so it should look pleasing. To me at least. I have always exposed   
   > >> >>> tubes, ever since I was a little kid. We had a big tube radio with a   
   > >> >>> mafic eye tuner tube and I loved that. My grandfather was a sound   
   > >> >>> engineer who worked for Bell Labs. He had a sound lab in one room of   
   > >> >>> the house and when we would visit the grandparents I would always get   
   > >> >>> to check out his lab. There were several oscilloscopes as well as   
   > >> >>> equipment with exposed, glowing tubes. So that's why I want a tube   
   > >> >>> amp. It needs to sound good to me and look good to me. It's gonna be   
   > >> >>> connected to am MP3 player so it's not like I abhor silicon. If I had   
   > >> >>> the time I would build one. And maybe down the road I will. Tubes are   
   > >> >>> way different than solid state stuff.   
   > >> >>> Eric   
   > >> >>   
   > >> >>"Tubes are way different than solid state stuff."   
   > >> >>   
   > >> >>Hi Eric,  well first I know almost nothing about tubes,   
   > >> >>and not much more about audio amps driving speakers.   
   > >> >>But I've heard that tubes are like Fets.  And (being   
   > >> >>a class A type of guy.) for Fet's you have the things like   
   > >> >>the Zen Amp (Nelson Pass). And I'm thinking you could do   
   > >> >>the same thing with a tube... run it class A, and with the right   
   > >> >>output transformer ('cause of the higher voltage for tubes)   
   > >> >>You are done.  (class A is easy to make and understand.. it just   
   > >> >>wastes boat loads of power.)   
   > >> >>   
   > >> >>Comments from audio types welcome.   
   > >> >>   
   > >> >>George H.   
   > >> >I am looking at class A amps. And the amp will help heat the house in   
   > >> >the winter. It never gets too hot here on Whidbey Island so the extra   
   > >> >heat in the summer won't be a burden.   
   > >> >Eric   
   > >>   
   > >> It is more a matter of what makes you feel good.  Tubes are nice with   
   > >> their cheerful glow and well-behaved characteristics.  I understand   
   > >> their esthetic appeal, and having grown up with tubes I do miss   
   > >> building tube amps.   
   > >>   
   > >> But if sound matters, you'd be hard pressed to build a better amp than   
   > >> the Nelson Pass Zen amps, particularly some of the iterations that   
   > >> have refined the basic Zen.   
   > >>   
   > >> You will still generate heat... AND if you want, you could use one of   
   > >> the designs that uses big 100W incandescent lamps for the positive   
   > >> resistance coefficient of tungsten to supply the ballast to the   
   > >> current regulator for Class A.  Check out some of the Pass designs   
   > >> that people have built, some are downright sexy.  Building from   
   > >> scratch takes longer and is more rewarding... any idiot can slap   
   > >> together a kit.   
   > >   
   > >default, so is there some older class A tube amp that Eric could buy   
   > >used or something.  (This is mostly a selfish question, 'cause I would   
   > >find that more interesting than having him buy some ebay thing.)   
   > >   
   > >George H.   
   > Last time I looked there were lots of tube amps and some pretty good   
   > ones, but there wasn't much in the way of class A.  These days it can   
   > be an expensive proposition to build from scratch.   
   >   
   > I few years back I managed to latch onto a pair of 811A's and ceramic   
   > sockets for a Tesla coil exciter.  That set me back close to $100 and   
   > would probably be lots more today.   
   >   
   > I get where you are coming from... Some of those Ebay thingees use   
   > tubes I've never heard of.  When I was a kid I had access to lots of   
   > junked old TV's and radios so most of the time I only had to come up   
   > with money for the chassis.  (and some of my creations went into   
   > upside down cake pans)   
      
   OK thanks, just a pipe dream on my part.   
      
   George H.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)