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Toob Amplified PC Speakers
It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died.
I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. TIA -- Tim Wescott Wescott Design Services http://www.wescottdesign.com |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
On Mon, 02 Dec 2013 12:58:56 -0600, Tim Wescott
wrote: It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. TIA All of my tube amplifiers, starting when I was only 14 years old, were all open-chassis style. Only the preamplifier (Dynaco PAT-1, IIRC) and the tuner, Dynaco FM-3, had cases. I quit tubes in 1962 and built my first 30W+30W solid state power amplifier using Motorola RF power transistors. Having played clarinet in high school orchestra, marching band and various Dixieland and dance bands, I was never fond of the toooob "warmth"... and the intermodulation distortion... a good Mozart wood-wind ensemble that includes a French horn will illustrate distortion better than any test instrument. ...Jim Thompson -- | James E.Thompson | mens | | Analog Innovations | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | San Tan Valley, AZ 85142 Skype: Contacts Only | | | Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat | | E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 | I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food. |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
On Mon, 02 Dec 2013 12:58:56 -0600, Tim Wescott
wrote: It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. TIA Just for fun, you might do a single stage class-A stage using a 2A3. I did one when I was a kid, but with 5 in parallel ;-) ...Jim Thompson -- | James E.Thompson | mens | | Analog Innovations | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | San Tan Valley, AZ 85142 Skype: Contacts Only | | | Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat | | E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 | I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food. |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
In sci.electronics.design Tim Wescott wrote:
Are there, by any chance, kits out there? Google says there is a "headphone preamp" kit for $60 to $70 that uses 2x 6N3 for stereo. (Google "Sainsmart 6N3" or "Riorand 6N3"). I can't find an output power spec, though. There is also an "Indeed/Bravo" stereo headphone amp talked about on forums, which apparently has 12AU7 and 6922 versions. Not sure on the output power or where to buy. After that, prices seem to start at $150 for one channel and head skyward from there. Suggestions welcome. Use toobs that need 5 V, 500 mA or less at the filaments and you can power each filament off of a USB port! Or, ask Antec if they have a PC power supply with DC outputs at +200, +12, +5, +3.3, -5, and -12 V, and an AC output of 6.3 or 12.6 V - Chinese engineers need to laugh too! Buy a couple of old toob radios at the thrift store and use the best power transformer (get ones that have one), both output toobs, and the chassis to roll your own? Schematics for old radios are pretty easy to find on the interweb. Matt Roberds |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
On 12/2/2013 1:58 PM, Tim Wescott wrote:
It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. TIA This kit has been around forever and seems to get good reviews: http://store.tubedepot.com/diy-k12g....FWLNOgoduWkAIA There's also this little kit from a Chinese seller on Ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hifi-stereo-...p2054897.l4275 which has the output transformers on board - you'd need to supply a power transformer. You'd have to put them in a chassis if you wanted it, but since they're both mounted on PCBs it shouldn't be too hard: buy an aluminum chassis and punch holes for the tubes, mount the board underneath so the tubes poke through and then mount the transformers underneath or on top as your preference. |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
On 12/2/2013 12:58 PM, Tim Wescott wrote:
It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. TIA Good for you! Nostalgia has its place in our hearts. Can 12AX7s and such still be ordered? I have an old 1964 GE Essential Characteristics of tubes data book. If you promise to actually build your amplifier(s) and it will assist you, I will send it to you free of charge. John |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
On 12/2/2013 3:02 PM, John S wrote:
On 12/2/2013 12:58 PM, Tim Wescott wrote: It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. TIA Good for you! Nostalgia has its place in our hearts. Can 12AX7s and such still be ordered? I have an old 1964 GE Essential Characteristics of tubes data book. If you promise to actually build your amplifier(s) and it will assist you, I will send it to you free of charge. John Well, somehow my brain elided the fact that you don't want to scratch build. So, my offer is probably worth nothing. Sorry. |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
Jim Thompson wrote:
On Mon, 02 Dec 2013 12:58:56 -0600, Tim Wescott wrote: It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. TIA Just for fun, you might do a single stage class-A stage using a 2A3. I did one when I was a kid, but with 5 in parallel ;-) ...Jim Thompson Better yet, a push-pull transformerless design! |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
Can 12AX7s and such still be ordered?
Yup. Tubes that are popular with musicians (for guitar amplifiers, etc.) are still in production in a few factories (China and Russia, mostly), and there's still an active trade in "new old stock" and "used and tested" tubes of these types. The 12AX7/12AU7 family are heavily used in guitar amps, and so remain available. I recently lucked into finding a big batch of tubes of various sorts at a garage/moving sale... got three boxes of used tubes, two emission-type tube testers, and some manuals and tube-data guides, for the "please take this away, I don't want to take it all to Arizona" price of $4. A friend of mine glanced at them, and identified several Telefunken 12AX7 tubes ("These are gold!"). I ended up selling a batch of seven of them (tested good on his fancy tester) on eBay for $145! Sorta hated to let them go, but none of my audio gear is glassFET-based and I figured that other people could make better use of them than I. |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
On 12/2/2013 4:02 PM, John S wrote:
On 12/2/2013 12:58 PM, Tim Wescott wrote: It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. TIA Good for you! Nostalgia has its place in our hearts. Can 12AX7s and such still be ordered? Yes, there are lots of tube types still in current manufacture, and many types are still available new old-stock. I have an old 1964 GE Essential Characteristics of tubes data book. If you promise to actually build your amplifier(s) and it will assist you, I will send it to you free of charge. John You want to have the Receiving Manual too, so you can check out the full data and curves: http://www.tubebooks.org/tubedata/RC30.pdf |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
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Toob Amplified PC Speakers
On Mon, 2 Dec 2013, Tim Wescott wrote:
It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. How I hate the cross-posting. PAIA used to sell a tube preamp, or you could have built it from the article in Radio Electronics. I don't know if PAIA still sells it, but the idea was to "give that tube sound", and apparently just a double triode was good enough. You're not going to find a tube amplifier cheap, the only ones interested are the high end people. Even used tube amplifiers from days gone by likely carry a premium. Build a starved circuit amplifier. Or, Popular Electronics once had a tube amplifier that was a cathode output, though I think they used a transformer. Find something old, and feed the signal into it. People are adding audio input jacks to AA5 radios. I think that TMC GPR-90 I got last year for $20 at a garage sale has audio input connections, it certainly has an IF jack for an SSB converter and I think even audio output jacks, so surely it has audio input jacks. Michael VE2BVW |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
On Mon, 02 Dec 2013 15:13:52 -0600, John S wrote:
On 12/2/2013 3:02 PM, John S wrote: On 12/2/2013 12:58 PM, Tim Wescott wrote: It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. TIA Good for you! Nostalgia has its place in our hearts. Can 12AX7s and such still be ordered? I have an old 1964 GE Essential Characteristics of tubes data book. If you promise to actually build your amplifier(s) and it will assist you, I will send it to you free of charge. John Well, somehow my brain elided the fact that you don't want to scratch build. So, my offer is probably worth nothing. Sorry. 'sokay, I appreciate the thought. I have tons of tubes and data, what I lack is decent output transformers and the will to do yet another design project. I may go that route, particularly now that someone's suggested a kit and I've taken a look at the price (!!!). -- Tim Wescott Wescott Design Services http://www.wescottdesign.com |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
On Mon, 02 Dec 2013 15:54:52 -0500, bitrex wrote:
On 12/2/2013 1:58 PM, Tim Wescott wrote: It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. TIA This kit has been around forever and seems to get good reviews: http://store.tubedepot.com/diy-k12g.html? vfsku=diy.k12g.2&gpla=pla&gclid=CJL-56C1krsCFWLNOgoduWkAIA There's also this little kit from a Chinese seller on Ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hifi-stereo-...one-amplifier- diy-kit-/230910167825?_trksid=p2054897.l4275 which has the output transformers on board - you'd need to supply a power transformer. You'd have to put them in a chassis if you wanted it, but since they're both mounted on PCBs it shouldn't be too hard: buy an aluminum chassis and punch holes for the tubes, mount the board underneath so the tubes poke through and then mount the transformers underneath or on top as your preference. Thanks. That's exactly what I was looking for, except that now that I know what a fair price is, I may just buy new speakers :(. -- Tim Wescott Wescott Design Services http://www.wescottdesign.com |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
On Mon, 02 Dec 2013 12:58:56 -0600, Tim Wescott
wrote: It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. TIA Search for 'Zen Amp' there are some DIY pages out there. Both Tube and Mosfet designs. Cheers |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
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Toob Amplified PC Speakers
If you want a respectable, easy to build, low power tube amp kit, look
at the Velleman kits. They are well-designed and have good output transformers. For the most part, when you buy a tube amp, you are buying transformers and engineering. Everything else is of comparatively minimal cost and effect. --scott -- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
Maynard A. Philbrook Jr. wrote:
In , says... Jim Thompson wrote: On Mon, 02 Dec 2013 12:58:56 -0600, Tim Wescott wrote: It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. TIA Just for fun, you might do a single stage class-A stage using a 2A3. I did one when I was a kid, but with 5 in parallel ;-) ...Jim Thompson Better yet, a push-pull transformerless design! I remember a quasie tube output, that was bad car ma. It required a safety circuit on the output, not for users but for equipment. The outfit could care less about the user safety! :) This was a magnetic server that required a broad range of bw. the tube outputs were a pair of 4-400Z. Had dual HV supply because you needed the - rail for the bottom side. each heater had their own transformer with CT to tie off to the common for pinch off biasing. The top side had some strange method of driving the tube, but it worked Jamie I may still have circuits and/or designs of transformerless tube speaker drivers that were purported to be perfectly safe to touch active lines (do not ask which lines, do not remember). And yes, the circuitry is weird on the push-pull drivers; there was even a full bridge version. |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
On 02/12/2013 22:57, Michael Black wrote:
On Mon, 2 Dec 2013, Tim Wescott wrote: It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. How about using a modern semiconductor IC hidden inside the box and just having a couple of ornamental toobs stuck out the top and glowing. A USB port should just about power two filaments. How I hate the cross-posting. BTW is "boat anchor" the US term for tube based or old dead kit? -- Regards, Martin Brown |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
"Martin Brown" wrote in message
... How about using a modern semiconductor IC hidden inside the box and just having a couple of ornamental toobs stuck out the top and glowing. A USB port should just about power two filaments. Heresy!! ....On a related note, large crates of 6AL5s have been known to turn up on eBay, advertised for Xmas lights and other assorted uses. BTW is "boat anchor" the US term for tube based or old dead kit? Big heavy kit anyway. It's not really dead if it still works..? Toob stuff is generally iron-rich, so it fits well, although some early solid state Tek/HP/radio equipment also fits the bill nicely. Tim -- Seven Transistor Labs Electrical Engineering Consultation Website: http://seventransistorlabs.com |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
So I guess it really comes down to... what do you want?
Can you follow a schematic? (I should hope so... :-p ) Is that good enough for you? Do you have the tools to cut/punch holes in sheetmetal to mount sockets, or would you prefer a PCB mounted stuff-it-and-go solution? Would you prefer plans and drawings, or can you handle that seat-of-your-pants style? If you can afford a kit (and don't want the hassle of fully making something yourself), then that's the way to go. If you can't afford a kit, but don't have the tools to build a chassis and stuff, you're rather limited, but not screwed. For instance, PCB mount sockets could be dead-bugged on copper clad, just as well as ICs can be. If cost is a big factor, you're probably better off with transistors. You can get the BOM cost in the $100 range for a basic stereo SE (~3W) amp, but not much less, big costs being the two OPTs and one power transformer. (Edcor and Hammond are the big names in retro audio transformers these days.) If you don't want the hassle of ordering parts and working from a schematic, yeah, you're better off with a kit, which includes NRE and retail markup, and as mentioned earlier, runs you over $200 or so. That price range is basically your pay-to-play range with tubes, unless you've inherited a bounty. (Oh, and if you want more power on a budget, I have prototype designs for class D tube amplifiers. ;-) ) Tim -- Seven Transistor Labs Electrical Engineering Consultation Website: http://seventransistorlabs.com "Tim Wescott" wrote in message ... It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. TIA -- Tim Wescott Wescott Design Services http://www.wescottdesign.com |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
On 12/3/2013 3:10 AM, Martin Brown wrote:
On 02/12/2013 22:57, Michael Black wrote: On Mon, 2 Dec 2013, Tim Wescott wrote: It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. How about using a modern semiconductor IC hidden inside the box and just having a couple of ornamental toobs stuck out the top and glowing. A USB port should just about power two filaments. How I hate the cross-posting. BTW is "boat anchor" the US term for tube based or old dead kit? "Boat anchor" includes good stuff too, e.g. most of the instruments in my lab. ;) Just about anything over 20 pounds and 15 years old qualifies, especially if it fits in a 19-inch rack. Cheers Phil Hobbs -- Dr Philip C D Hobbs Principal Consultant ElectroOptical Innovations LLC Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics 160 North State Road #203 Briarcliff Manor NY 10510 hobbs at electrooptical dot net http://electrooptical.net |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
On Tue, 03 Dec 2013 12:10:22 -0500, Phil Hobbs
wrote: On 12/3/2013 3:10 AM, Martin Brown wrote: On 02/12/2013 22:57, Michael Black wrote: On Mon, 2 Dec 2013, Tim Wescott wrote: It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. How about using a modern semiconductor IC hidden inside the box and just having a couple of ornamental toobs stuck out the top and glowing. A USB port should just about power two filaments. How I hate the cross-posting. BTW is "boat anchor" the US term for tube based or old dead kit? "Boat anchor" includes good stuff too, e.g. most of the instruments in my lab. ;) Just about anything over 20 pounds and 15 years old qualifies, especially if it fits in a 19-inch rack. Cheers Phil Hobbs Old 8" hard-drives make good door stops ;-) ...Jim Thompson -- | James E.Thompson | mens | | Analog Innovations | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | San Tan Valley, AZ 85142 Skype: Contacts Only | | | Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat | | E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 | I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food. |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
On Tue, 03 Dec 2013 08:10:26 +0000, Martin Brown wrote:
BTW is "boat anchor" the US term for tube based or old dead kit? It's the term for old radios that glow in the dark and that you shouldn't pick up by yourself for fear of rupturing something. I dunno if it's US or English-speaking amateur radio parlance, though. -- Tim Wescott Wescott Design Services http://www.wescottdesign.com |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
Tim Wescott Inscribed thus:
On Tue, 03 Dec 2013 08:10:26 +0000, Martin Brown wrote: BTW is "boat anchor" the US term for tube based or old dead kit? It's the term for old radios that glow in the dark and that you shouldn't pick up by yourself for fear of rupturing something. I dunno if it's US or English-speaking amateur radio parlance, though. I belive its US in origin. In the UK we refer to "Doorstops" ! -- Best Regards: Baron. |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
Tim Wescott wrote:
On Tue, 03 Dec 2013 08:10:26 +0000, Martin Brown wrote: BTW is "boat anchor" the US term for tube based or old dead kit? It's the term for old radios that glow in the dark and that you shouldn't pick up by yourself for fear of rupturing something. The rule is, to operate a radio on the 80M boatanchor net, it has to weigh more in pounds than it produces out in watts. (Although there are occasional arguments about whether plate input power should be used instead.) This seems a fair line to draw between boatanchor and non-boatanchor sets. I dunno if it's US or English-speaking amateur radio parlance, though. That's the thing about amateur radio, everybody talks to one another so the slang is mostly universal. --scott -- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
On Tue, 3 Dec 2013, Baron wrote:
Tim Wescott Inscribed thus: On Tue, 03 Dec 2013 08:10:26 +0000, Martin Brown wrote: BTW is "boat anchor" the US term for tube based or old dead kit? It's the term for old radios that glow in the dark and that you shouldn't pick up by yourself for fear of rupturing something. I dunno if it's US or English-speaking amateur radio parlance, though. I belive its US in origin. In the UK we refer to "Doorstops" ! One could think of it as "ballast". One time someone I knew bought a big Sola transformer at a hamfest, and it was still in his trunk months later. He claimed it gave his car better traction, and it was winter, but I suspect getting it out of the trunk and up to his apartment was another factor. Michael |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
On Tue, 3 Dec 2013, Scott Dorsey wrote:
Tim Wescott wrote: On Tue, 03 Dec 2013 08:10:26 +0000, Martin Brown wrote: BTW is "boat anchor" the US term for tube based or old dead kit? It's the term for old radios that glow in the dark and that you shouldn't pick up by yourself for fear of rupturing something. The rule is, to operate a radio on the 80M boatanchor net, it has to weigh more in pounds than it produces out in watts. (Although there are occasional arguments about whether plate input power should be used instead.) This seems a fair line to draw between boatanchor and non-boatanchor sets. I dunno if it's US or English-speaking amateur radio parlance, though. That's the thing about amateur radio, everybody talks to one another so the slang is mostly universal. I've seen people point to an issue of "CQ" in the late fifties (when Wayne Greene was editor), a letter or snide remark after a letter. I've seen the bit, I'm not sure if that is the first use or not. But of course, back then, "boatanchor" I think tended to mean "useless" as well as "heavy". You drag this really neat thing home from the hamfest, only to discover it is completely useless on top of being heavy. So it has no value other than as a boatanchor. SOmething like that. Amd there was surplus like that. Really heavy items with cases that made them twice as heavy, and not really useful for much even with modifications. And then a decade or so later, a lot of stuff became "useless" because nobody wanted AM and nobody wanted tubes, and nobody wanted whatever. So the stuff, heavy but not extremely heavy, became boatanchors when few wanted them. And you could get the stuff so cheap. I remember in the early seventies being able to get ahold of all kinds of "junk" because nobody wanted them at the time. It was only later that "boatanchor" became an affectionate term, when "that old junk" became desirable by people nostalgic for the old days, or for the stuff they couldn't afford when younger. And by then attrition had cleared out some of the supply, suddenly making the old stuff more valuable than it had been decades before when nobody wanted it and there was lots of it. Michael VE2BVW |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
On Mon, 2 Dec 2013, Robert Baer wrote:
Maynard A. Philbrook Jr. wrote: In , says... Jim Thompson wrote: On Mon, 02 Dec 2013 12:58:56 -0600, Tim Wescott wrote: It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. TIA Just for fun, you might do a single stage class-A stage using a 2A3. I did one when I was a kid, but with 5 in parallel ;-) ...Jim Thompson Better yet, a push-pull transformerless design! I remember a quasie tube output, that was bad car ma. It required a safety circuit on the output, not for users but for equipment. The outfit could care less about the user safety! :) This was a magnetic server that required a broad range of bw. the tube outputs were a pair of 4-400Z. Had dual HV supply because you needed the - rail for the bottom side. each heater had their own transformer with CT to tie off to the common for pinch off biasing. The top side had some strange method of driving the tube, but it worked Jamie I may still have circuits and/or designs of transformerless tube speaker drivers that were purported to be perfectly safe to touch active lines (do not ask which lines, do not remember). And yes, the circuitry is weird on the push-pull drivers; there was even a full bridge version. Make the speakers electrostatic, and then drive them from the "plates" of high voltage mosfets. Wont' be so good for the low frequencies, but then a lot of computer speakers arent' good down there anyway, the "subwoofers" not being useful for the actual frequencies where subwoofers kick in. Michael |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
Jim Thompson wrote: Old 8" hard-drives make good door stops ;-) So do Liberal trolls. They can hold a 500 Lb door in place. -- Anyone wanting to run for any political office in the US should have to have a DD214, and a honorable discharge. |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
Michael Black wrote: I've seen people point to an issue of "CQ" in the late fifties (when Wayne Greene was editor), a letter or snide remark after a letter. I've seen the bit, I'm not sure if that is the first use or not. But of course, back then, "boatanchor" I think tended to mean "useless" as well as "heavy". You drag this really neat thing home from the hamfest, only to discover it is completely useless on top of being heavy. So it has no value other than as a boatanchor. SOmething like that. Amd there was surplus like that. Really heavy items with cases that made them twice as heavy, and not really useful for much even with modifications. And then a decade or so later, a lot of stuff became "useless" because nobody wanted AM and nobody wanted tubes, and nobody wanted whatever. So the stuff, heavy but not extremely heavy, became boatanchors when few wanted them. And you could get the stuff so cheap. I remember in the early seventies being able to get ahold of all kinds of "junk" because nobody wanted them at the time. More like the person who dragged it home, wasn't smart enough to make it work. It was only later that "boatanchor" became an affectionate term, when "that old junk" became desirable by people nostalgic for the old days, or for the stuff they couldn't afford when younger. And by then attrition had cleared out some of the supply, suddenly making the old stuff more valuable than it had been decades before when nobody wanted it and there was lots of it. Michael VE2BVW -- Anyone wanting to run for any political office in the US should have to have a DD214, and a honorable discharge. |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
Tim Wescott wrote:
It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. TIA http://store.tubedepot.com/diy-k12g....FUdbfgodmHkAIw Roll your own steampunk-style cabinet around this. -- Paul Hovnanian ------------------------------------------------------------------ f u cn rd ths u r usng unx |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
On Mon, 02 Dec 2013 12:58:56 -0600, Tim Wescott
wrote: It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. Is toob a brand name? What sort of amps does toob make? TIA -- There is something outrageous about such a huge body of evidence being put together, then being confirmed in all kinds of other scientific disciplines, particularly genetics, and having other people just sort of deny it for reasons that have nothing to do with truth. – Matthew Chapman, Darwin's great-great-grandson. |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
On Thu, 24 Jul 2014 08:16:30 +1000, Barry OGrady wrote:
On Mon, 02 Dec 2013 12:58:56 -0600, Tim Wescott wrote: It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. Is toob a brand name? What sort of amps does toob make? Someone should start a retro amplifier company and call it "Toob". Really. Someone who loves vacuum tube amps, but doesn't suffer much from audiophoolery. -- Tim Wescott Wescott Design Services http://www.wescottdesign.com |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
On Wed, 23 Jul 2014, Tim Wescott wrote:
On Thu, 24 Jul 2014 08:16:30 +1000, Barry OGrady wrote: On Mon, 02 Dec 2013 12:58:56 -0600, Tim Wescott wrote: It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. Is toob a brand name? What sort of amps does toob make? Someone should start a retro amplifier company and call it "Toob". Really. Someone who loves vacuum tube amps, but doesn't suffer much from audiophoolery. Someone came out with a book a year or two ago, where he came up with some different name for "tube", almost as if a new hip name would make tubes trendy again. Michael |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
On Thu, 24 Jul 2014 00:31:38 -0400, Michael Black wrote:
On Wed, 23 Jul 2014, Tim Wescott wrote: On Thu, 24 Jul 2014 08:16:30 +1000, Barry OGrady wrote: On Mon, 02 Dec 2013 12:58:56 -0600, Tim Wescott wrote: It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. Is toob a brand name? What sort of amps does toob make? Someone should start a retro amplifier company and call it "Toob". Really. Someone who loves vacuum tube amps, but doesn't suffer much from audiophoolery. Someone came out with a book a year or two ago, where he came up with some different name for "tube", almost as if a new hip name would make tubes trendy again. Vacuum-mode field effect transistor? I had a prof that referred to them as "GlassFETs". -- Tim Wescott Control system and signal processing consulting www.wescottdesign.com |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
On Thu, 24 Jul 2014 02:01:36 -0500, Tim Wescott wrote:
On Thu, 24 Jul 2014 00:31:38 -0400, Michael Black wrote: On Wed, 23 Jul 2014, Tim Wescott wrote: On Thu, 24 Jul 2014 08:16:30 +1000, Barry OGrady wrote: On Mon, 02 Dec 2013 12:58:56 -0600, Tim Wescott wrote: It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. Is toob a brand name? What sort of amps does toob make? Someone should start a retro amplifier company and call it "Toob". Really. Someone who loves vacuum tube amps, but doesn't suffer much from audiophoolery. Someone came out with a book a year or two ago, where he came up with some different name for "tube", almost as if a new hip name would make tubes trendy again. Vacuum-mode field effect transistor? That's been done: non-thermal electron emitters, vacuum gap, plate. That should be the ultimate high-voltage, superfast fet. The emitters (microtips, strange diodes) don't seem to last. -- John Larkin Highland Technology Inc www.highlandtechnology.com jlarkin at highlandtechnology dot com Precision electronic instrumentation |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
On Thu, 24 Jul 2014, Tim Wescott wrote:
On Thu, 24 Jul 2014 00:31:38 -0400, Michael Black wrote: On Wed, 23 Jul 2014, Tim Wescott wrote: On Thu, 24 Jul 2014 08:16:30 +1000, Barry OGrady wrote: On Mon, 02 Dec 2013 12:58:56 -0600, Tim Wescott wrote: It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. Is toob a brand name? What sort of amps does toob make? Someone should start a retro amplifier company and call it "Toob". Really. Someone who loves vacuum tube amps, but doesn't suffer much from audiophoolery. Someone came out with a book a year or two ago, where he came up with some different name for "tube", almost as if a new hip name would make tubes trendy again. Vacuum-mode field effect transistor? Since you asked, I checked, and it was "Thermatrons". This is a book published within the past five years and written by someone named Grayson Evans. Michael I had a prof that referred to them as "GlassFETs". -- Tim Wescott Control system and signal processing consulting www.wescottdesign.com |
Toob Amplified PC Speakers
On Thu, 24 Jul 2014 02:01:36 -0500, Tim Wescott
wrote: On Thu, 24 Jul 2014 00:31:38 -0400, Michael Black wrote: On Wed, 23 Jul 2014, Tim Wescott wrote: On Thu, 24 Jul 2014 08:16:30 +1000, Barry OGrady wrote: On Mon, 02 Dec 2013 12:58:56 -0600, Tim Wescott wrote: It's winter, and the amplifier in my PC speakers just died. I think it'd be kinda cool to have a toob speaker amp, but I'm too lazy (and time-challenged) to build one up from scratch. Are there, by any chance, kits out there? I'm not looking for nickel- cored transformers with solid silver windings, genuine paper caps rolled on the thighs of virgins, toobs dipped in LN2, and all that crap: I'm just looking for something that'll give the audio quality of a mid-range amplified speaker set, in a cabinet that shows off the fact that it all uses ancient technology to get the job done. Suggestions welcome. Is toob a brand name? What sort of amps does toob make? Someone should start a retro amplifier company and call it "Toob". Really. Someone who loves vacuum tube amps, but doesn't suffer much from audiophoolery. Someone came out with a book a year or two ago, where he came up with some different name for "tube", almost as if a new hip name would make tubes trendy again. Vacuum-mode field effect transistor? Indirectly heated source field effect transistors. I had a prof that referred to them as "GlassFETs". Hmm. I thought glass was silicon. |
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