Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Eureka! Just a step up input transformer, one electron tube and a step down output transformer class A no feedback power amplifier, it works beautifully!

At your risk, please take every precaution. Eureka should not be used as it may not be important. But it is important to me. I have been building amplifiers since the age of 7 and now that i am 52 and feel like 18 it is the first time in my life that i can listen to a no resistor, no capacitor, just one electron tube, 2 signal transformers, and some batteries, music power amplifier. It is the Pleiades DL94 described on previous posts but further simplified. The DL94 electron tube is again triode connected> There are now 3 battery power supplies. Va is 2 x (AA rechargeable 1.2V) suppling heaters with 2.6V. Vb is 8 x (AA size 12V created by 2 4LR44 in series) supplying (anode connected to grid 2) with 94V through the output transformer primary. Vc is 2 x (CR 1/2 AA 3 volt) supplying control grid with -6V through the secondary of input transformer. That is all. It works and sounds mysteriously beautiful with huge bass from the big Sowter SK05s output transformers converting 2.5Kohms to 8 Ohms. The trick is also the input transformer which is a microphone transformer with a step up ratio of 1:12 so an extra voltage ampliying electron tube is not needed! On the more complex cathode resistor, electrolytic capacitor, coupling capacitor to grid version, bias was -4.8v by the 560ohm resistor, and anode + G2 (triode connected) current was 8.6mA. Now with -6.5V fixed bias current dropped to 6.3mA. So the ground connection should possibly be moved as on the French Radio Tubes manual from negative heater voltage to positive heater voltage since there is a distribution of electric potential across the heater filament. Or the bias supplied changed etc. Signal path. Careless Whisper - Wham or Big in Japan - Alphaville on original CDs - Sony CD Walkman line out - Pleiades DL94 - Celestionj Ditton 150 at listening distance of 1m to 2m - Small bedroom with low frequency panel absorbers wit enough reverberation in middle range. This amplifier sounds perhaps less loud that the cathode bias version with an uncertainty on whether there is some kind of subtle distortion, which may be becaude of less anode current since the fixed bias voltage seems to be too much. This on Careless Whisper. Big in Japan sounded like an undistorted 80s club. Every instrumenbt so clear, descrete, with decoded melody, undistorted. Even in loud passages since it is in class A amplifier ie electrons flowing all the time. i have never heard Big in Japan in this way. But it may be because it is the first time listening to it on CD. By the way these minimalist amplifiers including the Pleiades 2N3053 single transistor amplifier make the CDs a revealing experience with the missing octaves on high frequency added/ So it it sounds like a good quality close to master tape record. Listening test was with a monobloc amplifier fed by the right CD channel fedding the right loudspeaker.

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