[hired goon]

G'day,

I have solid-state gear, but occasionally I yearn for the tube sound (especially for female vocals).

I want a block box that I can plug into the tape-loop of my pre-amp that is basically a line-in passed through a tube then a line out, with (as close as possible) unity gain. When I want solid-state sound, I turn off the tape loop. When I want tube sound, I flick the switch and route the pre-amp's output through the tube. This should give me the best of tube and SS when required IMHO.

I was wondering if the tube line preamplifier (TLP) may be useful here. My ME15 pre-amp seems quite transparent, so I am hoping that the TLP just adds that tube "magic" and doesn't degrade any other aspect of the sound (maybe I will need to up the gain slightly, but I don't want to lose soundstage, bass control, etc).

That is, will plugging the TLP into the tape loop of my ME15 give me the equivalent of the decent tube pre-amp?

-- Geoff

[AKSA]

Hi Geoff,

In a word, YES.  The TLP, particularly the upgraded version (AUD$410), will do exactly this.  It adds the indefinable tube 'magic', and has a gain around 0.92, which is close enough to unity.

Input impedance is 47K;  Zout is around 130R - these figures at 2Vpp, 1KHz.

Love that name!!  Nelson and HG, perhaps??

Cheers,

Hugh

[hired goon]

G'day,

Thanks for the info, Hugh.

What else is required to build this buffer that is not provided for in the kit?

The blurb for the TLP states that it "offers an easily configured volume control". Does this mean that there is volume control circuitry in the kit? I just want to build a box with on/off switch, a line in and a line out, with no volume control, and no circuitry for a volume control. Is this possible?

--Geoff

[AKSA]

Geoff,

I supply no volume control, in fact (a good one is very costly), and yes, it can be put in a box as you describe, with its own power supply in the form of a custom trafo supplied, and will do exactly as you want.

The bass and imaging of the GK1 is superior, but the TLP is still a very good preamp, and it is in fact the forbear of the GK1.

Cheers,

Hugh

[PSP]

Hugh,
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think--because the TLP and GK-1 use the same tube--that Geoff might be able to take advantage of the GK-1 tube-rolling discussions here to fine-tune the resulting "tube character" of his system. 

Peter

[AKSA]

Hi Peter,

Yes, absolutely, you are quite right.

So, Geoff, you get:

pcb
tube
all parts, caps, resistors, diodes, tube socket, RCA sockets, pcb pins, etc
custom transformer
detailed instructions and circuit

You don't get:

case
wire
nuts/bolts

The TLP was the forbear of the GK1, and sounds a lot like it.  It has just less than unity gain and takes about 10 seconds to work once power is applied.

Hope this helps,

Cheers,

Hugh