[bigjppop]

Fellow Tube lovers:

The following may sound somewhat like an infomercial, but its not.  I just wanted to share one of the more rewarding experiences I've had in this hobby and I think others may enjoy it as well.  I'm talking DIY... Do it yourself tube amps.

I've bought and sold more than my fair share of stuff; some good, some bad.  I love music but I'm almost ashamed to admit that I love the hobby that is "HiFi", i.e. researching/listening/testing/buying/tweaking/modding/selling/start over almost as much as I love the music.  I fear many of you are in the same bought or else why would you be spending your time here!

Anyway, I've always loved tube amps but have always thought the price of entry was pretty steep.  I'm not saying a good tube amp isn't worth a lot of money, I'm just saying that its typically more than I can justify on a "recreational" purchase.  Enter DIY, and in particular a company called Tubelab (www.tubelab.com) and a man named George.  Now, I have no affiliation with the company or the man but Tubelab has brought me a lot of joy/pleasure and I think it will others as well.

Tubelab only sells circuit boards and as far as I remember, they are going for 35 bucks a piece.  He has two, almost four, on the market.  The first two, currently in production, are for a Tubelab SE (a SET amp that can run 45/2A3/300B tubes) or the Simple SE (a SET amp that can run 6L6/EL34/KT88/6550 tubes).  Soon to hit the streets is a push-pull EL84 design as well as a Universal Driver board that should drive just about any tube you can imagine.  George, aka Tubelab, has done an incredible job in providing detailed pictures and instructions for his builds on his website.

In addition, there is a Tubelab forum over at DIYaudio.com at George is a frequent and regular contributer there.  Lots of people have built and are building his amps and they are a very helpful/entertaining bunch over there.  Any question I've ever had, someone over there has been quick to answer.

I just finished the Simple SE and like I said above, it was one of the more rewarding experiences I've had in this hobby.  I love the fact that with no modifications it will run any of the tubes listed above and with some very slight mods/tweaks (and I mean VERY easy) you can run 5881's, 6V6's, and probably some more that I've never heard of.  It also allows you to experiment with triode or ultralinear at the flip of a switch.  You want to decide of you like negative feedback or not?  It's got a switch of that too.  You really get the chance to listen/experiment with lots of flavors of tube stuff and you can do it for a very affordable price.

So, don't be put off by the idea that a DIY tube amp is out of your realm.  I actually had to buy everything from a soldering iron to wire strippers to build this thing because I don't have any tools and I've never built anything audio related before.  My Simple SE fired right up on the first attempt and so far is running like a champ.

Like I said, it may sound a little like an informercial, but I'm just a happy customer.  Tubelab is a great product and George is a great guy and I'd love to swing a little business his way from the good people at Audio Circle.

[JohnR]

Good to hear of new options  I have some Dynaco Z-565s (EL84 P-P OPTs) somewhere that need to get turned into an amp sooner or later 

[Pez]

Obviously I couldn't agree more. Check my signature, this amp is the real deal. I built a pretty well spec'd simple SE and am currently scrounging up funds to make another. While far from perfect George's site is really good. I seriously doubt many here will jump on the DIY boat but if you do this is a great place to start.

[bregez]

In addition to tubelab, modern “Dynaco” tube kits are available at http://www.dynakitparts.com/
Diytube.com has a set (Get*Set*Go) amp board http://www.diytube.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3382
available for $49.00 in addition to a ST-35 http://www.diytube.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=666 which is a modern version of the Dynaco 35 on a single PCB.  The whole ST-35 kit can be purchased at http://store.triodestore.com/diy35kit.html for $480.00.
These kits require remedial soldering skills and are straight forward.  There is also great support at diytube if anyone has assembly problems. 

[bigjppop]

Obviously I couldn't agree more. Check my signature, this amp is the real deal. I built a pretty well spec'd simple SE and am currently scrounging up funds to make another. While far from perfect George's site is really good. I seriously doubt many here will jump on the DIY boat but if you do this is a great place to start.

I just checked the link in your sig and we have very similar machines.  I also went with the giant Edcor OPT's which I'm really liking and I think are about the best bang for the buck deal in iron out there right now.  I'm still finishing up my chassis before I give it a good work through with all the various tubes I've collected but it appears that your using the Gold Lion KT-88's.  Your favorite poison so far?

Oh, and while I fear you my be right, I hope more of the tube guys here will try the DIY route.  I never thought I'd like it, but I'm hooked and already have my next 3 or 4 projects on the drawing board (but don't tell the wife!).

[Pez]

Actually they're KT66 Gold lions. They're really good tubes but they're far from my favorites. My favortes are the Shuguang Treasure KT88s by a country mile. They're just so rich and detailed. For the rectifer I'm using a smooth plate NOS Mullard and for the sgnal tube i'm using a NOS Mullard as well. If you don't want to pay the premium for the treasures I would go with the Penta labs KT88s at dougstubes.com I have tried a ton of tubes in various amps including the simple se and far and away KT88s are the best in general. The Gold Lion KT66s are very nice, if you are going to put money into the KT88s I would advise against Gold Lions. They are just Electro Harmonix Kt88s with a couple extra Getters and yes I have compared them side by side. Instead buy the Pentas or spend crazy money for the well worth it treasures. You only need two.

[poseidonsvoice]

To DIY is in my karma, in my blood. Without it, I'm thirsty, parched.

You control your destiny, not the manufacturer.

Couldn't agree with you more.

Next to come is a fully differential KT88 design using O-Netics output transformers.

Best,
Anand.

[Niteshade]

DIY is, without a doubt, GREAT! 

Most people don't know what their missing, really! I wish companies like Heathkit & Dynaco were still around.

Here's a neat place: http://www.ramseyelectronics.com/

A suggestion: If you like audio, look into Amateur Radio (HAM).  There are many audio enthusiasts in HAM, although it's mostly excellent sounding communications and not HiFi.

[JoshK]

For me, tube amps are a DIY affair.  Yes you can buy some made, some good ones at that, but the real hobby is in building your own.  Like Anand said, your destiny is in your own hands.  You need to be careful in building tube amps because of the high voltage, but good safety practices aren't hard and are good to learn for any electronic projects.

I think George is the modern day heathkit/dynaco.  Maybe not on the same scale, but his kits are the volks-tube-amp-kits.  He is a real life engineer and his designs are very solid, high performers.  He is an experimenter at heart.  He has blown up more tubes (on purpose even) than anyone I've encountered on the net.


You really can't go wrong with his kits.   I am still waiting to finish a Tubelab SE.  I need to build the case.

[pjanda1]

Good to hear of new options  I have some Dynaco Z-565s (EL84 P-P OPTs) somewhere that need to get turned into an amp sooner or later 

Those are purported excellent, as you likely know!  George (Tubelab) is working on a P-P amp, and I wouldn't be surprised if it will work well with EL84's and or 6V6's. 

If you are willing to do scratch build, you should strongly consider Eli Duttman's El Cheapo, aka Bargain Basement.  There is a giant thread here.  This is an accurate schematic.  Jim McShane offers a parts kit.  You can use any 6V6 or equivalent, but the design has also been modified to use EL84's.  Folks have used the Z-565's to great effect.  I built one (with big OPT's salvaged from a Sherwood), and it is an incredible amplifier.  It has trounced everything I've set it next to.  I used a different power supply (choke input), but I sometimes wonder if it was worth the effort.  Eli put much more thought into the circuit and parts list than is typical and it shows.  To me, point to point builds are much more fun that PCB's.  They don't take much more time.  If you decide to build it, I doubt you'll be sorry!  Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about the EC.

Paul

[pjanda1]

I should probably reply on topic too!  My thoughts: if you've got the time, ability, and less than $10K or so, DIY is the only way to go.  For less than $500 you can build something (a SimpleSE or EC especially) that will absolutely trounce most commercial amps.  For those that don't want to do chassis work, there are plenty of vintage units that provide great donors for chassis and iron (transformers).  I'm currently starting to rebuild a pair of reel to reel monoblocks with the famous RH84 single ended circuit and a 12B4 preamp in the front.  It is important to have efficient speaker though, as high power tube amps aren't usually projects for the newbie.  Though if your budget is a little higher, something like a HK Citation II rebuild will probably destroy virtually all comers in the higher wattage arena.

Paul

[Pez]

Just to give this topic a bit of a bump, I have ordered 2 more Simple SE boards. One for an amp I plan to finish soon and another for a secret project that, if I don't blow myself up, should be very interesting.  With the slight discount for ordering 2 it was just too irresistible.

[bigjppop]

Just to give this topic a bit of a bump, I have ordered 2 more Simple SE boards. One for an amp I plan to finish soon and another for a secret project that, if I don't blow myself up, should be very interesting.  With the slight discount for ordering 2 it was just too irresistible.

And that's why I got a Tubelab SE board with my Simple SE and probably why I'll end up with 2 of the Simple P-P when they come out; stinkin' good deals!

[Pez]

Everyone at DIYaudio are drooling like jackals over the PP. I personally just can't get excited for a push pull design as I have decided SET is the amp of the gods. That doesn't mean I won't build a cute little Simple PP for a secondary system. I'm convinced this amp can be built with decent parts for less than $250, but we'll have to wait and see what components are required for the final design.

[oneinthepipe]

When I was a teenager, I built a few Hafler kits, but my father was in the audio business, and there were technicians in the shop with multimeters, oscilloscopes, and spectrum analyzers that would help me with modifications and troubleshooting.  Now, thirty-five plus years later, I like the concept of DIY, but I don't have enough knowledge about electronics to make DIY practicable.

[JoshK]

There are good reasons why folks are clammering for the pp design.  1) people want to see what George can do with the venerable EL84 (one of my favorites) and a pp design, 2) even if low powered, a pp design usually can mate with more speaker types than a typical SE design (not that George's are typical, they aren't), 3) for another cool and easy to build design.

My limited experience with SE designs leads me to believe, even with all their quirkiness, SE amps have tone, charm, je ne se quo, whatever you want to call it that most amps do not.  I think it has to do with the harmonic profile of their distortion compared to 99% of amps out there.

 

[JoshK]

When I was a teenager, I built a few Hafler kits, but my father was in the audio business, and there were technicians in the shop with multimeters, oscilloscopes, and spectrum analyzers that would help me with modifications and troubleshooting.  Now, thirty-five plus years later, I like the concept of DIY, but I don't have enough knowledge about electronics to make DIY practicable.

Everyone starts somewhere.  I learned everything I know about DIY, electronics and tube amps in the last 5-7 years.  Starting with reading what I could find on the internet, trying out simple projects and then eventually looking up topics that I didn't understand and tackling them one by one in my spare time.  Sitting down with an intro electronics book isn't the funniest way to learn the topic, so I motivated my learning with curiousity about particular projects.

Now I am trying to learn the finer points of amp designs and learning to use my O-scope and generator too. 

[oneinthepipe]

Everyone starts somewhere.  I learned everything I know about DIY, electronics and tube amps in the last 5-7 years.  Starting with reading what I could find on the internet, trying out simple projects and then eventually looking up topics that I didn't understand and tackling them one by one in my spare time.  Sitting down with an intro electronics book isn't the funniest way to learn the topic, so I motivated my learning with curiousity about particular projects.

Now I am trying to learn the finer points of amp designs and learning to use my O-scope and generator too.

Good point.  I need a better soldering station and solder sucker or de-solderer.  Any suggestions?  There is a DIY electronics store near me that periodically offers soldering classes, and I will try to take a class to improve or refresh my soldering skills. I intend to build Jim McShane's upcoming tube preamp kit, but I am not quite sure about other DIY projects.  Any suggestions?   I exchanged PMs with a member about a DAC, but the DAC is completely solid state, and since this is the Tube-o-phile Circle, I assume that I should limit my discussion here to tubes.

[sts9fan]

You Do It is my weak ess. Also check out Bottlehead. The are great because they are complete kits.  Chassis and all. I am thinking of one of their se designs. My first project was a Foreplay and was a great time.
DIY really does bring the enjoyment of this hobby to another level IMHO.

Kris

[JoshK]

DIY really does bring the enjoyment of this hobby to another level IMHO.

I agree. 

I think Bottlehead is another great place to start learning.   Their designs are really solid despite being reasonable in cost.  There is nothing second rate about their kits.  I've never built one but I've studied the designs.

Try searching youtube for soldering instruction videos.  Youtube has all kinds of instructional videos popping up.  I've heard you can even find guitar lessons on youtube.  I know there are woodworking instructions on youtube too.