Valve Amplifiers

Morgan Jones' Valve Amplifiers has been widely recognised as the most complete guide to valve amplifier design, modification, analysis, construction and maintenance written for over 30 years. As such it is unique in presenting the essentials of 'hollow-state' electronics and valve amp design for engineers and enthusiasts in the familiar context of current best practice in electronic design, using only currently available components. The author's straightforward approach, using as little maths as possible, and lots of design knowhow, makes this book ideal for those with a limited knowledge of the field as well as being the standard reference text for experts in valve audio and a wider audience of audio engineers facing design challenges involving valves. Design principles and construction techniques are provided so readers can devise and build from scratch designs that actually work. Morgan Jones takes the reader through each step in the process of design, starting with a brief review of electronic fundamentals relevant to valve amplifiers, simple stages, compound stages, linking stages together, and finally, complete designs. Practical aspects, including safety, are addressed throughout. The third edition includes a new chapter on distortion and many further new and expanded sections throughout the book, including: comparison of bias methods, constant current sinks, upper valve choice, buffering and distortion, shunt regulated push-pull (SRPP) amplifier, use of oscilloscopes and spectrum analysers, valve cooling and heatsinks, US envelope nomenclature and suffixes, heater voltage versus applied current, moving coil transformer source and load terminations. The practical guide to analysis, modification, design, construction and maintenance of valve amplifiers The fully up-to-date approach to valve electronics Essential reading for audio designers and music and electronics enthusiasts alike

Explains the whys and wherefores of toroidal output transformers at various technical levels, starting with elementary concepts and culminating in complete mathematical descriptions. In all of this, the interactions of the output valves, transformer and loudspeaker form the central theme. Next come the practical aspects. The schematic diagram of a valve amplifier often appears to be very simple at first glance, but anyone who has built a modern valve amplifier knows that a lot of critical details are hidden behind the apparent simplicity. These are discussed extensively, in connection with designs for amplifiers without output powers ranging from 10 to 100 watts. Finally, the author gives some attention to a number of special valve amplifiers, and to the theory and practice of negative feedback.

In audio applications valve amplifiers are considered by many to offer better quality sound than transistor amplifiers. This book allows those with a limited knowledge of the field to understand the theory & the practice of valve audio amplifier engineering.

To many people, the thermionic valve or electron tube is history. However, whether it is nostalgia, interest in the technical parameters, the appeal of a gleaming amplifier chassis with softly glowing valves, respect for the technical know-how of an earlier generation, or perhaps the firm conviction that the sound of a valve cannot be bettered, it is a fact that the valve is making a come-back. The book contains, apart from construction projects for preamplifiers, power amplifiers, and two amplifiers for musical instruments, information on the operation of electron tubes, while the first chapter gives a short history of the valve.

Building Valve Amplifiers is a unique hands-on guide for anyone working with tube audio equipment--as an electronics hobbyist, audiophile or audio engineer. This 2nd Edition builds on the success of the first with technology and technique revisions throughout and, significantly, a major new self-build project, worked through step-by-step, which puts into practice the principles and techniques introduced throughout the book. Particular attention has been paid to answering questions commonly asked by newcomers to the world of the valve, whether audio enthusiasts tackling their first build or more experienced amplifier designers seeking to learn about the design principles and trade-offs of "glass audio." Safety considerations are always to the fore, and the practical side of this book is reinforced by numerous clear illustrations throughout. The only hands-on approach to building valve and tube amps--classic and modern--with a minimum of theory Design, construction, fault-finding, and testing are all illustrated by step-by-step examples, enabling readers to clearly understand the content and succeed in their own projects Includes a complete self-build amplifier project, putting into practice the key techniques introduced throughout the book

The audio amplifier is at the heart of audio design. Its performance determines largely the performance of any audio system. John Linsley Hood is widely regarded as the finest audio designer around, and pioneered design in the post-valve era. His mastery of audio technology extends from valves to the latest techniques. This is John Linsley Hood's greatest work yet, describing the milestones that have marked the development of audio amplifiers since the earliest days to the latest systems. Including classic amps with valves at their heart and exciting new designs using the latest components, this book is the complete world guide to audio amp design. John Linsley Hood is responsible for numerous amplifier designs that have led the way to better sound, and has also kept up a commentary on developments in audio in magazines such as The Gramophone, Electronics in Action and Electronics and Wireless World. He is also the author of The Art of Linear Electronics and Audio Electronics published by Newnes. Complete world guide to audio amp design written by world famous author Covers classic amps to new designs using latest components Includes the best of valves as well as best of transistors

The most complete and practical modern reference on audiophile vacuum tube technology! Destined to become a true classic in its field, this unique DIY design & construction manual presents the theory and practice of amplifier design & construction in a balanced way. For those who dislike formulas and want proven, practical, ready-to-build designs, dozens of such commercial, tried & tested circuits are explained and analyzed. Just get your soldering iron ready and start building! Absolute beginners will benefit from the methodological approach, starting with DC circuits, then moving into AC voltages and currents and their circuits. The first few chapters of Volume 1 are a complete training course in fundamentals of electronics. Although the focus is on audiophile or "hi-fi" vacuum tube amplifiers, those interested in tube guitar amps will also benefit from the wealth of material presented, most of which directly applies to tube guitar amps as well. Apart from various audio circuits, electronic components, power supplies and tests & measurements are also covered in depth. Even tube testing and tube testers are discussed at great length, as is troubleshooting, repairing and modifying (upgrading) tube gear. The advanced topics that other books don't even mention, such as audio transformer design, construction and testing, make this reference manual a valuable addition to your technical library. For those familiar with solid state devices, such as bipolar transistors and FETs, an easy and seamless transition into tube technology is provided in the book, which adopts a unifying approach to amplification and rectification devices, be they of solid state or vacuum tube kind. This practical DIY manual is richly and professionally illustrated with photographs of tubes, components and amplifiers, circuit diagrams, tube pinouts, curves and loadlines, graphs and charts. Hundreds of such valuable illustrations make it easy to comprehend issues. There is no need to search for, download and print such information, saving you valuable time. All the information required to design and build tube amplifiers is compiled in one place. Who is this book for? Audiophiles and guitar players wanting to learn how tubes and tube amplifiers work. DIY constructors who wish to take their knowledge and building skills to a higher level. Buyers and sellers of tubes and tube equipment who need a better understanding of tube technology. Electronic technicians and engineers familiar with solid state devices and circuits, who want to expand their knowledge of tubes and their circuits. Anyone who wants to learn how to design, build, test, fix, or upgrade tube gear. Contents of Volume 2: PRACTICAL SINGLE-ENDED PENTODE AND ULTRALINEAR DESIGNS PUSH-PULL OUTPUT STAGES PRACTICAL PUSH-PULL AMPLIFIER DESIGNS BALANCED, BRIDGE AND OTL (OUTPUT TRANSFORMERLESS) AMPLIFIERS THE DESIGN PROCESS FUNDAMENTALS OF MAGNETIC CIRCUITS AND TRANSFORMERS MAINS TRANSFORMERS AND FILTERING CHOKES POWER SUPPLIES FOR TUBE AMPLIFIERS AUDIO TRANSFORMERS TROUBLESHOOTING AND REPAIRING TUBE AMPLIFIERS UPGRADING & IMPROVING TUBE AMPLIFIERS SOUND CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES AUDIO TESTS & MEASUREMENTS TESTING & MATCHING VACUUM TUBES "