Stereo Tube Amplifier

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Stereo Tube Amplifier

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Weslee Kinsler

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Comments
15

The circuit is simple, yet is capable of excellent performance. I designed it specifically for use as an amplifier for the digital sound card in
my computer. Audio input can be from any two-channel line level device such as a television, CD player, or VCR. It is of the tube type,
using only 5 tubes total with no more than about 45 Watts power consumption from the outlet. It uses 3 types of tube 1 5Y3 GT vacuum
rectifier, 2 6SF5 GT high-mu triodes, and 2 6K6 power beam amplifiers. These are all full-size octal type tubes which are commonly
available today for between $3-5 each.

Schematic

Parts
Part
R1, R10, R13
R2
R3
R4
R5
R6
R7
R8
R9
R11
R12
C1, C9
C2
C3
C4
C5
C6, C7
C8

Total Qty.
Description
6
2.2Meg Pot
2
470K 1/2W Resistor
2
1 Meg 1/2W Resistor
2
220K 1/2W Resistor
2
330 Ohm 2W Resistor
2
220K 1/2W Resistor
2
2.2Meg 1/2W Resistor
2
1Meg 1/2W Resistor
1
720 Ohm 20W Resistor
2
33K 1/2W Resistor
2
22K 1/2W Resistor
4
0.005uF 400V Capacitor
2
0.05uF 600V Capacitor
2
20uF 25V Electrolytic Capacitor
2
0.01uF 400V Capacitor
2
200uuF 400V Ceramic Disc Capacitor
2
15uF 450V Capacitor
2
15uF 400V Capacitor

Substitutions

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Stereo Tube Amplifier

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T1
T2
SW1
SP1, SP2
MISC

http://www.aaroncake.net/circuits/tubeamp.asp

1
2
1
2
1

117V Primary, 350VCT Secondary, 6.3V Secondary, 6.3V Secondary

7600 Ohm Primary, 4 or 8 Ohm Secondary
SPST Switch
12" or smaller, 4 or 8 ohm speakers
5 tube sockets, 2 RCA jacks, PC board or chassis, wire, knobs, etc.

Notes
1. Email Weslee Kinsler with questions, comments, etc.
2. The 6V6 GT tube may be substituted for the 6K6 to lower power requirements.
3. C8 is for radio interference suppression and may be omitted.
4. The 5Y3 GT tube should be mounted in a vertical position and be well ventilated. The 6K6 and 6SF5 tubes can be mounted in any
position.
5. Controls should have an audio taper.
6. The power supply portion of this unit may be used for anything requiring 290-320v DC up to about 3 amps.
7. The author has provided a link to an updated version of this circuit. The newer revision contains parts changes based on the author's
tinkering and experience with the circuit over the past few years.

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Comments
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Stereo Tube Amplifier
Thursday, June 09, 2011 2:10:53 AM
cool386
"The power supply portion of this unit may be used for anything requiring 290-320v DC up to about 3 amps." Big mistake here: The 5Y3 is
rated at 125mA. 3A will have the plates glowing red and shorting out in no time to say nothing of the power transformer.
Stereo Tube Amplifier
Thursday, June 09, 2011 2:07:40 AM
cool386
Here's an obvious mistake: Where's the grid return resistors for the 6SF5's? The grids will float at an indeterminate voltage. What should
have been done of course is to place C1 at the input to the volume control instead. Secondly, gain is needlessly being lost with R2. R3 is
unnecessary. Pin 3 of the 6SF5 has 120V?? I think you mean pin 5. The resistor values around the volume control are higher than need be
and will only contribute to noise. For an amp like this, use a 500K pot. The values of resistors around the loudness control are very strange.
Stereo Tube Amplifier
Wednesday, January 20, 2010 2:16:35 PM
anonymous
I want to modify the power supply so it can be used for 220 - 240 vac like that we use in Europe.
Stereo Tube Amplifier
anonymous
does it works at 50 Hz of voltage input?

Friday, September 18, 2009 2:20:06 PM

Stereo Tube Amplifier T1

Thursday, July 09, 2009 11:50:48 PM
Salvo
if I can't find the T1 you specified, can i use two transformers for the primary. IE: 0ne 117V Primary, 350VCT Secondary and, One 117V
Primary, 6.3V Secondary. Also what is the wattage output of this amp
Stereo Tube Amplifier
Wednesday, October 08, 2008 1:18:28 PM
chewacca866
i can replace the tube 5Y3GT by placing two 1N4007 1kv diodes or some else 8w diodes for this amp to save some W to the circuit to heat
that tube?
Stereo Tube Amplifier
Friday, July 25, 2008 5:51:39 PM
dANIEL
hey everybody where can i get parts antique electronic supplu or what I do not have much money so I need cheap parts not bad parts but
not expensive parts....
jimo
Plaese Use 0.1mf ok

Stereo Tube Amplifier

Sunday, December 02, 2007 6:47:16 AM

Stereo Tube Amplifier

Sunday, November 04, 2007 1:36:51 AM
idid
can u explain how the tube connected???? i like your project...i need to understand more.. can u explain to me....
Stereo Tube Amplifier
Wednesday, August 15, 2007 11:08:02 AM
anonymous
Transformer T1 is specified as having two 6.3V secondaries, but shouldn't the secondary connected to the 5Y3 rectifier be 5 volts? Also,
"C8" is shown in two places and has a value of 15uF@400V. 15uF seems like an extraordinarily high value for these capacitors, which are
sometimes used for line-noise suppression (and not a recommended method, because they usually just add more noise contamination to
the ground). More usual values for these capacitors are 0.001uF high-voltage (1KV) ceramic disc types, but I recommend that you leave
them out if there is no line noise problem to begin with. Also, put a suitable fuse before S1 for fire protection, notate the schematic so that
the right side of the plug is "N" for neutral, and include a three-prong plug with a earth safety ground tied to the chassis. The combination
of no ground along with the presence of either or both C8s may cause an immediate lethal shock hazard.
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