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Tim Wescott Tim Wescott is offline
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Default What is the most powerful audio output tube?

On Thu, 08 Dec 2016 21:19:52 +0200, Tauno Voipio wrote:

On 8.12.16 19:44, Tim Wescott wrote:
On Thu, 08 Dec 2016 09:19:23 -0600, boomer#6877250 wrote:

What is the most powerful audio output tube, as far as RMS wattage
output?

I have gotten some powerful sound from four 6L6 tubes in push-pull
parallel. but I want more. I know it's possible to use eight 6L6
tubes,
which I believe is called " push-pull parallel - parallel", but I'm
looking into other possible tubes.

At one time, I thought the 807 tube was more powerful than the 6L6,
but after careful research, it's almost identical, but with a
different envelope (plate on the top cap).

I'm looking to get a full 500W RMS (or more) output (per channel),
from all tubes, .... With four 6L6 tubes in PPP, I can only get around
120W RMS (per channel).


AM Radio stations used some that would do 50,000W, I believe. Is that
sufficient?

You don't want the "most powerful" tube -- you just want one that fits
your wimpy (relative to "big radio") requirements.

If you're serious about this, get this book. It'll provide hours of
drooling entertainment if you're just a fanboy, so it'll still be worth
it:

https://www.tubesandmore.com/product...be-manual-tt-5


Eimac's 'The Care and Feeding of Power-grid Tubes' is also very good,
if it is somewhere to be found.

A pair of 4-1000A tubes would be dandy, but I don't know where to find
them (I'm a fanboy, not an expert).


For Class-B push-pull a pair of zero-bias triodes is much easier to
handle, e.g. 3-500Z or 3-1000Z. The kilowatt tubes are a bit of overkill
for 500 W output.


May not be the best sounding result if you're going for audiophoolery.
Low-mu triodes with the grid voltages negative would be best then, or AB1
beam tubes, maybe.

--
Tim Wescott
Control systems, embedded software and circuit design
I'm looking for work! See my website if you're interested
http://www.wescottdesign.com