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#1
Posted to rec.audio.tubes
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The Triode Connected 46!
Hi:
A friend loaned me a pair of adapters to run triode connected 46s in my 45 amp. Here's a photo of the amp (with Arcturus globe 46s): http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...e123/46amp.jpg So far, I like the sound of the 46s better than ANY 45 I have compared them to. The 46s sound more powerful and make the 45s sound wimpy in comparison. They also have significantly better bass response. I don't think it's just a volume thing as the 46s seem to do all of the good things that 45s are known for. I'm not a techie, but I'm trying to understand why this is. Here's a scan of the RCA Tube Manual (RC-17): http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...e123/45-46.jpg My amp's output transformers are Magnequest DS050s. The input and driver tubes are both sections of a 5687. Why do the 46s sound more powerful? Also, why is the bass response significantly better? Last, why does a triode connected 46 sound as good as a 45 in all or most other attributes? Any comments or insights would be appreciated! Thank you. Gerry |
#2
Posted to rec.audio.tubes
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The Triode Connected 46!
In article ,
"GerryE123" wrote: Hi: A friend loaned me a pair of adapters to run triode connected 46s in my 45 amp. Here's a photo of the amp (with Arcturus globe 46s): http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...e123/46amp.jpg What's that big tube in the center, rectifier or voltage amplifier? If it is the rectifier where are the input stages/voltage amplifier tubes? So far, I like the sound of the 46s better than ANY 45 I have compared them to. The 46s sound more powerful and make the 45s sound wimpy in comparison. They also have significantly better bass response. I don't think it's just a volume thing as the 46s seem to do all of the good things that 45s are known for. I'm not a techie, but I'm trying to understand why this is. Here's a scan of the RCA Tube Manual (RC-17): http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...e123/45-46.jpg My amp's output transformers are Magnequest DS050s. The input and driver tubes are both sections of a 5687. Why do the 46s sound more powerful? Also, why is the bass response significantly better? Last, why does a triode connected 46 sound as good as a 45 in all or most other attributes? Any comments or insights would be appreciated! Thank you. The bass response probably sounds "better" because the damping factor with the 46 is lower than with the 45. -- Regards, John Byrns Surf my web pages at, http://fmamradios.com/ |
#3
Posted to rec.audio.tubes
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The Triode Connected 46!
I've used the 46 quite a lot as a driver - for 300b, 2a3 etc. In the
driver position I preferred it to 45, which sounded thinner and more bland (though still mighty good). I haven't tried 46 as an output, but it doesn't surprise me that it works well. Andy |
#4
Posted to rec.audio.tubes
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The Triode Connected 46!
"John Byrns" wrote in message ... In article , "GerryE123" wrote: Hi: A friend loaned me a pair of adapters to run triode connected 46s in my 45 amp. Here's a photo of the amp (with Arcturus globe 46s): http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...e123/46amp.jpg What's that big tube in the center, rectifier or voltage amplifier? If it is the rectifier where are the input stages/voltage amplifier tubes? Since it says 5Z3 on the base I doubt that you'd get much voltage amplification from it Keith |
#5
Posted to rec.audio.tubes
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The Triode Connected 46!
"John Byrns" wrote:
What's that big tube in the center, rectifier or voltage amplifier? If it is the rectifier where are the input stages/voltage amplifier tubes? John - thank you for your reply. As noted below by Keith, it's a 5Z3. With separate AC and B+ switches, the amp is also set up to run an 83. The 5687 input/driver tubes are behind the output transformers and can't be seen in that photo, but can be seen here (older photo without the globe 46s): http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...23/blue45b.jpg The bass response probably sounds "better" because the damping factor with the 46 is lower than with the 45. I thought lower damping factor would result in "worse" bass? Are you saying that I'm prefering the "loose" bass produced by a lower damping factor? Gerry |
#6
Posted to rec.audio.tubes
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The Triode Connected 46!
In article ,
"GerryE123" wrote: "John Byrns" wrote: What's that big tube in the center, rectifier or voltage amplifier? If it is the rectifier where are the input stages/voltage amplifier tubes? John - thank you for your reply. As noted below by Keith, it's a 5Z3. With separate AC and B+ switches, the amp is also set up to run an 83. The 5687 input/driver tubes are behind the output transformers and can't be seen in that photo, but can be seen here (older photo without the globe 46s): http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...23/blue45b.jpg The bass response probably sounds "better" because the damping factor with the 46 is lower than with the 45. I thought lower damping factor would result in "worse" bass? Are you saying that I'm prefering the "loose" bass produced by a lower damping factor? Depends on what you mean by "better", or "worse" bass. Low "damping factor" doesn't produce "loose" bass, it simply changes the frequency response curve of the speaker. I understand some people even like 4th order speaker alignments, talk about "loose". -- Regards, John Byrns Surf my web pages at, http://fmamradios.com/ |
#7
Posted to rec.audio.tubes
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The Triode Connected 46!
GerryE123 wrote:
Hi: A friend loaned me a pair of adapters to run triode connected 46s in my 45 amp. Here's a photo of the amp (with Arcturus globe 46s): http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...e123/46amp.jpg snip Any comments or insights would be appreciated! Thank you. Gerry So, where can I get a pair of these adapters? I have some nice NOS 46s just waiting to go. Raymond |
#8
Posted to rec.audio.tubes
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The Triode Connected 46!
On Aug 6, 6:56�pm, Raymond Koonce wrote:
So, where can I get a pair of these adapters? �I have some nice NOS 46s just waiting to go. Raymond Hi RATs! I dunno. I did have a nice old amp that used 46 P-P, but it did not use any adapters ... Happy Ears! Al |
#9
Posted to rec.audio.tubes
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The Triode Connected 46!
"Raymond Koonce" wrote in message
. .. So, where can I get a pair of these adapters? I have some nice NOS 46s just waiting to go. Raymond Hi Raymond: The 46 adapters that I'm using were made by Kara Chaffee of deHavilland Electric Amplifier Company. They were made quite awhile ago, before she got really busy with deHavilland. Given that, it's unlikely she would build more of them. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help. Just as a little tease, here's another photo of my set-up with the adapters and Arcturus globe 46s: http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...e123/force.jpg They are sounding even better to me than when I originally posted. Gerry |
#10
Posted to rec.audio.tubes
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The Triode Connected 46!
"Raymond Koonce" wrote:
So, where can I get a pair of these adapters? I have some nice NOS 46s just waiting to go. Raymond Hi Raymond: Here's some more info about the adapter. First, here are some links to a few photos: http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...3/adapter1.jpg http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...3/adapter2.jpg http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...3/adapter3.jpg It looks like Kara took a five-pin socket and fit it inside a four-pin tube base. Internally, the second grid of the dual grid 46 is connected to the first grid for Class A triode operation. I would think that someone who is handy and knows what they are doing could do this fairly easily. If you don't want to try it yourself, maybe you could find someone on the Tube DIY (Audio) Asylum to do it for you: http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/tubediy/bbs.html Gerry |
#11
Posted to rec.audio.tubes
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The Triode Connected 46!
GerryE123 wrote:
"Raymond Koonce" wrote: So, where can I get a pair of these adapters? I have some nice NOS 46s just waiting to go. Raymond Hi Raymond: Here's some more info about the adapter. First, here are some links to a few photos: http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...3/adapter1.jpg http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...3/adapter2.jpg http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...3/adapter3.jpg It looks like Kara took a five-pin socket and fit it inside a four-pin tube base. Internally, the second grid of the dual grid 46 is connected to the first grid for Class A triode operation. I would think that someone who is handy and knows what they are doing could do this fairly easily. If you don't want to try it yourself, maybe you could find someone on the Tube DIY (Audio) Asylum to do it for you: http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/tubediy/bbs.html Gerry Gerry, Thanks for the information. I'll bet I have some dead 4-pin tubes and a couple of 5-pin sockets lying around. Some epoxy to hold things together and it should work nicely. I'll give it a try and report back. Best regards, Raymond |
#12
Posted to rec.audio.tubes
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The Triode Connected 46!
"Raymond Koonce" wrote: in Gerry,
Thanks for the information. I'll bet I have some dead 4-pin tubes and a couple of 5-pin sockets lying around. Some epoxy to hold things together and it should work nicely. I'll give it a try and report back. Hi Raymond: If you like the 46, you may have to build a dedicated Time Bandit 46 amp! Good luck and please do report back. Keep in mind that, at least according to my listening, not all 46s sound the same. I'm looking for some more GLOBE 46s. Especially a RCA Radiotron and Arcturus BLUE to pair up with singles that I have. If anyone has any they want to sell or trade (I have tons of good tubes to trade), please send me an e-mail. Thanks! Gerry |
#13
Posted to rec.audio.tubes
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The Triode Connected 46!
GerryE123 wrote:
"Raymond Koonce" wrote: in Gerry, Thanks for the information. I'll bet I have some dead 4-pin tubes and a couple of 5-pin sockets lying around. Some epoxy to hold things together and it should work nicely. I'll give it a try and report back. Hi Raymond: If you like the 46, you may have to build a dedicated Time Bandit 46 amp! Good luck and please do report back. Keep in mind that, at least according to my listening, not all 46s sound the same. I'm looking for some more GLOBE 46s. Especially a RCA Radiotron and Arcturus BLUE to pair up with singles that I have. If anyone has any they want to sell or trade (I have tons of good tubes to trade), please send me an e-mail. Thanks! Gerry Hi Gerry, Well, I was poking around working on an amp project for my office. It's playing fine on the breadboard, so I'm working on the chassis layout and design. While digging in my parts cabinets I happened upon several NOS five-pin brown plastic sockets and I'm sure I have a couple of dead four pin rectifiers, so as soon as time permits, I'll give it a try. I'm looking for another pair of Arcturus 47s (PZs) with blue globes. They're hard to find. Best, Raymond |
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