Popular Preamp Tubes

Where do tubes come from? In this article Richard Honeycutt revisits the history of tube electronics, from its early invention to the widespread adoption in radios and television receivers. And because familiarity simplifies tube selection, the article explains where some of the most common tube types can be applied in todays designs on power amplifiers and pre-amplifiers and tube stages. This article was originally published in audioXpress, April 2013 as part of the Hollow-State Electronics monthly column by Richard Honeycutt.

In this article, Richard Honeycutt provides a brief description of the main tube types used in audio applications, from triodes to tetrodes and pentodes, describing its uses, features and potential benefits. If you are looking for a quick reference reading about tubes that have been used in audio amplification this article is a great start. This article was originally published in audioXpress, May 2013 as part of the Hollow-State Electronics monthly column by Richard Honeycutt.

Lauten Audio announced the LA-320 professional large diaphragm vacuum tube studio condenser vocal microphone, its first microphone in a new line dubbed “Series Black”. The LA-320 features a 1-inch pressure gradient true-condenser capsule, cardioid polar pattern, dual-triode vacuum tube, transformer balanced output, independent high and low cut filters, custom dedicated power supply, tube microphone cable, spider shock mount and hard case.

Here’s the final section in our series on parts reliability, how to choose them and how to estimate their life expectancy. In the third part of this article, the author continues to examine electronic components, and discusses what we can do about reliability. This article series was published in audioXpress, from November 2001 to January 2002.

Promised to start shipping in June, Alo Audio’s new Continental dual mono headphone amp with USB DAC was already the talk of the show at the Headphonium section of The Show Newport. Alo Audio will not be alone with the idea of designing an hybrid tube/solid-state “transportable” headphone amp and USB DAC but it certainly did it with an interesting design.

June 2015 is – we have to say it – undoubtedly one of the most diverse and interesting issues we have put together. The magazine has something for everyone and lots of great content we are certain will be greatly appreciated by our community. Discover the “outside-the-box” thinking that resulted in one of the most interesting loudspeaker designs in recent times and much more.

New from MOD Kits DIY for NAMM 2015 is The Wave, a tube driven analog spring reverb unit kit combining four dual triode tubes with a MOD three-spring reverb tank, a typical sixties design. The unit can be used in front of a guitar amp or as a line-level analog reverb effect for the recording studio. The Wave kit comes with a pre-punched powder coated steel chassis, easy-to-follow instructions and all necessary parts.

Designed, manufactured and assembled in England, the new Tron Atlantic high end amplifier combines an affordable price with a compact chassis not compromising on big sound. The Atlantic is an extremely low noise stereo 300B design with a D3a driver stage, delivering 9 watts per channel with 4, 8 and 16 ohm outputs.

Blending Old-Style Techniques with New Technology ERIC STROUTH - I started Locomotive Audio really just as a hobby. But, after I realized I could blend several of my favorite things (audio recording, product design, and building electronics) to start a new career, I decided to quit my day job as a graphic designer and go all-in!

The November 2014 edition of audioXpress is dedicated to our DIY audience with the first instalment of a rewarding project on “How to Build an Audio Mixer“ by George Adamidis. We also have two great articles on audio amplifiers: one is Class-AB MOSFET-based and the other is a push-pull AB amplifier using KT 120 vacuum tubes. Of course, we continue to discuss the latest Wireless Audio technologies and Audio for Mobile Devices. In the third article in the Nordic Audio series, we explore Scan-Speak’s audio history. We also bring you an article explaining the thinking and product design considerations for the unique Genelec M Series studio monitors. That and much more is already online.