Tube rectifier ?

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skynyrd
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun May 15, 2011 10:58 am
Location: Indianapolis,IN

Tube rectifier ?

Post by skynyrd »

Could 1 be put on a hybrid amp ? A solid state preamp and 6L6 power amp and do any good ?
Slap
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun May 15, 2011 2:55 pm
Location: Indianapolis, IN.

Re: Tube rectifier ?

Post by Slap »

x2....I have a pretty much identical setup to his(50w, 2 6L6's as opposed to his 180W and 6 6L6's), and would love to add some dynamics and heat to the sound of the amp without employing pedals.
Jana
Posts: 1314
Joined: Sun Sep 07, 2008 10:40 pm
Location: Minnesota

Re: Tube rectifier ?

Post by Jana »

For a 2 * 6L6 amp it can be done. You need a 5 volt filament transformer with the appropriate current. Will it perform magic on the amp? Not likely.
skynyrd
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun May 15, 2011 10:58 am
Location: Indianapolis,IN

Re: Tube rectifier ?

Post by skynyrd »

Jana wrote:For a 2 * 6L6 amp it can be done. You need a 5 volt filament transformer with the appropriate current. Will it perform magic on the amp? Not likely.
Say I did put 1 in what could be expected? I appreciate the insight and info.
Zippy
Posts: 2052
Joined: Tue Apr 25, 2006 11:18 pm

Re: Tube rectifier ?

Post by Zippy »

skynyrd wrote:Could 1 be put on a hybrid amp ? A solid state preamp and 6L6 power amp and do any good ?
If, as Slap says, you have a 6-6L6 power amp, you are not going to get sag from just adding a tube rectifier.

What is it you are hoping to gain? If you share you objective(s), we may be able to suggest the correct mods to get there.

Slap - dynamics and "heat" don't come from the rectifier. If yours is also a solid state preamp, you might consider gutting it and adding a tube preamp. Once you commit to that route, the possibilities are myriad.
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Super_Reverb
Posts: 188
Joined: Tue Dec 21, 2010 6:28 am
Location: Indianapolis, USA

Re: Tube rectifier ?

Post by Super_Reverb »

skynyrd wrote:Could 1 be put on a hybrid amp ? A solid state preamp and 6L6 power amp and do any good ?
With a tube rectifier, you'll get various degrees of sag, depending on which tube rectifier you choose, your filter caps, and your power transformer. Sag is a form of compression, whereby power supply time constant (series R of rectifier + winding resistance of PT 2ndary + filter caps) tends to i) peak limit large input voltage transients by "sagging" power supply voltage and hence output power and ii) increases sustain by increasing voltage and output power as the note or chord fades out. This is simple dynamic range compression and is the major effect of adding a tube rectifier.

Without a tube preamp, your amp may still sound somewhat "sterile"

cheers,

rob
Zippy
Posts: 2052
Joined: Tue Apr 25, 2006 11:18 pm

Re: Tube rectifier ?

Post by Zippy »

Super_Reverb wrote:
skynyrd wrote:Could 1 be put on a hybrid amp ? A solid state preamp and 6L6 power amp and do any good ?
With a tube rectifier, you'll get various degrees of sag, depending on which tube rectifier you choose, your filter caps, and your power transformer. Sag is a form of compression, whereby power supply time constant (series R of rectifier + winding resistance of PT 2ndary + filter caps) tends to i) peak limit large input voltage transients by "sagging" power supply voltage...
One could similarly substitute the appropriate amount of series resistance to achieve a similar result. The voltage drop is merely a product of increased current (with demand) across the series resistance - voltage dropped across the series resistance is voltage subtracted from the power supply to the rest of the dropping string.
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