By Vin Marshall Posted 06.29.2011 at 10:05 am 19 Comments

The Tube Amp, Remixed The 16LS tube-amp kit we used requires speakers in the four-to-eight-ohm range. John B. Carnett
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Half a century ago, vacuum tubes were very common in audio amplifiers. A small voltage applied to the grid of a vacuum tube controls a relatively large current that drives the electromagnet in a speaker, creating movement and thereby sound. Modern solid-state amps are superior in cost, size and reliability, but many people still prefer the warm sound and mesmerizing orange-yellow glow of a tube amp.

Fortunately, there’s a way to combine the distinct sound and look of tubes with the utility of an iPod dock. I’ve seen a few commercial and DIY tube-amp docks, but they’re expensive, uninspired or both. So I’ve come up with a version that anyone can build for about $400.

It uses a number of off-the-shelf components, including the dock itself and an easy-to-assemble tube-amp kit for the heart of the system. I used the 16LS kit from s5electronics.com, but there are many options depending on how much money you want to spend and how loud you want the amp to be. I built my dock into an aluminum enclosure from Hammond Manufacturing. You can replicate mine or design your own.

Once you’ve made those choices, the most time-consuming part of the project is putting holes in the enclosure and mounting the components. Add a set of speakers, and you’ll have a functional and cool-looking amp you can control with a remote. It isn’t outrageously loud, but it will easily fill a living room with fantastic sound.


Here's how to build your own tube amp. Complete build instructions and diagrams are available here.

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19 Comments

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analyzer68
06/17/11 at 10:01 am

No circuit diagram?

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vinmarshall
06/29/11 at 12:02 pm

@analyzer68 The circuit diagram, bill of materials, and full instructions are all here: https://github.com/vinmarshall/Tube-Amp-iPod-Dock

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Cody Ray
06/29/11 at 3:00 pm

Vin,

What a cool project! While it may take away from it, would you be able to provide a way to make this a pre-amp rather than a stand-alone unit - so I could plug it into Stereo inputs on a home theater receiver? I assume you would run into impedance issues with trying to run it as-is into a receiver, but I'm not familiar enough with circuitry to know what to change. I look forward your feedback!

Thank you,

Cody Ray

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vinmarshall
07/01/11 at 12:56 am

Hey Cody Ray,

I don't think it takes away from the project at all. It's a great idea.

I don't think that modifying the 16LS for use as a preamp in your setup will work - it doesn't have much of an input stage anyway, unless you're adding in the extra preamp-module. But there are a number of tube preamp kits out there. What I'd suggest is to choose one that suits you, and then build a variant of this project using that - same ipod dock, similar layout and interconnections, but replace the 16LS kit part of the project with the tube preamp kit of your choosing. For a preamp with multiple inputs, you could wire the iPod dock to one input and bring the rest of the channels out to front or rear panel connectors for other inputs.

You may also want to choose a different enclosure depending on the size of the kit you're going to use. Hammond makes all different sizes of the aluminum enclosure I used. Check Digi-Key.

I haven't done the research on tube preamp kits, so I'm just giving you some places to start your search. I can't vouch for any of these. You'll want to do your homework - look at reviews and discussions on tube and diy audio forums for people's experiences with these kits and make sure the specs work for you.

http://www.tubes4hifi.com/pre11.htm
http://diyaudioprojects.com/Tubes/12AX7_Preamp/
http://www.ahfartaudio.com/kits/preamp.html
http://www.tnt-audio.com/ampli/madoctal6_e.html

And keep searching - there are plenty of options out there. Especially if you're willing to go a little bit further and consider building your own from just a schematic. Also, check out http://diyaudioprojects.com/ for reviews and a look at other people's projects and kit builds.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I'd like to see how this turns out.
-vin

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lynnandart
07/16/11 at 8:17 pm

FYI-tubes amp VOLTAGE only and transistors Amp CURRENT only

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LJRoberts20
08/11/11 at 11:28 am

@lynnandart: I'm not sure your statement is accurate. Voltage and current are directly proportional so a rise in one will cause a rise in the other for the same resistance.

V=I*R

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dkenny
11/25/11 at 12:10 am

I guess someone needs to review the article for accuracy
..
QOUTE
Half a century ago, vacuum tubes were very common in audio amplifiers. A small voltage applied to the grid of a vacuum tube controls a relatively large current that drives the electromagnet in a speaker,
/QOUTE
interesting..the printed says plate voltage..at least the this version has it correct..tubes are a voltage control device not a current control. yes I read my dad's copy tonight and showed it him..he laughed too..he's been in electronics since before TV's.
bipolar semiconductors are current(NPN, PNP) devices..
FET types are more like tubes..voltage control devices..
so why hang on to tubes..FET AMPS PUSH 1000W of power these days..

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