tube amp design guys, why no love for 6aq5?
- Thread starter ke4mcl
- Start date
dsndblm
Super Member
:nono: Shhh, don't tell anybody. I think they can't be beat for DIY projects ect. My Sons 6AQ5 amp has been playing for an hour or two, or three a day for the last month. It sounds very nice with the 6AQ5's/6005's in p/p. The little amp puts out around 10 wpc. I like the RCA 6005 along with smoked glass Tungsols.
jaymanaa
RIP 1961-2018
I have an old Arvin mono HiFi table top AM/FM radio with push pull 6AQ5 outputs and it is a very nice sounding radio. With the proper design I'd bet that an amp would sound quite good with them.
Man, she's a looker, and PP too.:thmbsp:
spaceman
Registered Lunatic
Yep, I like that Arvin too. :thmbsp: Here's a little preview of the SE 6AQ5 amps, without any cleaning yet. Each one uses a 6X4 rectifier, a 5879, a 12AX7, & a 6AQ5. Undersides is a real rat's nest of wires & components, so it might take awhile to figure out. I know a lot of it can be removed, if run without the tape deck, but since I'm not the most experienced guy here, I'll have to look pretty carefully & size it up. I'm thinking the 12AX7 or 5879 is probably a gain stage for just the tape head. Using a quarter for size perspective, you can see the OTs aren't very big, but they're about twice the size of the ones on my stereo amp, so that gives me some cause for optimism. :yes:
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ke4mcl
Super Member
i see IC sockets and solidstate regulators. i can understand regulators even though they may be noisy but why IC chips?
ke4mcl
Super Member
okay, so whats a 6095? just found ONE. seems to be related to the 6005/6aq5 but im not having luck finding data on it.
i sorted through my 6aq5/6005 bag and have plenty to experiment with. these seem to have come in several different flavors. most 6005 are black plate with large horizontal ribs. i found a few that were stamped "aged" by some company called power 1 or something like that. i did find some 6aq5 with a similar plate structure but the ribs were thinner. most 6aq5's i have dug up are gray plate. a few had smoked glass which was kinda interesting.
along with the 6aq5's i found 5aq5, 8aq5, and 12aq5's. if the 6aq5's can be had for about $6 plus shipping on most major tube sites, i imagine the 12aq5's must be dirt cheap.
hmmm. triode strapped *aq5 guitar amp for low power "dont piss off the neighbors" jamming out?:scratch2:
i sorted through my 6aq5/6005 bag and have plenty to experiment with. these seem to have come in several different flavors. most 6005 are black plate with large horizontal ribs. i found a few that were stamped "aged" by some company called power 1 or something like that. i did find some 6aq5 with a similar plate structure but the ribs were thinner. most 6aq5's i have dug up are gray plate. a few had smoked glass which was kinda interesting.
along with the 6aq5's i found 5aq5, 8aq5, and 12aq5's. if the 6aq5's can be had for about $6 plus shipping on most major tube sites, i imagine the 12aq5's must be dirt cheap.
hmmm. triode strapped *aq5 guitar amp for low power "dont piss off the neighbors" jamming out?:scratch2:
Scuzzer
Fixed Bias
From what I've found the 6095 is the same as a 6005/6AQ5. http://wps.com/archives/tube-datasheets/Datasheets/RCA-RIT-104B/4.JPG
My SE guitar amp project is based on a Caliphone record player. SE 6BQ5 with a 7199 input/driver stage. I kept the amp on the chassis but stripped out unneeded circuitry. I plan on mounting the amp section into the player's cover which houses a nice Jensen 12" speaker. I have to fabricate a control panel and cover for the circuitry to shield it better. I think the speaker may need to be reconed which kind of blows a lot of the appeal of this project, but what the hell... I'm already 80% done with it. I didn't think of triode strapping it. I'll look into what's involved in maybe adding a switch.
I have an old Arvin mono HiFi table top AM/FM radio with push pull 6AQ5 outputs and it is a very nice sounding radio. With the proper design I'd bet that an amp would sound quite good with them.
OK, that's the first thing I've seen lately that's the same kind of cool (appearance) as the Heathkit AA100 amp and AJ41 tuner I used to have. :thmbsp: Total 1960s STYLE.
As for 6AQ5s... someday, I would love to build a PPPPPP (as in MANY in parallel) 6AQ5 OTL amp. Seems like it would work... and output tubes are like EVERYWHERE...
Regards,
Gordon.
I have an old Arvin mono HiFi table top AM/FM radio with push pull 6AQ5 outputs and it is a very nice sounding radio. With the proper design I'd bet that an amp would sound quite good with them.
OK, that's the first thing I've seen lately that's the same kind of cool (appearance) as the Heathkit AA100 amp and AJ41 tuner I used to have. :thmbsp: Total 1960s STYLE.
As for 6AQ5s... someday, I would love to build a PPPPPP (as in MANY in parallel) 6AQ5 OTL amp. Seems like it would work... and output tubes are like EVERYWHERE...
Regards,
Gordon.
ke4mcl
Super Member
ive seen some amps were they just have a switch they flip. you'll have to find out from guys with more experience in this. i thought about doing it that way since it puts you in the 1.5w range which is what i would be shooting for.
The 6AQ5 became available in September of 1945, although it took a couple of years before commercial equipment caught up with it's availability. It was developed to be a miniature 6V6, and within ratings, it is.
This tube therefore predates the Williamson amplifier and the audio craze that started in the 50's. Early gear was triode stuff since Ultralinear wasn't around until basically 1952. Therefore, all the early serious equipment used various versions of 6L6s in triode mode to get quality sound with any power. The 6AQ5 just didn't fit into that mold, so it and it's 6V6 big brother became relegated to low end console or single ended TV work in pentode mode.
By 1955, the European EL84 came on the scene. A pair of these tubes allowed the same if not more clean power output than the physically bigger Williamson triode amplifiers had, and with that, they also bode well for reasonably sized stereo equipment a couple of years later that the house wife would tolerate.
The 6AQ5, with it's lower ratings and power output, simply could not compete in the hi-fi realm of that era. This is particularly so because like the horse power race with automobiles of that era, there was also a power output race going on as well.
Today, anything goes. It's a great little tube. Make the best of it!
This tube therefore predates the Williamson amplifier and the audio craze that started in the 50's. Early gear was triode stuff since Ultralinear wasn't around until basically 1952. Therefore, all the early serious equipment used various versions of 6L6s in triode mode to get quality sound with any power. The 6AQ5 just didn't fit into that mold, so it and it's 6V6 big brother became relegated to low end console or single ended TV work in pentode mode.
By 1955, the European EL84 came on the scene. A pair of these tubes allowed the same if not more clean power output than the physically bigger Williamson triode amplifiers had, and with that, they also bode well for reasonably sized stereo equipment a couple of years later that the house wife would tolerate.
The 6AQ5, with it's lower ratings and power output, simply could not compete in the hi-fi realm of that era. This is particularly so because like the horse power race with automobiles of that era, there was also a power output race going on as well.
Today, anything goes. It's a great little tube. Make the best of it!
