Valve Amplifiers, Third Edition

Rating:
Summary: A decent introduction to electronics with a strong tube bias
Review: ...but not really what I was looking for. For example, there is probably more information on capacitors than anyone other than a manufacturer would ever need, but I would have prefered less information that was more directed (e.g. I recommend this or this capacitor for this because X and such and such for that because Y). From other sources, there a several capacitor types & brands that are generally considered very good (Sprague?) but which are not covered or are buried here. I also don't like long discussions of things which could be done but really should not because they are dangerous/bad.

It seemed like a brain dump of years of experience but without a lot of direction -- perhaps useful as a desk reference to hi-fi tube amp. designers. My interest is specifically guitar amplifier's -- where overdrive, distortion and speakers are areas of great interest and where hi-fidelity is often not a goal. I prefer the authors Building guide, which contains a lot of practical knowledge not typically taught in University but very useful/essential when you want to build something in the real world.

Writing style is fine, layout and illustrations seem a bit dated and uninspired; given this, the cost is excessive.

Rating:
Summary: The new reference for modern tube audio design
Review: Fifteen years ago, tubes (valves to the rest of the world) were not only out of style, they were almost extinct. The same went for vinyl records. But there were always a few people that didn't buy into the new technology, insisting that tube electronics sounded more in step with the music. I heard my first high end tube amp (a Conrad Johnson MV-45) in 1987 and I've been hooked on the sound ever since. Thanks to a series of events that few could have forseen, the DIY tube revolution is in full swing. The fall of Communism and China embracing capitalism opened the flood gates, making more tube types cheaply available than since the mid-sixties. Add the internet with it's flow of information, and the underground DIY audio scene was born. There's an embarassment of riches now available to the amateur Hi-Fi enthusiast, and this volume is one of the best.

I've owned the first edition of this book for several years and it's absolutely great. It was a logical step up from my first DIY tube amp book, Bruce Rosenblitt's Beginners Guide to Tube Audio Design (now out of print). The first edition clocked in at 300+ information packed pages, covering everything from the performance of different electronic components used in tube amps, amp and preamp projects to chassis construction and design. When the second edition came out, I decided not to buy it thinking it maybe corrected some errors and had some new projects. Now that I've read the third edition, I have a funny feeling that I've missed out. See, the new edition is over SIX HUNDRED pages long, and that's without the amplifier construction section! The amplifier construction techniques are now covered in Mr. Jones' companion volume, Building Valve Amplifiers, in itself a 300+ page book. What this means is if you include the companion volume, there's THREE TIMES the information than in the first edition, over a thousand pages! Not only is there more, but it's better organized and edited than the first edition.

Morgan Jones covers just about every tube related subject, not hesitating to offer his opinions along the way. He doesn't hide his dislike for some current tube audio trends, such as tube power supply regulators and single ended amplifiers. There's a single ended amplifier project in the book, and while it's not a 300B amp project (he rightly says there are enough of those around), he goes through the project with all the thoroughness and care we've come to expect. There are several other projects, including a tube headphone amp, the author's original EL84 amp, a more powerful push-pull amp using 13E1 output tubes, his original "practical pre amplifier" from his first edition, plus a balanced preamp and a new line preamp and phono stage.

The wonderful thing about the projects in this book is that the author doesn't just present the schematic and say "build this", he goes through every step from tube and component selection to each design choice along the way. This isn't just a project book, this is a book that teaches you how to actually design an amp. I haven't built any of the designs in the book (yet), but I have no doubt that they sound very, very good indeed. And for vinyl enthusiasts, the amount of time spent explaining phono preamps is an absolute treasure. You won't find this information anywhere else!

Yeah, it's an expensive book, but worth every penny. The bottom line is this - if you're interested in DIY vacuum tube electronics and don't have this book and it's companion volume, you're limiting yourself. I think even crusty old timers that have been working with tubes for years could learn something from this book. If you've learned everything this book and it's companion volume have to offer, I believe that you could build tube audio electronics that compare to the best that are available, regardless of price.



Rating:
Summary: A fine general text
Review: Jones takes a very practical yet comprehensive approach to the design of valve amps and preamps. I've built quite a few over the years and was skeptical that I would get much out of this book, yet every chapter had some nuggets in it that either I didn't know or systematized previously unconnected things I did know. Hours and hours of fun. And really well-written. Excellent work, and I've recommended it to everyone I know with an interest in the subject.

Rating:
Summary: simply a must
Review: so you have either the 1st and/or the 2nd edition of morgan jones' book and wonder wether you should really spend the money for the third edition? the answer is simple: YESSSS! why? because in the 3rd edition, morgan jones...

... covers many new aspects. for instance his distortion measurements on 6sn7 tubes and equivalents alone justifies the purchase of the book.

... is more progressive than in previous editions. he is more open to mixing new technology with old circuits.

... does not limit himself to building a simple el84-amp. instead, he shows how to build a truly over-the-top-40 watt 13e1 amp.

... separates toys and tools by outplacing the construction and testing of tube amps to the companion book "building valve amplifiers". this book gets highest recommendations as well!

in short: "valve amplifiers 3rd edition" and "building valve amplifiers" *are a must* if you're into diy-tube amps!

Rating:
Summary: Awesome book on valve tube amplifiers.
Review: This is an awesome book on Tube or Valve amplifiers. There is an excellent section on the basic fundamentals of electronics in this book. This is very helpful for electronics students or people who have taken electronics in college but have forgotten the fundamentals. There is even some valve tube data in the last chapter of the book. This book covers preamps, power amps, components, distortion, and Power supplies. Basic building blocks like the common cathode triode amplifier, the tetrode, the beam tetrode and the pentode, the cascode are even talked about in this book.