Adding this extra detail and a few others together into one circuit yields something not so elegant as David's original circuit. The circuit below uses potentiometers to set the idle current and DC offset. The following circuit uses a DC servo that loops around the output to the top triode's grid to maintain an automatically low DC offset. The added diode that spans between the grid and cathode of the top triode serves to provide a DC path for the servo even if the driver tube is removed from the circuit. 
    In both circuits, the two zeners are added to protect the MOSFET output stage form excessive current draws and damaging input voltage spikes. The diodes bridging the gates to drains severe the same purpose in the absence of a load. The bias LED has been replaced by the resistor and potentiometer combination to ease idle current adjustments. The top triode's cathode resistor value has been upped to increase its effective impedance. The 26AQ8 is used to increase the gain for the those running passive line stages (at the risk of insufficient charging current).

      The 26AQ8 is the same as the 6AQ8 with a different heater voltage and current rating. Both tubes are undervalued in audio applications. The 26AQ8's 26 volt heater voltage is only 14 volts shy of the rail voltages, which could be achieved by using a series resistor to drop the 14 volts.  Because of the large voltage differential between the top and bottom triodes, the DC referencing of the heater is critical. Optimally in this circuit, the heater power supply should be reference to about -50 volts, which would split the difference between the cathodes. Attaching one end of the 26AQ8's heater to the -40 volt power supply rail is close to optimal. (The voltage dropping resistor would then attach to the other end of the heater and ground.)
    One possible problem is the inability of the 26AQ8 to draw sufficient current to quickly charge the large input capacitance of the MOSFETs.  Overcoming this potential problem will require using a different tube. The obvious choice is the one made by David, the 7370.

< PREVIOUS

www.tubecad.com   Copyright © 2001 GlassWare   All Rights Reserved

NEXT >

Pg.

11