The Amp Garage

In general, how does one determine the rated output power of a tube amp? In my particular case, I am looking at a pair of EL34s vs a pair of KT66s in a push-pull configuration. At a high-level, both of these tubes are rated for 25 watts dissipation; so naively, one would think a pair would make for ...

I guess the question is, under typical use, how often do those caps get to their 70C (158F) rating? I tried to take some measurements. Ambient temp was 68F. Before I turned it on, I used my IR thermometer on various parts of the amp, everything was 68F +/- a degree (as expected). I played for about ...

This is somewhat of a follow-up to my earlier question, about capacitor life expectancy in regards to heat from nearby power tubes, particularly in a combo cab with sub-optimal ventilation. I have found out that my caps are the JJ TC 529 50+50 . The specs aren't particularly encouraging IMO: rated f...

EIther way, though, 105C rated caps are more than plenty for what kind of heat tube amps see on a regular basis inside the chassis. In my particular case, the cap I'm most concerned about is the 50-50uF / 500v PSU filter cap which is really close to one of the power tubes. Here are pics of my build...

Hi all, first post. I've dabbled in DIY audio electronics for a while, and built my first tube amp (from a kit) a couple years ago. I am under the impression that, as a general rule, high heat will age electrolytic capacitors more quickly (compared to low/no heat above ambient). It seems that many t...