Hoffman Amplifiers Tube Amplifier Forum

Amp Stuff => Tube Amp Building - Tweaks - Repairs => Topic started by: leon on October 22, 2010, 05:52:15 am

Title: 5e3 amp to loud?
Post by: leon on October 22, 2010, 05:52:15 am

hi all
i build a 5e3 amp using a Hoffman board, 2x 6v6 tubes also fitted a choke
mercury magnetics transformers ... the speaker i use is a 15 inches 8 ohms tayden (english brand)...
the combo sound really good the tone is awesome with a lot of headroom. I feel that this amp is very loud
with the volume on 2 i can play with a drummer at 4 it s too loud to hear the band ! I feel that this amp may be working too hard, although all voltages seem ok and i ve been using it for 9 months without any problems. I coud say it' s as loud as my marshall jtm45 !
any idea out there, is it normal?

thanks fo your help

Title: Re: 5e3 amp to loud?
Post by: triode on October 22, 2010, 06:09:29 am

I would be willing to bet that your speaker (a 15" no less) is very efficient compared to whatever you
are used to using. Keep in mind (a lot of people do not realize this until they test it with a few speakers)
that a speakers efficiency is measured in db, a log scale, and is not linear. Speakers vary wildly in efficiency,
and you probably grabbed an efficient 15"...

http://www.sfu.ca/sonic-studio/handbook/index.html

Couple that with the fact that a 15" has way more surface area than say a 12", and the volume of air it can
compress is therefore much higher. Again, if it is as efficient or better than a 12" you were using, it will seem
much louder in comparison.

As a note, this is one of those great ways to tame an amp that is too loud. Got a 100W and you love the tone
but it is just too loud for any practical purpose? Stick a 88db efficient speaker in there instead of your 102 db
efficient one and you will see the output volume drop by vast amounts. Conversely, you can take a 1/2W amp
and put a 103db efficient speaker on it, and it will (most probably) surprise you at how loud 1/2W can be.

Just my $0.02 & a guess, but as a test, hook it up to different speakers and see for yourself.

Title: Re: 5e3 amp to loud?
Post by: bluesbear on October 22, 2010, 07:11:33 am

I can believe that! I use what are basically BF Deluxes with cathode bias (no reverb or trem), about 15 watts. One has an Eminence 12" Red Fang; the other a Weber Sig 10". When I play with people with 50 watt amps, I have a hard time not burying them, with either amp. It's partly the speaker but a good cutting tone that can be heard above the mix has a lot to do with it. It's fairly bizarre to use an amp smaller than a Champ (in size) with 6V6's and be told to turn down! Try a master volume. It helps.
Dave

Title: Re: 5e3 amp to loud?
Post by: tubenit on October 23, 2010, 09:06:14 am

You could also consider a VVR to the amp:

http://www.el34world.com/Forum/index.php?topic=6899.0

With respect, Tubenit

Title: Re: 5e3 amp to loud?
Post by: Cups on October 23, 2010, 05:08:43 pm

5E3s are also really loud amps and it seems all the volume comes on really quick. 3 is pretty much max volume, everything higher just adds harmonics an dirt.