Customer Reviews

Mullard Tube Circuits for Audio Amplifiers

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This is a book which is not only useful for its historical value but also for the constructional articles inside. Many of the circuits are very similar to those found in classic valve amp brands like Leak, Quad, Radford, etc. As it is a reprint of an old book some of the components may not be easily available, especially output transformers, switches and capacitors. Theoretical information is kept to a minimum and is very useful. This is a book for constructors who really want to build their own amp. The is an excellent stereo preamp design and 20, 10 and 3 Watt mono amp designs. Designs for 7 and 3 Watt stereo preamps are also included. There are chapters on sources of distortion, hi fidelity amplification, construction and assembly.

If you wish to build vintage audio equipment, this book fills the bill nicely. The state of the art in 1958 was surprisingly good, the builder will bear in mind that the book is written for English reader/builders whose smaller homes and penchant for more efficient speakers even then placed emphasis on smaller amplifiers than Americans tended to prefer. On the other hand, it's precisely the little EL84-tubed amplifiers today's vintage-tweako element seems to prefer, and if you are unhappy with your project you can always recycle it into a guitar amplifier!

The projects in this book can be built very cheaply today, the only big expense being the output transformers, and even these are not terribly costly. I believe the intermediate hobbyist will do much better to build from this book with modern components rather than throwing good money into forty-year-old mediocre products such as those now bringing large sums on eBay-with the exception of Mac and Marantz and some specialty or industrial/professional products, most fifties and sixties hi-fi units were actually not very good.

This is an interesting read, of historical value and a pretty good guide to some basic valve amplification circuits. The power amps described are all push/pull so if you're looking for a class-A single-ended design, this isn't your source. Still, it's worth keeping in your library. At sixty dollars it's a bit pricey but at the cover price of $16.95 would be quite reasonable if it were still available. Oh wait. It is still available from Parts Express and it's even discounted so now you don't have to agonize over the expense. I'm still kicking myself over that one.

I did not have any illusions about the content of this book, because whats inside is mentioned in the excellent -Principles of Power-.

If you are a tube electronics enthusiast, and want to have good reference material, this book is definitely worth the money. it is NOT a Manual on electronics or tube theory, but a collection of schematics using Mullard Tubes. I'm the kind of person who can't have too many books of schematics, and I'd definitely recommend this one for a collection.

NOTE!: Its a reprinting, and has a different cover, but looks good and is clear and legible...

Lastly, my book came from Powell's books here in Oregon, and the 1st copy was lost in the mail. They were fantastic to deal with, and sent out another copy expedited. I'd DEFINITELY buy more books from them.

If you are looking for the last word in tube amplifier design, this probably isn't it. It strictly covers Mullard's most popular hifi tubes and their amplifier designs of the 50's. If you are interested in Mullard tubes, most notable being the EF86, EL84, and EL34 then this is the book for you.
It covers classic Mullard circuits like the 5-20 and 5-10 power amplifiers, which defined high fidelity in the 50's and whose designs are still as good as gold today. This book has a special meaning to me because the first amplifier I ever built, as a young teen in the 60's, was a Mullard 5-20. That amp was my first experience with a real hi-fi amp. The book also offers pointers on construction and advice on how to not only build an amp but how to build it so that it isn't a hiss and hum nightmare. The Mullard circuits are conservative and clean. (the 5-20 can produce power levels up to 36 watts but Mullard rated it at 20 watts with very low distortion.)Although the material dates to the 50's, this information is as good today as it was back then, when tubes were the only act in town and the best audio engineers were still working with vacuum tubes. This book covers in detail several of mullard's power amps and preamps with several pictures of actual amps and preamps as well as full schematics and parts lists. The Mullard 5-20 was Mullard's answer to the Williamson (and to me a better answer). Anyone interested in vacuum tube audio should get this book and read it. I can attest to the fact that the circuits do work and work very well.

The book is very well written. Much of the information is dated which is to be expected. The projects in the book are covered thoroughly, but they were developed in the 1950's. They would need some redesign for easy use with today's gear. It is a good book but may not be of much use to a beginner.