Extend the useful life of those precious tubes: use a Tube Amplifier High-Voltage Delay

Tube life can be extended if you delay the application of high voltage until after the heaters have warmed up and current can flow. This little module does just that: depending on the setting of a jumper, it delays the high-voltage for 40 or 60 seconds after the amplifier is switched on. And the module is available as a kit. This article was originally published in audioXpress, February 2014.

Akitika makes high-performance home audio kits, including the GT-101 Stereo Power Amplifier and now the PR-101 Stereo Preamplifier Kit which the company describes as Akitika’s Preamp Platform (APP) because it contains everything needed in a stereo preamplifier, plus three option slots that allow the user to customize and extend it. That makes the APP a platform to build, and to build on.

In November 2013, audioXpress received a facelift. We expanded the content, added several new columns and feature articles, increased our focus on audio research and development (R&D), product design, professional audio equipment, and acoustic science while maintaining our roots in DIY audio and audio electronics.

Shannon Becker interviews Ron Tipton (this article was originally published in audioXpress, January 2013.) Since 1957, Ron directed its own audio enthusiast interests towards its own home-business TDL Technology, Inc (www.tdl-tech.com), based in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The many products that were sold on the website were mainly the projects that Ron carefully designed and build, and explained on its many articles for audioXpress (and previously for The Audio Amateur and other titles originally published by Ed Dell).