2. amps-preamps
  3. 1136443228

Tubes and TVs

I have a very confined situation in which my amp is probably going to "have" to reside near( a shelf below) the tv in a armoire type cabinet. I havent committed to tubes just yet, but am leaning that way to match Proacs i recently acquired. The question i have is, are tubes more prone to tv/tube interference issues vs. solid state in this unfortunate setup? (the tv currently crt) Do lcd or plasma have less "interference issues" than a crt. Are there any suggestions for further creating a "separation" or electronic barrier between the two? I am probably going to run the tv/cable wiring a good 2-3feet apart from the component cables/line conditioner/speaker cable to start some sort of isolation. Any further insight would be greatly appreciated.
bugsnbikes
6 responses Add your response
ghostrider45
449 posts
 
CRTs are susceptible to external magnetic fields. Using your proposed setup, the transformers in your amp may be close enough for stray magnetic fields to affect a CRT TV. It's hard to say, since it depends on the amp's power and circuit layout - the locations of the transformers relative to the location of the CRT is crucial.

LCD, Plasma, LCOS, and DLP sets are not susceptible to magnetic interference.

BTW, I'd also worry about heat buildup when installing a tube amp inside a closed cabinet.
bugsnbikes OP
4 posts
 
I planned on venting the rear with two pc type fans to promote circulation. The front is almost always open so circulation should be quite good. The proposed tube setup would be 24-35watt Cary SLA-70A sig.

I have a .25mm layer of sheet lead handy...does anyone know if sheet lead would be a barrier to magnetic fields??
ghostrider45
449 posts
 
Lead sheet is good for stopping x rays but isn't much help for magnetism. The best thing I know of is mu-metal, but it's kind of expensive and hard to find. Next in line would be steel or iron sheet.

The only real way to tell if you have a problem is to try the configuration. Can you borrow the amp to try it?

I'm assuming that you're running the TV and amp at the same time (home theater).
unsound
7,329 posts
 
Is this lead sheet coated in some way? Even a little exposure to lead can be dangerous!
bugsnbikes OP
4 posts
 
Unfortunately i cant borrow it to try it all out.

The sheet lead is uncoated but only handled with gloves-no kids around. its quite flexy and can is great for sound deadening in a car over wheelwells, and larger drumlike areas that need barrier along with a bitumen or mastic material.

Well im going to hopefully just go for broke and give it whirl to see what happens with tubes. Worst case scenario i will scrap the crt and go plasma or lcd.
ghostrider45
449 posts
 
If you're just co-locating your music system and TV, and don't run both at the same time you won't have any problems.
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