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What would be the average output power for a 5E3? I measure about 8.9 Vac on a 8 ohm dummy load on two builds I just did. That converts to about 9.9 watts. This seems low. Another forum posted 19.5 watts on his 5E3, this seems high to me. What is the a good average output power for a straight stock build?
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It's weird, because it WAS working fine..... -
What are you measuring? What are they measuring? Clean sine wave on a scope or maximum output signal? -
It's hard to compare power measurements when the amount of distortion is not specified, and distortion is really unknown if you are just looking at an oscilloscope for clipping. Fender now specifies power at 10% distortion which is quite a lot of clipping.
The attached pic is a real vintage 5E3 with old National branded made in USSR tubes. It seems like your builds are a little low, but a more accurate measurement might prove otherwise.Attached FilesWARNING! Musical Instrument amplifiers contain lethal voltages and can retain them even when unplugged. Refer service to qualified personnel.
REMEMBER: Everybody knows that smokin' ain't allowed in school !Comment
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I am measuring a 400 Hz and 1000 Hz sine wave before clipping. The OTs are Triode's Super TF 110 paper bobbin made by Mag Comp.It's weird, because it WAS working fine.....Comment
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The power output is related to the VB+, I think with ~360V, 10watts at clipping seems normal.
PeteMy band:- http://www.youtube.com/user/RedwingBandComment
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I would believe 10 watts clean.
Understand that it depends on the tubes & the bias, which can affect the overall B+ voltage.
The tubes that are on the market are all over the place.
Some can be driven further than others.Comment
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And this hints at an ever present and ongoing debate on how it should be measured. One side like the hifi method, where we measure power the amp makes before distortion chimes in. But then if we had an amp that ALWAYS had some distortion, then we'd have to say it made zero power, but of course that zero watts can still deafen you. The other side is the guitar amp guys who just want to know how much energy the amp can put into their speakers. This makes some sense to a guy who is going to overdrive his powr tubes.
And when those two camps rate the same amp, they are likely to disagree on its power output.Education is what you're left with after you have forgotten what you have learned.Comment
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+1 to all above. My personal amp has a pair of EL84's at about 355Vp and makes 13 clean watts by typical measurements. This compared to several noted "class A" amps that make 15W or tube data that indicates my amp should make 17 or 18 watts!?! However... With the power tubes clipping hard the measurement indicates 22W!!! I just call it a fifteen watt amp and forget about it. It keeps up fine on stage with any reasonably efficient speaker in the cab. Which can do a hell of a lot more for volume than a couple of watts can."Take two placebos, works twice as well." Enzo
"Now get off my lawn with your silicooties and boom-chucka speakers and computers masquerading as amplifiers" Justin Thomas
"If you're not interested in opinions and the experience of others, why even start a thread?
You can't just expect consent." HelmholtzComment
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A proper running 5E3, clone or not, with close to "classic corrected voltages" through out the B+ rail, will make around 10-12 watts max.
Everybody else is lying or not running classic voltages and the right impedance output tranny.
That 10-12 watts is pretty much all there is, dead clean, as viewed on your O'Scope, across a nonreactive 8 ohm dummy load... at under 100Hz to around 4KHz with a clean 100mvac signal delivered to the input jack.
Yours amp is not running low, you are just measuring it the right way... now drive the power tubes harder and or turn the preamp volume up so you get the max voltage swing on your dummy load, and measure that voltage...
I would not be surprised to to see 11vac-13vac across it depending on what your rectifier is, the actual plate voltage and power tube idle current.Comment
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