I am no expert in tube design, but here goes...
Quote:
can i just use a resistor to knock the 409 down about 50v
Yes, but it will be very large and dissipate a lot of heat. There are other means like using zener diodes described eslewhere. You might be able to reduce it safely by 10 volts with a large power resistor. Depending on what rectifier you're using, a better bet would be to use a less efficient rectifier, like a 5Y3. That will affect the sound tho.
For voltage ideas, check out:
viewtopic.php?t=568&highlight=Quote:
if i'm running my b+ at about 298 right now, would a higher b+ end in more output?
Not necessarily. Power output is dependent on a lot of factors. OT impedance, tube charatereistics, bias, etc. Within reason, Higher voltage will give the amp more bright sparkle but possibly brittle sound. Lower will be smoother, creamier and possbily cold or mushy sound.
Here is a technical discussion on calculating power of a tube.
http://members.aol.com/sbench102/po-dis.htmlQuote:
i noticed that your layout, and the dc-30 use 1.5k. ...from what i understand, as the value of these resistors go up, the high end slightly gets rolled off more and more. with dropping these to the 1.5k value, is it going to pass more high end? give a little more sparkle?
What you are calling swamper resistors are called Grid Stopper Resistors. This can also control gain between stages and also interacts with the tube to roll off highs. Values can be 1.5K->100K. Larger values roll off more highs and reduce gain between stages. The Grid Stopper Resistor works best when mounted directly or as close as possible to the grid pin.
So the answer is yes, it will pass more high end & give back some sparkle.
Hope this helps. TC-15 layout and schematic is under development, but you can combine the 15 & DC-30 to get a decent idea.