12volt valve pre-amp for a car hifi install???

[smithie]

hi guys
been away from this forum for a very long time,infact been away from home hifi just as long due to one reason or another...oh how i miss those real tones being forced to listern to a ipod to much these days!
anyway due to my current situation ive turned my focus to car hifi at the moment,and it all sounds so clinical to these tube/valve loving ears so thought a nice decent valve pre-amp up front might inject abit of the quality/tones i miss so much...does anyone know if such a beast exsists,could be built(there afew out there but there either gimmicky or just to expensive..or both)
im after something that will work in a car enviroment,cheap to make or buy and give a good sound quality as i can get.
am i dreaming?can it be done?any ideas,tips,leads etc.
it must work on 12volt dc(surpose it could be higher if i brought a incar pc power surply,some of these do 18 to 30 volts).
output at least 8volts to give me a nice clean signal.
a volume and at least a two input switch.
a four channel version would also be nice,but at the moment ill be happy if i can do stereo!!!
so any ideas,input,takers??
all the best
smithie

[Phil Y]

Hello Smithie,
I'm sure it's possible as there were valve car radios in the old days. I believe they used a device called a vibrator (no sniggering) to produce the H.T. I think it was much like a car ignition coil and points system only designed to produce a couple of hundred volts rather than the thousands needed for spark plugs. I would guess your best bet would be to see if there is a D.C. to D.C. converter available that would give the output you need. I have a feeling that special valves were produced for "in vehicle" use so if I were you I would start there.

Good luck, Phil.

[Bizzie]

Hi
I'm not sure if this would be any use I am just collecting the bits to make one.

http://www.tubecad.com/2008/01/blog0132.htm

[lilolee]

This may be of use http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/1965/caramp.html

[smithie]

hi guys
thanks for the input and leads,i should of remembered to look to the past for todays answers that vibrator thing sounds agood plan,idea.
theres some very good power surplies out there at the moment(mostly designed for car pc that do some higher voltage then a normal 12volt dc surply,so that may hold a solution to.
its knowing what tube to use really for this project(im not that techniclly minded,but i try, and give things ago)
as ive said theres some amps and stuff already out there,but alot are just gimmicks or no more then a valve buffer stage built into a amp for a bit of glow and selling point!
more searching,reading up needed i guess!
once again many thanks
all the best
smithie