DIY Noble Pre/DI - complete newb

Hey! I'm looking to build a tube pre/di, and I love the small form factor of the Noble DI (https://nobleamps.com/preamps/). I have never made anything like this before, but think it would be a fun project, and something I would get a lot of use out of.

Smaller like the Noble would be awesome, but I wouldn't be super mad if it needed to be bigger, more like a Reddi in size (http://www.adesignsaudio.com/reddi-all-tube-direct-box)

I would appreciate any help I could get. I know almost nothing, so the more detailed the better, haha.

I wouldnt start with a high voltage small form factor box. Best bet would be to start out with something really simple, and then shrink i to whatever form factor you want. ALembic F2 is a prettty popular tube bass preamp.

My only other piece of advice is: If your doing this to save money, and your time is worth 0$ an hour, you still wont save any money. But if you want to start learning how to build your own gear....get ready for a great time!  ;D

Tube projects are advanced. The high voltages are dangerous.
The smaller you build audio gear the harder it gets. Not only do you have to fit everything in a tighter package, but you have to contend with hum problems.
That said, it is incredibly rewarding to build your own piece of gear.

There have been a lot of REDDI inspired tube DI builds here.  Search REDDI and you'll find a lot of stuff to read. The basic formula is a tube with a transformer coupled output.  It is a fantastic sounding design.
I don't know what the noble amp is doing.

I built a tube DI like the REDDI in a small box (about half the size of a stock REDDI) and it was a challenging project.

iampoor1 said:

I wouldnt start with a high voltage small form factor box. Best bet would be to start out with something really simple, and then shrink i to whatever form factor you want. ALembic F2 is a prettty popular tube bass preamp.

My only other piece of advice is: If your doing this to save money, and your time is worth 0$ an hour, you still wont save any money. But if you want to start learning how to build your own gear....get ready for a great time!  ;D

Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice! The draw to the Noble is the 350v headroom it provides. It sounds kind of scary to mess with though, haha. I'll check out the F2, thanks!

I was curious about cost, so thanks for the insight. to be honest if it costs $1000 (price of Noble) I'd probably pass, and start with something easier/cheaper.

dmp said:

Tube projects are advanced. The high voltages are dangerous.
The smaller you build audio gear the harder it gets. Not only do you have to fit everything in a tighter package, but you have to contend with hum problems.
That said, it is incredibly rewarding to build your own piece of gear.

There have been a lot of REDDI inspired tube DI builds here.  Search REDDI and you'll find a lot of stuff to read. The basic formula is a tube with a transformer coupled output.  It is a fantastic sounding design.
I don't know what the noble amp is doing.

I built a tube DI like the REDDI in a small box (about half the size of a stock REDDI) and it was a challenging project.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the help! After reading a little more, I think I'm looking more for a tube pre than a DI. I'm less concerned with size, but the risk factor of working with such high voltage makes me pretty nervous.

nickwelch said:

Thanks for the help! After reading a little more, I think I'm looking more for a tube pre than a DI. I'm less concerned with size, but the risk factor of working with such high voltage makes me pretty nervous.

Click to expand...

A full preamp is definitely the way to go unless you really want a dedicated DI.
Basically adding a good 10:1 input transformer gives you a mic input in addition to the DI.
Tube projects are something to work up to, considering the dangerous voltages.
You could build a fantastic non-tube preamp - based on neve, api, ua designs. Lots to choose from.