Audio power amplifier inside the chassis of the main product. The audio amplifier was invented around 1912 by Lee De Forest, made possible by his invention of the first practical amplifying electrical component, the triode vacuum tube (or "valve" in British English) in 1907. The triode was a three terminal device with a control grid that can modulate the flow of electrons from the filament to the plate. The triode vacuum amplifier was used to make the first AM radio. Early audio power amplifiers were based on vacuum tubes and some of these achieved notably high audio quality (e.g., the Williamson amplifier of
Valve audio amplifier technical specification to class AB1 push–pull (PP) circuits. Tetrodes and pentodes, sometimes in ultra-linear configuration, with significant negative feedback, are the usual configuration. Some class A push–pull amplifiers are made commercially. Some amplifiers can be switched between classes A and AB; some can be switched into triode mode. Major manufacturers in the PP valve market include: The simplicity of valve amplifiers, especially single-ended designs, makes them viable for home construction. This has some advantages: Point-to-point hand-wiring tends to be used rather than circuit boards in low-volume high-end commercial constructions as well as by hobbyists. This construction style is satisfactory due to ease