to make it twice better!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Showing 6 responses by jjss49
The transfomers referred to in that article are output transformers, not power transformers. They will affect the sound because they are coupling the output tubes to the speaker. i haven’t had a gustard x26 pro dac, it may well have output transformers at its rca analog outputs, but i am pretty sure it is a not a vacuum tube driven unit furthermore, even if this or any other dac had tubes at its rca outputs, they would have nothing to do with driving speakers... |
@yage seems like you haven’t the foggiest idea what you are talking about, and your comments are confusing matters transformers can be used at a dac's analog output to shape the sound (similar to when low output phono cartridges’ output can be run through a phono grade transformer in order to raise the miniscule output level into a preamp, but the transformer used in this way will alter the sonic presentation in addition to boosting the voltage level of the cartridge) neko audio and lumin, among others, are also known to use small, high grade transformers in their dac sections for specifically this purpose, to shape the sound of the analog output, trying to make the units sound more ’analog’, so to speak transformers are of course also used in power supply sections of amplifiers, and dacs to supply and regulate dc power sent to active sections of units separately, different transformers can be used in tube power amps to match the high output impedance of the output tubes to the speakers that the amps are meant to drive but this latter use of transformers is fundamentally different than how they are used in dacs |
@yage
the original jim hawes article linked by the op talks about the effect of transformers in various audio circuits, not just coupling transformers in tube amp output stages - specifically mentions how nelson pass uses them in d-fet solid state amps op's second link refers to parts to build the first watt f6 ... that is nelson’s solid state 50 wpc j fet fet push-pull amp https://www.firstwatt.com/pdf/art_f6_baf.pdf https://www.firstwatt.com/f6.html so this has got nothing to do with mating output tubes to speakers... since there aren’t vacuum tubes in that amp the op in raising the issue was not conflating tube amp output transformers with other transformers used in audio circuits to shape the sound... though he may have mistaken power supply transformers with ones used in the signal path |
well said bruce i have come to believe the same over the numerous years i have spent in this pursuit whether it is something being lost in the recording and mastering processes, or in the playback chian, the classic notion of ’straight wire with gain’ often does not lead to the most pleasing and beautiful presentations of (even wel) recorded music the magic of truly great audio equipment and designers is that their gear manages to reshape or reconstitute the recorded sound in a way that adds something back, giving it a dose of magic and beauty the analogy i sometimes think of is that fresh seafood, once frozen and thawed, does not taste the same as originally... still may taste good, but something definitely has been lost -- so a great chef then can add something back to make it taste great again during the preparation ... no it is not the same as it was when it is fresh, but it is so tasty nonetheless something like that is happening here with music reproduction |