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In Reply to: RE: To transformer or not to transformer posted by Peter H-son on May 11, 2008 at 12:49:47
There are many roads to the same, hopefully reached place; audio nirvana. There were/are some very good RC coupled feedback amps, that might bring you great vibes. But, when you compare them to a very good transformer coupled amp, that does not need negative feedback loops, we will, more than likely, choose the tranny coupled amp.
Concerning feedback, every time I reduced the feedback on an amp designed with it, the sound always got bigger, and faster. RC coupled amps designed without feedback loops tended to sound overly bright to me, with a diffuse soundstage. In my 35 years intensely involved in hifi, 15 professionally, there is one thing that has brought me closer to the music, time and again, for the last 21 years. Yes, friends, that is Interstage Transformer Coupling, using a Driver transformer to split the phase, for push-pull triode outputs. Tranny Coupling, with hard to find vintage trannies, provides me with the real speed, and action, of the music, plus the holographic soundstage that I require.
Again, many classic, vintage feedback amps can satisfy and yield huge soundstage effects, but, not the same holographic, real 3D, involving playback that can be reached with a push-pull, interstage tranny coupled, no negative feedback, triode amp. Most peers that try a good driver tranny will not go back to RC coupled pp amps.
Do not be afraid of transformers or capacitors. The sum of the parts is what matters; the sound in your reference system with your reference recordings. Keep trying different methods and circuitry, until you are convinced. Remember to change only one thing each listening session, so as not to confuse the psychoacoustic memory, which is too quickly forgotten. Also, respect the break-in time of parts. A new tranny or coupling cap easily takes 20 plus hours, of listening ! Even new outputs, by some of the best makers, can take 100 hours before settling in. Why, you ask ? Because, the parts inside simply need long break-in time. While very vintage trannies used paper between coil windings, newer trannies have plastics, like mylar and polypropylene, even teflon, which take longer to sound smoother. Yes, friends, good trannies are hard to beat !
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