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SET Asylum Single Ended Triodes (SETs), the ultimate tube lovers dream. |
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SET Asylum Single Ended Triodes (SETs), the ultimate tube lovers dream. |
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In Reply to: RE: Too bad that Audio Note OPT won... posted by danlaudionut on December 19, 2009 at 09:45:52:
Dear Dan,
Since the Williamson amplifier arrived in the late 1940's the audio industry has increasingly been indulging in single parameter evaluation with focus shifting to whatever parameter is fashionable at any given time, needless to say not much real progress is made this way, as it is a one step forward, one step to the side and one step back approach which never yields any genuine improvement or perhaps more importantly any deeper understanding of what governs the relationship between sound quality and what we measure, something that is demonstrated by the fact that the Partridge TK4519 (which is essentially a 1950/1960's design) performed the measured tests as well as or better than anything in the test, thus indicating that transformer design was fully understood at the time it was designed and not much has happened since, yet it did not win the sonic shoot out.
Over the years the "single parameter" advocates, of whichever persuasion, like yourself have sat on the sidelines and sniped at any attempts to try to balance multiple parameters as this approach always results in any one parameter being "disadvantaged", a fact which is always ignored and therefore generally never properly discussed and thus the critique is always based on single measurements alone, it is therefore refreshing to see a test like this which with all its potential shortcomings considered (no square wave measurements for nearly half the entrants including the winning design, the use of perhaps not the best sounding circuit as the "platform" and perhaps also systems matching issues) still, at least highlighted aspects of transformer design - measurements - sound that allowed a more comprehensive comparison which gave sound a fair chance on its own terms rather than just being interpreted through measurements.
Our transformer designs have evolved over a 15 -17 year period and have come to be designed for "wide band dynamic signal transfer" rather than any singular measured parameter, we always look at what happens as the signal enters (starts) as it is at this ultra low level that the signal signature is formed, loudness just amplifies this signature it does not change it to any significant extent. A key part of the design process involves a great deal of time listening to various winding - core material configurations to establish how they sound in relation to different circuit/power supply combinations.
Over time this work has given us an overview of most aspects of design versus sound and allowed Andy Grove to custom design a modeling program (based on Matlab) which balances all the parameters to favour what we have learned during the many hours spent designing and listening, this work is ongoing.
A good indication of this work is the measured performance comparison between the "small and Old Audio Note" which I suspect is either a TRANS-144 or TRANS-150 and the TRANS-300 which won the shoot out, both the 144 and the 150 designs are 20 year or so old and in spite of this they measure very similar to the 300 but the 300 is much better than the other two sonically, which only goes to show how much measurements are worth when it comes to judging ultimate sound quality.
It is worth remembering also that the TRANS-300 is at the bottom of this range of transformers and better still is in progress.
I think that was it.
Sincerely,
Peter Qvortrup
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Follow Ups
- Just Perhaps, The Best Transformer Won? - Peter Qvortrup 09:02:56 01/15/10 (0)
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