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Tweakers' Asylum: REVIEW: Stevens & Billington TX-102 Special Attenuator Transformer Passive Components by Thorsten

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REVIEW: Stevens & Billington TX-102 Special Attenuator Transformer Passive Components

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Model: TX-102 Special Attenuator Transformer
Category: Passive Components
Suggested Retail Price: around $ 180
Description: Attenuator Transformer for passive linestages
Manufacturer URL: Stevens & Billington
Model Picture: View

Review by Thorsten ( A ) on February 23, 2002 at 07:51:45
IP Address: 62.30.112.1
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for the TX-102 Special Attenuator Transformer


Hi all,

This no doubt has been awaited for a while, but even yet this can only be a preliminary assesment of these transformers, a more comprehensive review with a direct comparison against competing products from Sowter and an Audio Synthesis Passion will be eventually upcomming, when I can arreange such a session at my home.

For now the review must be brief out of neccesesity. I'm sure this passive pre has some sort of sound or some kind of reduction in transparency (it would have to for all the solder joins and connectors plus switches), but I can't nail it down, at least not with CD as source. The only way to describe the "sound" is to steal a phrase from Romy the Cat - this unit is INSULTINGLY NEUTRAL.

While typing this I was listening in another room to some commercial acid jazz compilation and suddenly noticed that on songs where previously I allways had problems to understand certain lyrics even with a lot of concentration they where absolutely clear while listening just in the background while conentrating on typing. This "Preamp" just gets out of the way of the music.

If you need all the audiophool drivel, I noticed a much more focused soundscape with increased extension into all directions. Individual sounds of instruments (like the bow scraping the strings, the resonating body of the Violin and the slight handeling noises on the neck now occupy distinct sonic spaces, whereas I'm used to these sounds being more merged. Don't get me wrong, they have not become disjointed, but simply clearer. Similar things where notable on the Clarinette pieces on some of the Musical Fidelity sponsored Recrdings with AM plaing the Clarinette. Recordings used in these tests where primarily minimalist, DSD sourced recordings done by Tony Faulkner and a "Audiophile Test CD" sponsored by Marantz that Bert Doppenberg gave me a year ago.

In terms of downward dynamic range (a term coined by Allan Wright) the system seems to have aquired an extra 6 - 8db of resolution, meaning that much in recordings that was previuously buried and compresed by resistivley attenuated linstages (passive or active) is now audible.

I have to admit that currently CD (Turntable is down due to a lack of Phonostage - I'm working on remedying that) is more musically satisfying and "better sounding" (not the qutation marks - "better sound" is a very personal thing) than I ever heard my system sounding before, even with LP. I can't wait to have my Table back in the running.

While sonic memory is a dicey thing and much has changed since I heard the original Sowter 9300 in my system I feel the difference experienced now is MUCH larger than what I heard back then, for whatever reasons. Back then I could basically "live" with keeping a top notch passive, resistive attenuator (true ladder with Holco's & Type 72 Switches - it does not get much better) in my system while realising that the Transformer let notably more music through. Now even that Attenuator causes losses that I now find unacceptable.

Oh yes, these transformers definitly need break-in. During the first two or three hours of playing music I could distinctlky hear shifts in tonality and clarity. I let them "burn" whenever I was out of the house or asleep with music for the last week and noticed further improvements day by, the whole sound becoming clearer and more neutral.

It is humbeling to have brought home and illustrated so dramatically the evilness of just two resistors in the signalpath. It also puts in question the whole concept of Hi-End. How can ANYONE accept a system with a resistive attenutor in it? Putting the passive Bourns equipped pre in resulteted in an "Take that shit out of my system". Putting another of the active Preamps in was even worse and neither of the preamps I have is in any way bad, on the contrary. But their linestages steal so much music that I simply cannot live any longer with such thievery.

Well, I had my Road to Damaskus experience.

I can only recommend to anyone else to try the same. Stop fu..ing around with small change, a little spicy capacitor here, a little vishay resistor there and a new tubve for that preamp. Terminte all this junk with extreme prejudice and set the music free. I'll be back with comments on the vinyl side later and on direct comparisons to Sowther transformers much later.

Ciao Thorsten

Use of the TX-102's and credits (where due)
===========================================

I build the Transformers into a Case from the Opera Consonance Reference 1.1 Line Preamp, which was kindly provided FOC by Opera's Mr Liu - (Thank you Mr. Liu).

Switching is via Coto 2332-05 miniature Reed Relais kindly donated to me FOC by Paul Winser (Paul - you rule Dude). The Volume control switch is a Type 72 compatibe unit manufacturerd ages ago by GEC/Pleesy in Northampton, my favourite rotaries, solid silver contacts. I got this from Jon Finlayson, ta J.

All wiring is pure solid superthin silverwire I got FOC from Inmate "tistandshout" (great stuff Dude - thanx), a little PTFE sleeving was used where required to avoid shorting things to anywhere. Otherwise the wire is left uncoated and uninsulated, in accordance with Pierre Johannet's Ideas around MDI. I was sceptical, but it seems to work great - no "silver" sound as I'm normally used to hearing.

Connectors are mixed RCA (the usual "High End" ones) and XLR (the ultracheap plastic shell types - they sound best to my ears). I have two RCA and two XLR inputs and one of each outputs. The general wiring schematic is available via the preceeding link, some changes where made to accommodate the use Reed relais.

The power for the relais comes from a modified plugtop (wallwart) PSU with added filtering and originally selected for the absolute MINIMUM leakage at both 50Hz and highish frequencies from my fairly large stock of such units.

Each input has it's Pin 1 or the ring for RCA terminated by a 5k1 (XLR) or 2k2 (RCA) resistor to the chassis to reduce possible common mode AC problems (even 60db CMRR are not much when the common mode is > 100V AC like on my VCR) and also RF terminated to ground with a 47 Ohm AB 0.25W carbon composite resistor in series with 4n7 ceramic caps. The outputs allow either complete floating, the grounding of Pin 1 on the XLR or the grounding of the Ring on the RCA connector via a switch.

Basic measurements where carried out feeding a signal via a 5k impedance to simulate a high source impedance, the input impedance of the soundcard for the analyser used was 47k plus some capacitance. In both unity gain and +6db passive gain operation the 20Hz-20KHz range was flat within the limits of my analyser software (+/-0.25db) and consistent at all level settings with no evidence of peaking at high frequencies or LF rolloff.


Product Weakness: It is just a wire sonically and not one of those toncontrols disguised as cables. It will let you hear everything, which may not be to your liking. It is NOT a preamp in the convetional sense.
Product Strengths: This is the proverbial "Wire with gain (or attenuation)", the long thought holy grail of audiodom. It has no sound to speak of, just controls levels.


Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier: I use modified Opera Audio M500 Monoblocks with the TJ Mesh Anode Globe 300B's. The modifications include 6S45PE Driver, Gridchoke loaded 300B, WE Connection in output stage etc - see previous posts in Tube DIY for more details.
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): I have at hand and use a DIY Shindo Claret copy, an Opera Audio Consonance Reference 1.2 as well as a Bourns Pot (10k) based passive unit.
Sources (CDP/Turntable): I use an Pioneer DV-505 (modified) driving Philips LHH-1000 DAC (re-conditioned, modest mods - see previous posts in Tweaks for detail), I also use a DIY version of the passive Taddeo Digital Antidote I made a few years ago. Turntable is down due to the lack of a seperate Phonostage with low Impedance output.
Speakers: I use Tannoy Monitor Red 15" in custom made 30 mm solid wood Corner York enclosures, original crossovers and a pair of Fostex/ACR FT-17H Horn supertweeters bringing up the extreme treble.
Cables/Interconnects: Cables are DIY, "Vergeltungswaffe" Interconnects, "UBYTE-2" or "3MP" Flat Ribbon Cables (sort of Nordost SPM clones made from 3M Type 3749 SCSI 3 Cable).
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Liqurice All Sorts, from classical to heavy metal, watching TV and the TV based Music Box channel as well....
Room Size (LxWxH): 4.5m x 5.5m x 2.5m
Room Comments/Treatments: The room is somewhat assymetrical, treated with loads of 1" Felt Dots in the Harmonix Style, a heavy wall rug backed acoustic (or rather anti-acoustic) foam behind the listening position. Heavy carpet with heavy felt underlay on suspeded wood floor. Loads of Recods on shelfs as well furiture etc. completes the "room treatment". Speakers are in the room corners on the wide wall, listening position opposite against the wall. A Behringer Ultracurve 8024 digital equaliser (modified) in analogue mode is used as room correction system.
Time Period/Length of Audition: slightly over 1 Week
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): DIY 110V Balanced Power on the Digital gear, DIY Power cables etc....
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner




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Topic - REVIEW: Stevens & Billington TX-102 Special Attenuator Transformer Passive Components - Thorsten 07:51:45 02/23/02 ( 35)