Output transformers
Moderators: pompeiisneaks, Colossal
Output transformers
How much does your choice in output transformer affect the sound of the amp, ie marshall spec to fender spec etc.
Re: Output transformers
Short of experience or word of mouth by someone who has tried may different OT's, it's pretty much a crap shoot.
If money is not an object, then trying several different brands would be a cool experiment.
I remember Gil saying on his favorite Overdrive amp he used a Marshall OT from New Sensor so maybe it was a happy accident.
I think differences in tone can be subtle if the primary impedance is the same.
But there are differences in the type of steel used in the laminations and size of the core (fat stack) which will effect saturation , wire, winding technique, etc.
Mercury Magnetics has some pretty good info on their site but you have to wade through the marketing on some of it.
If money is not an object, then trying several different brands would be a cool experiment.
I remember Gil saying on his favorite Overdrive amp he used a Marshall OT from New Sensor so maybe it was a happy accident.
I think differences in tone can be subtle if the primary impedance is the same.
But there are differences in the type of steel used in the laminations and size of the core (fat stack) which will effect saturation , wire, winding technique, etc.
Mercury Magnetics has some pretty good info on their site but you have to wade through the marketing on some of it.
Tom
Don't let that smoke out!
Don't let that smoke out!
Re: Output transformers
Not keen on MM prices especially in the UK, feason for asking is i rescued a jap crap OT which i,ve used in a wreck build, some funny artifacts in the sound, the design is quite toppy ut this sounds wierd, can pin it down but the drive is fairly crap.Structo wrote:Short of experience or word of mouth by someone who has tried may different OT's, it's pretty much a crap shoot.
If money is not an object, then trying several different brands would be a cool experiment.
I remember Gil saying on his favorite Overdrive amp he used a Marshall OT from New Sensor so maybe it was a happy accident.
I think differences in tone can be subtle if the primary impedance is the same.
But there are differences in the type of steel used in the laminations and size of the core (fat stack) which will effect saturation , wire, winding technique, etc.
Mercury Magnetics has some pretty good info on their site but you have to wade through the marketing on some of it.
Re: Output transformers
I've built over 55 amps and the cheap transformer sets have surprise me the most in tone quality.
However, the circuit your building is also going to be a key element. The Weber set in my Fender 5b6 sound great.
I tend to stick with Magnetic Components, Heyboer and Edcor mostly. You can't beat the performance of the Dynaclone A470-S which I think people said was also a Heyboer unit.
Just use a slightly larger mA rating then needed and you won't have any problems with saging voltage supply or with OT saturation.
I'm sure the Mercury units are worth the money in quality and my friend says the more often you buy Mercury helps you with lower unit cost so eventually it should work out if your addicted to amp building like this crowd around here.
Mark
However, the circuit your building is also going to be a key element. The Weber set in my Fender 5b6 sound great.
I tend to stick with Magnetic Components, Heyboer and Edcor mostly. You can't beat the performance of the Dynaclone A470-S which I think people said was also a Heyboer unit.
Just use a slightly larger mA rating then needed and you won't have any problems with saging voltage supply or with OT saturation.
I'm sure the Mercury units are worth the money in quality and my friend says the more often you buy Mercury helps you with lower unit cost so eventually it should work out if your addicted to amp building like this crowd around here.
Mark
Re: Output transformers
biggest problem over here in Blighty is the 20% tax rate, plus handling and customs charges can easly push a MM trannie to nearly 3 times the price of a hammond, same with any other US manufacturer, even if i bought 10 MM's the savings would dissapear into the governments pocketsM Fowler wrote:I've built over 55 amps and the cheap transformer sets have surprise me the most in tone quality.
However, the circuit your building is also going to be a key element. The Weber set in my Fender 5b6 sound great.
I tend to stick with Magnetic Components, Heyboer and Edcor mostly. You can't beat the performance of the Dynaclone A470-S which I think people said was also a Heyboer unit.
Just use a slightly larger mA rating then needed and you won't have any problems with saging voltage supply or with OT saturation.
I'm sure the Mercury units are worth the money in quality and my friend says the more often you buy Mercury helps you with lower unit cost so eventually it should work out if your addicted to amp building like this crowd around here.
Mark
Re: Output transformers
You guys have some EU transformer builders I've noticed so I would just use what you can find locally.
Like Ampbuilder or Modulus Amps
Like Ampbuilder or Modulus Amps
Re: Output transformers
Barry at amp builder is pretty sound, good components usually at a good price, Modulus i avoid , not very helpfull and not particularly good range.M Fowler wrote:You guys have some EU transformer builders I've noticed so I would just use what you can find locally.
Like Ampbuilder or Modulus Amps
On a slight side note, did i see you had build a orange style amp, if you have can you send me a link and some audio if you have it