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07-11-2023, 01:53 PM
Hi Guys
The Trans-Tube amp approach is primarily aimed at hifi, hence a reference to "hifi hobbyists".
But... there is always a "but"...
Guitar amps were originally hifi applications using hifi circuits, where the guitar amplifier itself was meant to be a local public address system with many older amps having a mix of inputs for guitar, bass, accordion, organ and voice. As the amplifiers became more affordable, dedicated PAs got larger and players began overdriving the amps, the needs of guitar players changed and products for them became more focused.
I always look beyond MI for ideas that can be applied to audio and to MI. It makes sense to me to know what the bigger picture is and to try not to have tunnel vision limiting design choices. That's why we have Power Scaling, Super Scaling, GmX, RmX, better effects loops, better bass amps, better guitar amps, better speaker cabinets, etc.
It is well-known that if an OT is driven by a low-impedance that the OT distortions will be reduced and its parasitic elements will be less problematic. Where we are used to the traditional tube wiring modes to reduce tube distortion and to a small extent some OT distortion, the Tans Tube approach is counterintuitive where we use the tube in its nominally most distortive mode to be able to make the greatest overall distortion reduction. This is not just a reduction of the tube THD itself, but one that results in dramatically lower-THD than an all-tube circuit can achieve. It is the way of hybrids, as mentioned above.
We use tubes in MI because we like their distortion, their nonlinearities, and their near-organic qualities. However, there are good and bad distortions, so it is good to have a tool box filled with tethers and controls we can apply as needed to achieve our desired goals. Besides, we may have aesthetic ideals that we wish to explore, even if that becomes a hurdle in attaining an overall sound.
Not all THD is good. Not all power tube distortion is good. Power tube distortion is not "better" or "worse" than preamp tube distortion - it is just different.
IM (intermodulation distortion) is definitely always bad. It causes ghost notes. It causes nonmusical harmonics. It causes fatigue for the listener. It results in a loss of resolution and smearing of the sound.
TUTs explore all of these issues and the best defense against unwanted distortions, especially IM, is to use Galactic Grounding as TUT3 details. Apart from that, anything that reduces THD also reduces IM, and ultimately in hifi, will reduce every other type of distortion, too.
The Trans-Tube amp approach is primarily aimed at hifi, hence a reference to "hifi hobbyists".
But... there is always a "but"...
Guitar amps were originally hifi applications using hifi circuits, where the guitar amplifier itself was meant to be a local public address system with many older amps having a mix of inputs for guitar, bass, accordion, organ and voice. As the amplifiers became more affordable, dedicated PAs got larger and players began overdriving the amps, the needs of guitar players changed and products for them became more focused.
I always look beyond MI for ideas that can be applied to audio and to MI. It makes sense to me to know what the bigger picture is and to try not to have tunnel vision limiting design choices. That's why we have Power Scaling, Super Scaling, GmX, RmX, better effects loops, better bass amps, better guitar amps, better speaker cabinets, etc.
It is well-known that if an OT is driven by a low-impedance that the OT distortions will be reduced and its parasitic elements will be less problematic. Where we are used to the traditional tube wiring modes to reduce tube distortion and to a small extent some OT distortion, the Tans Tube approach is counterintuitive where we use the tube in its nominally most distortive mode to be able to make the greatest overall distortion reduction. This is not just a reduction of the tube THD itself, but one that results in dramatically lower-THD than an all-tube circuit can achieve. It is the way of hybrids, as mentioned above.
We use tubes in MI because we like their distortion, their nonlinearities, and their near-organic qualities. However, there are good and bad distortions, so it is good to have a tool box filled with tethers and controls we can apply as needed to achieve our desired goals. Besides, we may have aesthetic ideals that we wish to explore, even if that becomes a hurdle in attaining an overall sound.
Not all THD is good. Not all power tube distortion is good. Power tube distortion is not "better" or "worse" than preamp tube distortion - it is just different.
IM (intermodulation distortion) is definitely always bad. It causes ghost notes. It causes nonmusical harmonics. It causes fatigue for the listener. It results in a loss of resolution and smearing of the sound.
TUTs explore all of these issues and the best defense against unwanted distortions, especially IM, is to use Galactic Grounding as TUT3 details. Apart from that, anything that reduces THD also reduces IM, and ultimately in hifi, will reduce every other type of distortion, too.
