Transformer balanced speaker output from amp

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dasbin

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 2, 2004
Messages
106
Location
Vancouver, Canada
Can someone please explain the concept behind this? Why is it sometimes incorporated into amps, especially in active speaker designs?
I understand what it's doing but I don't understand why it needs to be done. Is there a purpose for balancing a speaker (especially when it has less of 1' of wiring to run through) that I'm not aware of?
It is usually done only to HF drivers, not LF.
It seems the last thing I would want before my HF driver is a colouring transformer!

The only thing I can think of is the transformer might provide some protection of the driver against DC. But there are DC blocking caps on the amp input anyway.
I realize this is a totally newbie question. I know next to nothing about amp and speaker theory.
 
> Is there a purpose for balancing a speaker

Speaker lines that run close to lower-level lines for long distances should be balanced to reduce crosstalk and electric feedback.

> when it has less of 1' of wiring to run through

Never saw that, can't think of any reason to do it. Can you point to an example?
 
Here's what initially got me curious:

http://www.kv2audio.com/ex_10.html

Very high quality 50-watt, low IM distortion Class A/B high frequency amplifier with transformer-balanced output

In an active design.
Is this just a case of the transformer being used to convert the impedance for the horn driver, and the fact that it's balanced (even though it is specifically mentioned) is an unimportant side-effect?
 
They say they like it:

http://www.kv2audio.com/technology.html

"The amplifier output transformers provide a vital technique for controlling the output signal of the amplifier under clipping. We found no way to control the fundamental distortion created by the amplifier when it clips but we did find that the output transformers could control the intermodulation distortion by-product produced."
 
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