preamps with germanium transistors, transformer coupled

Supermagoo doesnt speak english very well so he asked me to translate a couple of his questions.

1)If someone have heard any preamp with germanium transistors did you find any outstanding characteristic over its silicon counterpart?.

2)In this link http://chandlerlimited.com/products/germanium_pre.php.
Only the small transistors are germaium and they use a 2n3055 in the output or does it have a big germanium transistor to drive the output transformer (lo1166)?.

Supermaggo is always looking for the most esoteric things :grin:

I own some 60's McCurdy pres with silicon transistors and also some Scully pres with germaniums... you can indeed get that huge vintage sound with silicon transistors as well as the germanium counterpart... it all depends on design... and not to mention, the type transformer that is in the circuits.

If the marketing says germanium can achieve superior sound to silicon, IMHO it's just hype !

[quote author="fantomas"]1)If someone have heard any preamp with germanium transistors did you find any outstanding characteristic over its silicon counterpart?[/quote]

Well, germanium transistors tend to be noiser and have far less gain than Si transistors. Many, especially non-military grade, Ge transistors degrade with time due to germanium oxides being water soluable. Manufacturing them was a nightmare because of its finickey properties.
I remember working with the old OA type transistors in amplifier circuits around the late 70s. They sucked bad, but they were dirt cheap at the surplus stores.

i never did look at that emitter follower in the 1057, but the 1060 has the b104 line amp card, which uses an OC36 to drive the transformer.

ed

[quote author="edanderson"]which uses an OC36[/quote]
Right!

wow thanks!!! oc36 germanium driver :shock: !
can send me post or links w/ n*ves 1057??
i find old electronic store with too much new old stock of germaium transistors and diodos.

never listen germanium transistor hardware.

So I read a bit of the marketing ploy on the new germanium Chandler preamp... My silicon McCurdy pres have a feedback parameter much like the design of that Chandler germanium pre... it almost seems uncanny of the similarities described between these two devices... although, an actual shootout would be great to compare apples with oranges.

Remember this link

http://www.groupdiy.com/index.php?topic=12539&highlight=transistors+bbc

Anyone opened up the metal case of an OA transistor? There is petroleum jelly in there to protect the transistor from moisture. I remember carefully sawing the top off and glueing a little transparent piece of plastic over it quickly. That was a really cheap way of making a phototransistor. It did not last long though and within months or weeks the transistor deteriorated.