Is the mic. tranformer important to the sound ?

Hello, ppl

Is the mic. tranformer important to the sound ?
has anyone test more the one mic. transformer on a mic, to test if there are difference in the sound ???

:twisted: thanks

Are you talking about the mic input transformer on a mic pre or the output transformer on a microphone? Either way, the answer is yes, the transformer makes a huge difference. In terms of mic pre's, compare an api 312 with a 2622 to a new api 512 with a jensen. Same circuit, totally different sound. The neve 33114 used marinar inputs and the later 33222 or whatever the number was used a belclere and I think they sound very different. I know someone who tried a jensen in the output of a U47 and the sound changed tremendously, the original u47 transformer has a much steeper high end rolloff than the transformer he substituted.

Experiment, you can turn a piece of gear you dont like too much into something cooler than you thought by swapping iron.

dave

i'm talking about the output transformer on a microphone.

has ony one compare the:

jensen
lundahl
sowter
haufe


thanks

All transformers sounds very different in my experiences.

Try it out. You´ll hear.

If you are building a ELAM251 and wants the original sound, go for the HAUFE.

well, like I said above, I compared whatever is in a u47 to whatever jensen was equivalent (dont know exactly what transformer this guy put in there) and the difference changed the high end of the mic incredibly. The jensen passed frequencies that the original simply didnt. I also have a pair of AKG c60's which used whatever ancient transformers akg used back in the day and replaced those with jensens and those mics went from the most average sounding tube mics to shockingly awesome, simply by changing the transformer. So it makes a big difference in my experience.

I have heard lots of guys swapping the transformer in rca 74b's with a lundahl and everyone has raved about it, but I havent heard one in person to comment.

Im sure Gus has lots of experience trying stuff out, hopefully he'll chime in.

dave

Situations were the signal is small and the source imp is high and the need for a step up trafo is great ...
will probably lead to variation and care will be required.

YES
experimentation is a must.

You may find that you need much more than just you ears to help work out what is going on with the changes you might make.
You will not only need some gear but some test techniques that you must keep consistant so you can compare results from different test days ... months and years apart.

[quote author="Gabriel Sousa"]Hello, ppl

Is the mic. tranformer important to the sound ?
has anyone test more the one mic. transformer on a mic, to test if there are difference in the sound ???

:twisted: thanks[/quote]

The transformer is as important to the sound as anything else--capsule, grill, body, capacitors, tubes, PSU, cables...

Only your ears can deside however, what kind of difference any of these make. It will also depend on your application. It will also depend even on your mood. Very often I like the sound today, the very next day I think it doesn't sound good at all, the third day I come back thinking: "What's the heck was I thinking yesterday".

I love pickles, my wife hates them. She loves olives, but I hate them. All of the transformers you posted are good, and there is a big difference between all of them. You will hear whole range of opinions, but once again, try them out and see what do you like and what suits the best for your applications. Only you can decide this.

I have heard lots of guys swapping the transformer in rca 74b's with a lundahl and everyone has raved about it, but I havent heard one in person to comment.

Click to expand...

The RCA line has very good transducers, but their transformers... might be better. Varoacoustic's one is particularly bad, stock 74 is not that good. 77 also might benefit from changing its trafo. Lundahl, due to its amorphous core, has its own sound, and although lately, I have some second thoughts if I really like it, still it is a very good trafo and I always want to have it handy.

It depends how good your ears are - 20 years of standing infront of Marshall stacks........no difference! But apart from that I fully agree.
Stephen

Thanks a lot ppl, for the help...

:razz:

I think as the ratio goes up on the transformer you will notice more difference.
A 600:600 from brand x might sound just like brand y, but a 1:10 brand x will be more different than brand y.

Most of the stuff we do is low level, nothing much above line. Now when you get into push pull plate x-formers for power tubes, then you really start to hear some personallity differences as you have the abillity to saturate the core in a more radical way.

[quote author="cjenrick"]I think as the ratio goes up on the transformer you will notice more difference.
[/quote]
Yes, but there are also differences in the some producers.
There must be generally diferences
O'Meara's Formula:
transformer bandwidth is related to its wounding ratio by wounding ratio coefitient:
M1=1/(sqrt(1+sqr(1/n-n)/2))
This equation fails on comparing transformers with 1:1 ratio to transformer
1:40 ratio like ribbon mic transformer. Someone would make corrections.
But for comparing 1:1 with 1:3 it can be useful.
I have posted it here for some time ago.
xvlk

Has onyone tried different xformers in the G7 mic?

i have my G7 with an OEP a262a3e
i only know my G7, and the sound is incredible :shock: :shock:
very sweet, very define, and really "alive" sound

sound clips soon !!