At what point would you consider it an iron overdose?

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Junction

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 23, 2007
Messages
427
Location
Sydney, Australia
I am in the process of assembling some 500 series modules, a couple of 1073 pre's (Sound Skulptor), 1084 eq's (LazPro) and eagerly awaiting the 1176 (Igor), planned to be used as tracking channels ... and eventually to become the basis of an 8 - 12 channel tracking console.

However each module has an input and output transformer ... iron overload and heavy on the pocket.  ::)

Do I really need so much iron if these are all running back to back  ???
 
You would probably love to have a neve 8078 console, right?  If you monitor a mix, every track is going through 9 transformers (assuming a mix insert mod) on it's way to the speakers.  Not including anything you might want to insert.  The transformers are there for the specific equipment design and not for what is connected to it.
Are your pockets ready ;?
Mike
 
My collegue worked at a broadcast station with a Lawo desk in one of the studios. When it was replaced by an SSL (IIRC Keith/SSLtech was telling this story here some time ago) everybody was complaining about how colored the sound was. In fact the entire crew was not very amused about the change in sound. The Lawo desk had something like >20 trannies from mic-in to master out in the signalpath and was considered as the cleanest desk in the entire facility (with 100+ analog desks), the SSL had 1 mic-input tranny. So much concerning iron overdose. If designed right, the iron doesn´t do harm to the sound.
 
I think the overload is more to do with $$.

I like transformers. The more the better. Either they work or they don't...there's less shit to tinker with.

RE: API trafos, you typically can't use API type trafos with neve outputs because of the DC at the output. You generally need gapped outputs, and usually larger core 3/4" vs 5/8" (except the mini 1166 by ed anderson which is 5/8). You can get Ed's neve trafos at hairball audio, or you could try to wind your own if you can get lams where you live.

Another option is buying the chinese trafos people take out of chameleon labs preamps when they "upgrade" to Carnhill. Saw some inputs on ebay recently for $10, outputs were something like $5. Doesn't get cheaper than that. People will say that they are chinese and therefore suck, but that's just gearslutz talk.

My chinese 1084 preamp (chance group buy) sounds just fine with it's chinese trafos (once you correct the zobel networks, shield the toroid, and swap a few caps), and the only person who has done a carnhill trafo upgrade on these and tested both (that I trust anyway) is Rodabod. IIRC his words were that the difference was subtle. (EDIT: my memory is obviously lacking, so I posted his original post below). Maybe I'll do the test also, but I'm lazy, and I am thankful that he did it for me. So anyway, yeah I guess I'll get flamed now.

(Roddy's comments on the chineVe vs Carnhill trafos)
[quote author=rodabod]Basically, the Carnhills seemed to have a slightly thicker bottom-end and low mids, whereas the Chinese models either sounded harder or thinner (maybe they were just cleaner, who knows?).[/quote]
 
How about just popping on a 100uf capacitor on the output of a Neveish preamp then hit the nice iron wound-up.

CC
 
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