Input vs Output Transformer Mojo

In a situation where gear can only fit an input or output transformer, not both, which is preferred?

Does an input or output transformer have more color? Obviously dependent on material specifics, but in general.

An input transformer would be superior with CMRR. But if an input transformer equipped gear would feed an output transformer equipped gear, they would then not be isolated from each other? So would consistency be preferred?

bigger is better! Outputs are usually bigger. If you drive your device harder, you’ll push the OP transformer, but you might want an attenuator so you don’t kill the next piece of gear in the chain.

I usually find myself preferring the sound of no output transformer if the option is available.

Good gain staging with regards to overload margins ,
Depending on how hard you want to drive a transformer ,

Input transformers with nickel cores respond well to ocassional short term transients well above the nominal level , but they dont often sound good when overdriven ,
A larger iron cored output transformer with its own drive circuitry is a better place to get soft clipping , but you may need to attenuate after .

I would say input transformer because it gives you true galvanic isolation and therefore freedom from hum loops at sensitive inputs. At the output, impedance balancing is sufficient.

Cheers

Ian

The OP included the question about whether it’s in some way better to feed transformer gear from and to transformer gear.

For properly designed and correctly wired gear it shouldn’t matter if one or more contains transformers (except possibly for coloration). For poorly integrated or marginally designed gear transformers can help isolate gear, as @ruffrecords says. However, lots of new and inexpensive gear doesn’t like to drive 600 ohm inputs, so that could cause its own problems.

No simple answer, but if you typically use a specific specific signal path, you could optimize to suit your preferences and the type of gear you use.

What about for color, any particular favorites people have? Generally looking at 10k inputs and 600 outputs.

For colour use an M6 core and hit it hard or perhaps trickle some DC though it. Loads of threads here that discuss transformer colour.

Cheers

Ian

I found a clean 440hz tone useful for testing smaller transformers and how they're likely to distort ,
2nd harmonic is only 880hz but you can clearly hear the higher overtones creep in as the level is increased .