Came across this randomly on ebay. An A-10 reproduction from Crimson.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Crimson-Audio-Transformers-CT-A10-UTC-A-10-equivalent/124186059462?hash=item1cea10e2c6:g:srIAAOSwGPdeuxyD
Crimson have been around forever, and I own a couple of the SM-57 bodies w/different transformers in them they've made for ages. I also own a couple of DI transformers from them. All are good products.
I sent a message to John, the owner, asking how he went about it without the original lams (or if he managed to find some old stock). This was his response:
Hi Bryan,
The original lamination is certainly not available to me (and I don't think anyone else and I've been making transformers since 1978) and that has always been a huge problem in making a clone. The physical size and shape of the lamination is inextricably tied to the resistance and inductance in any transformer. In my mind and experience, the relationship between those 2 define the sonic nature of a transformer more than anything else outside of the actual turns ratio.
We found a way to modify a standard lamination, and together with a custom winding form, create a "package" that has almost exactly the same length per individual turn as the original. With that in hand, we needed to combine it with the other inhabitants of transformer world - materials and manufacturing techniques - in the right mix to come up with something that could duplicate the original. It took a lot of calculations and too many protos checked against the original to count, but we were finally able to match the T/R, FR curve, THD, inductance and resistance of the original.very, very closely. The A series contains elements of almost everything I have ever learned about transformers and transformer construction. I'm pretty sure it's one of those "I had to go there before I could get here" kind of things for me.
Now that we have cracked the "A" code, the A24 is ready for take off, to be followed by the A11 and A20.
.
The header they managed to source would seem to make it drop-in as a replacement, as the footprint is the same size as the A-series footprint.
Interesting development, with all the usual caveats about the difficulty of an endeavor like this. I went ahead and dropped the dime for one and will test it when it arrives.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Crimson-Audio-Transformers-CT-A10-UTC-A-10-equivalent/124186059462?hash=item1cea10e2c6:g:srIAAOSwGPdeuxyD
Crimson have been around forever, and I own a couple of the SM-57 bodies w/different transformers in them they've made for ages. I also own a couple of DI transformers from them. All are good products.
I sent a message to John, the owner, asking how he went about it without the original lams (or if he managed to find some old stock). This was his response:
Hi Bryan,
The original lamination is certainly not available to me (and I don't think anyone else and I've been making transformers since 1978) and that has always been a huge problem in making a clone. The physical size and shape of the lamination is inextricably tied to the resistance and inductance in any transformer. In my mind and experience, the relationship between those 2 define the sonic nature of a transformer more than anything else outside of the actual turns ratio.
We found a way to modify a standard lamination, and together with a custom winding form, create a "package" that has almost exactly the same length per individual turn as the original. With that in hand, we needed to combine it with the other inhabitants of transformer world - materials and manufacturing techniques - in the right mix to come up with something that could duplicate the original. It took a lot of calculations and too many protos checked against the original to count, but we were finally able to match the T/R, FR curve, THD, inductance and resistance of the original.very, very closely. The A series contains elements of almost everything I have ever learned about transformers and transformer construction. I'm pretty sure it's one of those "I had to go there before I could get here" kind of things for me.
Now that we have cracked the "A" code, the A24 is ready for take off, to be followed by the A11 and A20.
.
The header they managed to source would seem to make it drop-in as a replacement, as the footprint is the same size as the A-series footprint.
Interesting development, with all the usual caveats about the difficulty of an endeavor like this. I went ahead and dropped the dime for one and will test it when it arrives.
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