For about four years I've been tinkering, tweaking, and trying in pursuit of the sound I want out of my DIY tube preamp. Ad nauseam. The GroupDIY community has been stellar.
I've gotten this thing down to near PERFECT frequency response. +/- 0.1db from 20Hz to 30kHz at all gain levels. Relatively clean open loop gain. In spite of this, I can’t fall in love with the sound.
However, sticking in this Crimson A10 clone input transformer makes me smile. It has all sorts of anomalies. Overshoot, a 2dB ring at 20kHz that increases with gain, harmonic saturation.
To me, it just sounds better for some reason that I can’t explain. It’s like loving a woman for her imperfections. I keep going back! Would you admit to loving a ringing input transformer?
I trust frequency sweeps and my oscilloscope. But I listen with my ears, and they’re telling me something else.
Am I wrong for feeling this way? Should I not admit this? This seems like a safe place. I can handle the truth.
Analogous to this is violin makers. I’ve been playing fiddle since I was 10, and I’ve held some beautifully “perfect” instruments that sound like garbage. Some builders will chase down and eliminate entirely any semblance of wolf tones, in effect stamping out the instrument’s soul. It might “measure” good, but no serious musician will want to play it. The best ones have resonance, on borderline of wolf, and a certain response unique to itself.
Could it be that our favorite audio gear is similar to this?
I've gotten this thing down to near PERFECT frequency response. +/- 0.1db from 20Hz to 30kHz at all gain levels. Relatively clean open loop gain. In spite of this, I can’t fall in love with the sound.
However, sticking in this Crimson A10 clone input transformer makes me smile. It has all sorts of anomalies. Overshoot, a 2dB ring at 20kHz that increases with gain, harmonic saturation.
To me, it just sounds better for some reason that I can’t explain. It’s like loving a woman for her imperfections. I keep going back! Would you admit to loving a ringing input transformer?
I trust frequency sweeps and my oscilloscope. But I listen with my ears, and they’re telling me something else.
Am I wrong for feeling this way? Should I not admit this? This seems like a safe place. I can handle the truth.
Analogous to this is violin makers. I’ve been playing fiddle since I was 10, and I’ve held some beautifully “perfect” instruments that sound like garbage. Some builders will chase down and eliminate entirely any semblance of wolf tones, in effect stamping out the instrument’s soul. It might “measure” good, but no serious musician will want to play it. The best ones have resonance, on borderline of wolf, and a certain response unique to itself.
Could it be that our favorite audio gear is similar to this?