cwileyriser
Member
I did look through the metas, but didn't see the answers jumping out at me, so sorry if this is answered there.....
When looking at spec sheets for similar transformers with fairly drastic differences in price, what are the most critical things to compare to decide whether a particular lower-cost transformer probably would do the job?
For example, I want to build an impedence matching box for sending line level out of a board and into a guitar amp, using a Jensen schematic that calls for a Jensen JT-11P-1 ($70). What's most critical in looking at other 10K:10K impedence matching transformers like a Sowter 3575 ($60 from Prodigy), a Sowter 4600 (apparently not stocked by Prodigy, but around $35 direct from Sowter), or an Edcor WSM 10k:10K ($9).
No surprise that as I move up the price ladder, the frequency response gets better, particularly in the 20Hz-50Hz range, and the max input level at some acceptably low THD level gets higher (but I think I'm having to compare apples to oranges because of different testing reference standards). However, the differences don't appear to be that stark, particularly for the guitar's frequency range, which doesn't dip down into the very low ranges where the performance of the transformers varies most significantly (but even then, not by that much).
It seems to me that if I specifically was going to use the box for bass, then I should go for the Jensen or the Sowter 3575 for the better performance in the low end, but that using one of these more expensive ones may be much less critical for guitar if budget is a principal concern.
I'm a self-taught (poorly, at this point) beginning DIY'er, but does what I'm saying make sense - am I on the right track?
When I was a little kid, my dad, who was a physics major in college and an engineer at a large defense contractor, used his GI Bill benefits to take a pretty heavy-duty electronics self-study course from Bell & Howell. I remember volumes and volumes of big orange three-ring binders and him building Heathkit radios, TV's, and even a big console organ. He spent most weeknights for a few years soldering at the dining room table, lots of times listening to Orioles games on one of the radios he built. I thought it was all pretty cool, but I was too young (I guess) to really be able to learn much. Now I wish I had begged him to teach me more!
I've ordered The Art of Electronics, and it looks great, but it also looks pretty intense. But it seems to be the best way to start filling my gigantic gaps in knowledge.
When looking at spec sheets for similar transformers with fairly drastic differences in price, what are the most critical things to compare to decide whether a particular lower-cost transformer probably would do the job?
For example, I want to build an impedence matching box for sending line level out of a board and into a guitar amp, using a Jensen schematic that calls for a Jensen JT-11P-1 ($70). What's most critical in looking at other 10K:10K impedence matching transformers like a Sowter 3575 ($60 from Prodigy), a Sowter 4600 (apparently not stocked by Prodigy, but around $35 direct from Sowter), or an Edcor WSM 10k:10K ($9).
No surprise that as I move up the price ladder, the frequency response gets better, particularly in the 20Hz-50Hz range, and the max input level at some acceptably low THD level gets higher (but I think I'm having to compare apples to oranges because of different testing reference standards). However, the differences don't appear to be that stark, particularly for the guitar's frequency range, which doesn't dip down into the very low ranges where the performance of the transformers varies most significantly (but even then, not by that much).
It seems to me that if I specifically was going to use the box for bass, then I should go for the Jensen or the Sowter 3575 for the better performance in the low end, but that using one of these more expensive ones may be much less critical for guitar if budget is a principal concern.
I'm a self-taught (poorly, at this point) beginning DIY'er, but does what I'm saying make sense - am I on the right track?
When I was a little kid, my dad, who was a physics major in college and an engineer at a large defense contractor, used his GI Bill benefits to take a pretty heavy-duty electronics self-study course from Bell & Howell. I remember volumes and volumes of big orange three-ring binders and him building Heathkit radios, TV's, and even a big console organ. He spent most weeknights for a few years soldering at the dining room table, lots of times listening to Orioles games on one of the radios he built. I thought it was all pretty cool, but I was too young (I guess) to really be able to learn much. Now I wish I had begged him to teach me more!
I've ordered The Art of Electronics, and it looks great, but it also looks pretty intense. But it seems to be the best way to start filling my gigantic gaps in knowledge.
