Line input transformers- what's the hubbub?

[boji]

Checking out Eisen's site for a DIY 500pre, they have a comprehensive list of input trannys to choose from, not just for mic's, but some tailored specifically for instruments and line input. My question is this, if they are to offer an alternative to mic tx's then why not add options to have both on the card and be switchable as a standard? Is it a pcb real estate thing or is it a "It's-just-not-that-crucial-to-have-a-line-input-tx" thing? Yes, differential line input direct to opamp is the standard, so am I making a fuss about nothing? 
Would it for example make my Aurora outputs happier to drive a tx?

As a slight aside, tubemooleys idea was to butcher the outputs on my aurora, and drive jensen cans directly off the opa604's...but this improvement in sound would seem to come from removing the line out booster IC's from the Aurora signal path.

 

[Tubemooley]

I think you have the mod slightly wrong. You would open up the circuit between the DAC outputs and the OPA604's and drive the DAC outputs DIRECTLY into the jensen trannie's. And the output of the jensen IS the aurora output at that point. Some guys may disagree with me but IC opamps "filter" or "veil" the audio. Yes, they're spec's are tremendous. But they alter the sound. We do not have any opamps between the DAC outputs and our discrete transistor mixer inputs. Maybe I'm being a snob. But this is how we do it at our studio. The IC opamps do the same thing on the ADC inputs too. But removing the IC opamps from that circuit is trickier. Much trickier.

And then, to address your first question, I believe it is mostly a case of pcb real estate. Most 500 series mic pre's don't have enough space to jam in another transformer. And I don't think it would make much of a difference to drive your stock aurora outputs into a line-level transformer and then thru a DOA.

 

[boji]

Hey, thanks for the reply, I appreciate it. Sorry bout getting the mod wrong I was sleepy and didn't reread your nice thread on the procedure before posting. The word 'butcher' is not very ingratiating either is it.  :

 

[Tubemooley]

No problem. Don't worry about. DW.