Seems Like Xformers are Worth Their Weight in Gold Now

[skipwave]

I only have two UTC transformers

one is an A-39 in a Countryhick DI

the other is an LS-30X that I bought for $20 on eBay, which is serving as the interstage in a PRR VariMu compressor

Now I see examples like these

 

[emrr]

So much of this I’ve had and sold at huge markups, then 6 months later it looks like i was robbed. I don’t see an end to it.

 

[mjrippe]

It is crazy out there. I saw an auction for a PA type plug-in transformer 150:600 that went for over $200 a pair. I had 18 of them sitting in a box (probably paid <$20 each) and only needed to keep 10 so I sold 8 at $100 each in two days! And these are NOT Altec 4722 or RCA 12399. All went to Japan where some audiophool probably mentioned them in an article about his amazing hi-fi.

 

[shabtek]

any PKD fans here? 'the man in the high castle' where antiques/ephemera is fetishized reminds me of how 'vintage' gear keeps climbing in nominal cost

I recall in 2008 crash looking at values of collectible sports cards falling through the floor

interesting economic indicators

 

[Whoops]

I have a few already ta. And I paid about $100 each so

Yes, that seems to be the correct price. I showed photos of 2 actions in the last months were A19 were sold for less that 100€

 

[Phrazemaster]

What a clown.

 

[j.colt]

Magnetika sent me a quote for $1000/piece + $500 setup fee for a brand new A-24, so I guess the A-24 is still "undervalued"??

 

[JohnRoberts]

Now is a good time to sell used cars/trucks before the IC shortage clears up.

My neighbor has three pick up trucks. I've been trying to get him so sell at least one of them in this sellers market but he plans to give his 3rd truck to a grandson. Two trucks (a nice late model for highway trips), and one older beater makes more sense.

JR

 

[emrr]

Magnetika sent me a quote for $1000/piece + $500 setup fee for a brand new A-24, so I guess the A-24 is still "undervalued"??

That's an F-off quote for what they regard as a nuisance request, they probably get that a couple times a week, and they don't want to do it. The AMI clone seems to now be available. A-24's are garbage anyway.....I know, that's 'inflammatory', but I wouldn't keep one, or spend anything for one either.

 

[j.colt]

I did interpret this as a F-off quote indeed. Did you get a chance to audition the AMI clone? They seems like a really good alternative.

 

[Phrazemaster]

That's an F-off quote for what they regard as a nuisance request, they probably get that a couple times a week, and they don't want to do it. The AMI clone seems to now be available. A-24's are garbage anyway.....I know, that's 'inflammatory', but I wouldn't keep one, or spend anything for one either.

What don't you like about the A24s? Are there any UTCs you like? Thx

 

[emrr]

They sound small and band limited compared to plenty of other things. I have a bunch of LS series UTC and a bunch of custom part # stuff on Gates and RCA modules that all makes A series sound cheap. That's my experience, sold all the A series stuff years ago, YMMV. Bonus: I had Thordarson A-24 versions that sounded better than most of the UTC's I had sitting around at the time.

They are the bottom of the UTC quality scale in terms of ‘quality audio parts for the audiophile DIY’er’. They sound so middle of the road. I want contrast; if I want truly hifi they aren’t it, and if I want euphonic colored band-limited they aren’t that either. There are tons of things that do the same job (pretty much the single most common tube output ratio available) as well or better from any point of view one might have, for so much less money.

 

[skipwave]

emrr knows.

likewise, LS-30X sounds beautifully clear, open, and accurate to my ears, but it’s also a 5 lb brick. If it sounded small that would be a sad thing, indeed.

I forgot I have an O-16 on the shelf. It sounds bad in a cool way. I was going to put it into a deliberately colorful tube mic preamp some day, but I doubt I will ever have time.

who wants an O-16?

 

[Phrazemaster]

They sound small and band limited compared to plenty of other things. I have a bunch of LS series UTC and a bunch of custom part # stuff on Gates and RCA modules that all makes A series sound cheap. That's my experience, sold all the A series stuff years ago, YMMV. Bonus: I had Thordarson A-24 versions that sounded better than most of the UTC's I had sitting around at the time.

They are the bottom of the UTC quality scale in terms of ‘quality audio parts for the audiophile DIY’er’. They sound so middle of the road. I want contrast; if I want truly hifi they aren’t it, and if I want euphonic colored band-limited they aren’t that either. There are tons of things that do the same job (pretty much the single most common tube output ratio available) as well or better from any point of view one might have, for so much less money.

Many thanks Doug! It's great to hear your experience. Now I rue having spent $$ to buy the A24s for a couple projects. Oh well, you live and earn...

Thx!

Mike

 

[lassoharp]

I'm personally not too crazy about the HA series either. I used one I picked up fairly cheap for the OT on a DIY tube build that had an input that I already knew the sound of well and it was clear that the HA OT was the weak link. Kind of smeared and mushy. I also have a pair of A-25s on another set of DIY tube pres and whenever I have the chance to get something better at a decent price those UTCs are coming off and going up for sale. But I should also mention that its bc they don't do that vintage big pillowy crooner vocal sound very well relative to their upstream counterparts. That particular sound though doesn't equate with most modern high fidelity SS pres and would be considered a 'colored sound' by most engineers.

For perspective, if I had bought the lower UTCs at a cheap price (or pulled them out of dumpster) then I would easily praise them as being good for a deliberate 'color pre' that might be a great one or two trick pony. But with the outrageous prices of today all that would be flushed bc as Emrr said there are plenty of other lo-fi budget grade iron that can offer acceptable options for the color-box pre and probably do it better. The A-series is kind of in a purgatory in that regard.

I have an industrial version of an HA series input I bought from Emrr that has speech range L specs that I plan on using for a one trick junk box pre for recording acoustic guitar on tracks where I'd be rolling off the majority of the low mids and bottom anyhow (top end and mids sound fine). But if I had todays hysteria prices it would be an easy no go.

 

[skipwave]

Transformania!

We like?

 

[skipwave]

I should just not look, but for real?

 

[j.colt]

Well, these guys "allowed dc 4ma"

 

[rackmonkey]

That's an F-off quote for what they regard as a nuisance request, they probably get that a couple times a week, and they don't want to do it.

Got a similar F-off quote about 5 years ago from Thordarson for a model listed in an early 60s Radio Master catalog. $700 without the potted enclosure. I was irritated enough to say, “okay let’s do it. How do I send payment?”. Never heard back.

Totally agree with lassoharp on the HA iron. Have tried multiple HA units in various projects and never stuck with it for my own purposes. Only kept them in for customer projects where they were requested. Even then, I tried to talk the customer out of it. They just don’t sound as good as their pedigree would suggest.

As for the Triad pair shown above, I have a couple of those along with about a dozen of the A-65J’s (15k:600/150 parafeed output). Talk about milky/smeared. if you want color, it’s there, but might not be the color you’re looking for.

who wants an O-16?

I do. PM me on that.

like many of us, I’m sitting on easily over a couple hundred UTC/Triad/Thordarson/RCA/ADC etc. I hang onto them for customer projects these days mostly. With the current prices I wonder if I should just start unloading some. The whole thing smacks of a bubble. I wonder what happens to these prices over time as the younger folks start dominating the market. Younger musicians and aspiring engineers lately ask me why I even bother with hardware, something I didn’t get asked much just a few years ago. You can’t miss what you never had, I guess.

 

[Whoops]

Younger musicians and aspiring engineers lately ask me why I even bother with hardware, something I didn’t get asked much just a few years ago. You can’t miss what you never had, I guess.

I had all the hardware, used it all, now I use plugins and I don't miss any hardware unit.
I'm just happy that I have less noise (hiss) and much less hassle in servicing and maintenance. I can also use as many 1176 and LA2A as I want.
Soundwise I'm also achieving better mixes.

So in the last years I'm one of the people that may ask "why bother with hardware?"

Sorry if you don't agree but it's just my honest opinion and experience