XFRMR At Monitor Amp Input?

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

"Joe Kramer" <musetrap@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:vmvOe.420$5B4.50@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net
> Hi Friends,
>
> I'm currently investigating possible ways to connect my
> unbalanced recording system to the balanced input of my
> Hafler P3000. Besides fiddling with several cabling
> solutions, I also have a dual Jensen transformer unit,
> which I normally use on some inputs of my recorder.
> After doing an A/B comparison (as best I could) between
> hard-coupled versus transformer at the input of the amp,
> I thought initially that the transformer tilted the
> frequency response toward the low end and lacked
> crispness. But after some more listening and mixing
> through it, I now realize what I originally heard as a
> lack of high end was really the removal of some harsh
> upper blurriness, and it allowed me to better distinguish
> between, say, maracas, tamborine, and acoustic guitar
> strumming. The upper-mid to high frequencies seem to sit
> apart better with the transformer, not to mention the
> system is dead quiet now. The mix actually translates
> well on other speakers, too.
> My question has to do with consensus or corroboration.
> Before I go and cough up the dough, any opinions, advice,
> words of warning about mixing through transformers? Is
> there a downside? Anyone else have the experience of
> hearing the improvements I think I'm hearing? Thanks.

When sonic accuracy is the goal, transformers are in the
necessary evil department.

IOW, if your system isn't broke without them, you probably
want to leave them out.

If you are getting hum in the link between your console and
your monitor amp, its probably a matter of grounding or
cabling.

The power amp should be plugged into the same outlet or plug
strip as the equipment that drives it.

If the cable from the source to a power amp with a balanced
input is now just shielded coax, you may get an audible
improvement in noise by replacing it with a cable that has
two wires, so that the balanced input is bridged across the
output terminals of the source. IOW, use a shielded
two-conductor cable and hook one signal wire to the shield
at the source end.

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

In article <SDJOe.897$5B4.822@newsread2.news.pas.earthlink.net> musetrap@earthlink.net writes:

> (Jensen AN-003
> paper). Not surprisingly, their first best solution is to use one of
> their input transformers. I'd be skeptical of this myself, but in
> practice it really does sound better than the hard-coupled arrangement.

I think that's just your taste. I don't buy the "less blurriness" but
if that's the way you hear what the transformer does, then so be it.
Are you sure that you didn't invert the polarity of the audio when you
put the transformer in there? That could cause things to sound a
little different.

There's no reason why, in this application, a transformer should have
more accurate signal transfer than direct wiring.

Have you tried the "impedance balanced" source approach, with a
resistor to ground connected to Pin 3 that's equal to the source
impedance of the hot side of the output? (you'll have to determine
that value experimentally).


--
I'm really Mike Rivers (mrivers@d-and-d.com)
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

In article <6JOOe.834$z2.804@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net> musetrap@earthlink.net writes:

> > There's no reason why, in this application, a transformer should have
> > more accurate signal transfer than direct wiring.
>
> But there is a reason it might sound better: all kinds of spurious high
> frequency garbage from radio signals, computer switching, and power line
> noise can be carried into the sensitive amp inputs and cause
> intermodular distortion.

Of course. But is this the case in your system? There are other ways
to solve that problem besides a transformer, but a transformer is
often the easiest solution if you can live with what it adds.

> This would seem a good explanation for the
> blurriness I heard -- difficulty distinguishing between similar sounds
> in high registers.

I never try to attribute what I hear to a component. I wouldn't think
that "blurrieness" could be a result of EMI, but I really don't know.
If it makes you happy, spend the money.


--
I'm really Mike Rivers (mrivers@d-and-d.com)
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo