Hi,
I have just build my first tube amp and i was designing a nice rosewood box for it when i found my output transformer was just too big for this little amp- my mistake. I wanted to do a little and cute box.... The trafo is a hammond 125ESE. I have seen the smallest of the SE line rating 3W really cheap (Hammond ASE) and as my amp puts out 2w am thinking of buying it and use the ESE(15w) for a guitar amp(the amp i made is too clean for electric guitar).
My question is this: will i miss something in the sound?
I am happy with its sound but i plan to make another amp with some Russian valves i saw in the future. Will i repent if i replace the transformer? If somebody tells me the sound would change for worse i would not do it.
I'm not an audiophile but my ears are not fooled easily.
Thanks
I have just build my first tube amp and i was designing a nice rosewood box for it when i found my output transformer was just too big for this little amp- my mistake. I wanted to do a little and cute box.... The trafo is a hammond 125ESE. I have seen the smallest of the SE line rating 3W really cheap (Hammond ASE) and as my amp puts out 2w am thinking of buying it and use the ESE(15w) for a guitar amp(the amp i made is too clean for electric guitar).
My question is this: will i miss something in the sound?
I am happy with its sound but i plan to make another amp with some Russian valves i saw in the future. Will i repent if i replace the transformer? If somebody tells me the sound would change for worse i would not do it.
I'm not an audiophile but my ears are not fooled easily.
Thanks
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Hi,
So long as the primary resistance and the secondary taps are correct it should be fine. I think as far as transformers go, all other things being equal, the smaller they are the better the frequency response will be, though I dont know if this will be noticable. If it's rated 3W, has the right primary resistance and the right secondary taps, and is cheap, Id go for it. If you decide you dont like it you can always swap it back as you say you can get them cheap
I'm a beginner myself so dont take any of this as fact!! I'd wait to see what everyone else has to say on it...
Good luck,
Steve
So long as the primary resistance and the secondary taps are correct it should be fine. I think as far as transformers go, all other things being equal, the smaller they are the better the frequency response will be, though I dont know if this will be noticable. If it's rated 3W, has the right primary resistance and the right secondary taps, and is cheap, Id go for it. If you decide you dont like it you can always swap it back as you say you can get them cheap
I'm a beginner myself so dont take any of this as fact!! I'd wait to see what everyone else has to say on it...
Good luck,
Steve
Hi,
Big sound needs big iron due to high power, or the transformer would get too hot. In the case of single ended amps they also have to cope with higher DC flow on the primaries. Your amp is 2W and using a huge opt won't change that.
Just googled for that transformer and apparently the 125ESE can cope with 80mA DC on its primaries and is more suited to single ended KT88 kind of power, which seems a little overkill. I think you should go with the ASE
Steve
Big sound needs big iron due to high power, or the transformer would get too hot. In the case of single ended amps they also have to cope with higher DC flow on the primaries. Your amp is 2W and using a huge opt won't change that.
Just googled for that transformer and apparently the 125ESE can cope with 80mA DC on its primaries and is more suited to single ended KT88 kind of power, which seems a little overkill. I think you should go with the ASE
Steve
fdegrove said:
I was on about losing top end with really big opt. Im just quoting out of Morgan Jones's book here, I haven't any actual experience apart from the amp I just built. I remember seeing on the sowter site some frequency response curves for their opt, maybe hammond do the same?
Steve
Hi again,
I just read through a bit more of that link. I think they went for that one as you can configure it for lots of different primary resistances. It is a bit of a worry that two transformers acted so differently though Maybe if you bought more than you need (if they are really really cheap) and picked out the good ones?
Steve
I just read through a bit more of that link. I think they went for that one as you can configure it for lots of different primary resistances. It is a bit of a worry that two transformers acted so differently though
Maybe if you bought more than you need (if they are really really cheap) and picked out the good ones?Steve
I just thought if the 125ESE sounds good and doesn't even get warm why not try the ASE?, not really because is cheaper but because is smaller...anyway why the OT should be that big for only 2 watts?...i feel like i am wasting the transformer....off to the guitar amp
Now i need a good schematic for a guitar amp.
Cheers
i have decided what to do...i will go for the smaller...will post if results are poor. I don't think so.
Thanks for the help
Now i need a good schematic for a guitar amp.
Cheers
i have decided what to do...i will go for the smaller...will post if results are poor. I don't think so.
Thanks for the help
Morgan Jones at the book "Valve Amplifiers" says that output transformers for guitar are deliberately poor (at the chapter "Guitar amplifiers and arcs"). Maybe they do this not only to economize in price and weight, but also to get more "tone" (bluesy distortion).
This thread also talks about transformers for single end amps.
Regards,
Manuel
This thread also talks about transformers for single end amps.
Regards,
Manuel
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