Transformers Design
Our transformers designs are inherited from many years of
winding experience, from dismantling + repairing many famous transformers, and
evolved and exceed the quality of the older designs. We combine theory, real
life experience, true measurements, real user preference and design excellence
together to get to the quality now.
2A3 and 300B tubes are two of the hottest or most commonly
used tubes in the DIY and OEM world. Our gurus have designed and built
countless versions of such transformers designs and now those designs are among
the best of the bests, tested and proven.
Some will blame the transformers designs when it does not
sound good. Well, transformer design plays a crucial role in the sound but
circuit and mechanical designs play critical roles too. Two guys can use the
exact same components to build an amplifier but the end results are worlds
apart. Amplifiers building are art, nobody can disagree with that. Everybody
can build them just that whether they sound good or not, is another story.
For some OEMs (not all), the designs have gone through so
many variations to end up with final design that is to be marketed. Imagine how
much alterations are involved, not to mention the time and human resources
involved to fine tune all the components to arrive at that single converged
point. So, please don’t blame the components first, do some homework, analyze
the situation, measure the results, improve or rectify it, before making a
justified conclusion.
It takes time for the components to run-in or burn-in too
before arriving at their optimum performance. Transformers have varnish
impregnated in the windings. It will need time to fully dry-out to arrive at
the steady state performance.
If you find people selling their damaged equipment for
spares, please keep an eye to see if they have any good quality transformers
for restoration. You might be surprised that the transformers cores are still
in excellent condition. You can make good quality audio gears out of them by
saving on the transformer. If they’re output transformers inside, even better
since it will be the most valuable transformer inside an amplifier!
Some transformer or equipment manufacturers will design the
transformer to look extremely high-tech, nice and artistic but in actual fact,
the internal quality is just plain lousy. Do not be fooled. Pay attention to
how they’re made (there should be signs anywhere) and you will see whether they
are worthy for the price. What you pay is what you get! There is just no other
ways except been plain lucky to land on a super good deal (which most of us are
not, and it does not happen most of the time too, maybe once in a blue moon!).
Nowadays, there appears to be a Z11 core that is not
properly made (not from Japan?). Although they are marketed as Z11 and look
like Z11 but they are not. No load tests showed that they are very lossy and
the end results are far from what you get from a good quality Japanese Z11
core.
J&K Audio Design
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