We refer to transformers in many places in our product portfolio. Many users love their vintage equipment, which is usually equipped with them. However, this is rather exotic for current devices. This is due to the size, weight and, above all, the cost. Measurement technology is also better without transformers.
In the real world, however, not every audio device is operated separately under laboratory conditions. The decisive advantages of transformers lie, among other things, in their interaction with other devices. The focus here is on any form of signal interference, which in today’s world – with WLAN, mobile phones etc. – is very diverse.
Further advantages lie in the straightforward physics according to which a transformer works. These are “simply” a few copper wire coils wound on a core material (although doing this well is really a science in itself that only a few manufacturers in the world have mastered). As the processes here obey more or less the same laws as the musical instruments themselves, this is conducive to very coherent music transmission. The I/V stage in our DACs, the microphone amplifier and the phono MC amplifier are places of use that go beyond line technology.
In view of the many discussions on the subject of transformers, I would like to make this general comment: As mentioned above, the manufacture of transformers for audio is a science that only a few manufacturers have mastered. Each application has its own specific requirements. This is why there are countless types of transformers. No less complex, however, is the selection and actual integration of the transformers into the specific application. General statements about how transformers sound in comparison should therefore be viewed with caution. Even exactly the same type of transformer can sound completely different in one application than in another. An enormous amount of time has gone into the fine-tuning of all our applications. For example, individual components with variances in capacitance in the order of hundreds of picofarads determine the optimum sound. A slightly different tuning can produce a completely different sound with exactly the same transformer. In addition, the final determination can almost always only be made by ear.
Consequently, please forget any impression – and even more so any opinion based on hearsay – that you have gained elsewhere from designs with transformers. You can only make your judgement about our solutions when you have heard our solutions.