Jensen transformers - overrated?
Thump
deal about having a Jensen transformer.
Does Jensen stuff live up to the hype or are they overrated? Most guys
I talk to in the audio field are quite positive about them but a few
have been a bit dismissive and I'm inclined to think they're just
trying to be "controversial" by bashing a popular product with a
(seemingly) credible reputation, especially as they can't quantify
their reasons.
Benj
Yes Jensen is one of the few that live up to the hype except that they
are transformers so you can't expect miracles. The story is that
quality transformerology is sort of a lost art. Back in the late 20th
century transformer technology sort of reached a peak and there were
quite a few companies making truly excellent audio transformers.
Jensen founded in 1974 was one of those companies. Today the others
have disappeared except for NOS (which I used in my DI). Chinese
replacements are now the rule and they do NOT measure up to the old
standards. But they are cheap. High tech transformers not only require
the technical secrets that give the broadband performance but also
quality materials. It doesn't mean they don't work. A Behringer
transformer DI works decently, it just doesn't have the top of the
line performance of one using a Jensen transformer such as Radial DI
boxes. Lundahl transformers are also a brand of quality audio
transformers. Both brands have fans so some of what you hear is part
of the arguments between fans of each brand.
So if you want a DI box that has the absolute best performance and is
safest (relates to the voltage insulation and breakdown
characteristics) then get the Jensen unit. Take your wallet. If all
you want is a passive DI to pitch in the bottom of your wire box to
hook to a dive bar PA "just in case" get the Chinese Behringer or
similar. But you get what you pay for.
JoeSpareBedroom
news:c52e222c-9010-462b...@s31g2000yqs.googlegroups.com...
On Dec 12, 2:18 am, Thump <mal.skin...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I'm looking at passive DI boxes, and a particular one that makes a big
> deal about having a Jensen transformer.
>
> Does Jensen stuff live up to the hype or are they overrated? Most guys
> I talk to in the audio field are quite positive about them but a few
> have been a bit dismissive and I'm inclined to think they're just
> trying to be "controversial" by bashing a popular product with a
> (seemingly) credible reputation, especially as they can't quantify
> their reasons.
Yes Jensen is one of the few that live up to the hype except that they
are transformers so you can't expect miracles. The story is that
quality transformerology is sort of a lost art. Back in the late 20th
century transformer technology sort of reached a peak and there were
quite a few companies making truly excellent audio transformers.
Jensen founded in 1974 was one of those companies.
================
What goes into a transformer to make it so much better than another?
Desk Rabbit
Like every other thing in life - top quality components, skillfull
design, years of experience and often hand made/finished rather than
machine made. In other words, built up to a standard not down to a price.
Les Cargill
> I'm looking at passive DI boxes, and a particular one that makes a big
> deal about having a Jensen transformer.
>
> Does Jensen stuff live up to the hype or are they overrated?
My understanding is that they do live up to the hype. That's
been the consensus on r.a.p for years, anyway.
I gotta say, though - when I bought a DI box
recently, I went with an active model. A Samson,
2 channel ( I was thinking keyboards were going to happen )
and it ran about $40. Runs on phantom or battery.
> Most guys
> I talk to in the audio field are quite positive about them but a few
> have been a bit dismissive and I'm inclined to think they're just
> trying to be "controversial" by bashing a popular product with a
> (seemingly) credible reputation, especially as they can't quantify
> their reasons.
Bill Whitlock wrote the book ( er, at least the relevant chapter )
http://www.jensen-transformers.com/an/Audio%20Transformers%20Chapter.pdf
So who is more credible, he or they?
--
Les Cargill
Les Cargill
What goes into a pickup that makes it so much better? It's like
that. Pickups and xformers are very similar.
--
Les Cargill
js
the non-linearities, distortion, and other stuff that make them less
desirable as general electronics components are precisely the things that
make them great as audio components.
"Thump" <mal.s...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:5e1d7928-9080-4b19...@u25g2000prh.googlegroups.com...
The BorgMan
news:hg16fh$ago$1...@news.eternal-september.org:
> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>> "Benj" <bja...@iwaynet.net> wrote in message
>> news:c52e222c-9010-462b...@s31g2000yqs.googlegroups.com
>> ... On Dec 12, 2:18 am, Thump <mal.skin...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> I'm looking at passive DI boxes, and a particular one that makes a
>>> big deal about having a Jensen transformer.
>>>
>>> Does Jensen stuff live up to the hype or are they overrated? Most
>>> guys I talk to in the audio field are quite positive about them but
>>> a few have been a bit dismissive and I'm inclined to think they're
>>> just trying to be "controversial" by bashing a popular product with
>>> a (seemingly) credible reputation, especially as they can't quantify
>>> their reasons.
>>
>> Yes Jensen is one of the few that live up to the hype except that
>> they are transformers so you can't expect miracles. The story is that
>> quality transformerology is sort of a lost art. Back in the late 20th
>> century transformer technology sort of reached a peak and there were
>> quite a few companies making truly excellent audio transformers.
>> Jensen founded in 1974 was one of those companies.
>>
>> ================
>>
>>
>> What goes into a transformer to make it so much better than another?
>>
>>
>
> What goes into a pickup that makes it so much better? It's like
> that. Pickups and xformers are very similar.
Well... except you WANT certain kinds of distortion in designing a
pickup. You should want a transformer to be ruler flat as possible.
--
Aaron
Misifus
I'm scratching me head over this one. Granted it's been fifty years
since my last class in this stuff, but since transformer is basically a
pair of chokes, can it be flat over the audio spectrum?
-Raf
--
Misifus-
Rafael Seibert
Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rafiii
home: http://www.rafandsioux.com
The BorgMan
@mid.individual.net:
> The BorgMan wrote:
>> Les Cargill <lcarg...@comcast.net> wrote in
>> news:hg16fh$ago$1...@news.eternal-september.org:
>>
>>> JoeSpareBedroom wrote:
>>>> "Benj" <bja...@iwaynet.net> wrote in message
>>>> news:c52e222c-9010-462b-b229-e93879276546
Define "flat".
Lots and lots of transformers are +/- 1dB across the audio spectrum.
A number of Jensen isolation transformers are flat from DC to well past
100kHz, with -3dB points out at 600-900kHz.
--
Aaron
Sir Lurksalot
"The BorgMan" <m...@me.net> wrote in message
news:Xns9CE1ABE9...@130.133.1.4...
Wait, how do you get a transformer to have flat response with DC? An
auto-transformer, maybe, but that wouldn't be an isolation tansformer.
Misifus
I'll accept your data, but so far as defining "flat", I meant it in
exactly the same way that you did in the preceding post. I didn't
introduce the term to the discussion, you did.
What fun! I haven't played "define your terms" since 1964.
Benj
> > Define "flat".
>
> > Lots and lots of transformers are +/- 1dB across the audio spectrum.
>
> > A number of Jensen isolation transformers are flat from DC to well past
> > 100kHz, with -3dB points out at 600-900kHz.
>
> > --
> > Aaron\
> Wait, how do you get a transformer to have flat response with DC? An
> auto-transformer, maybe, but that wouldn't be an isolation transformer.
Aaron, the Borgman exaggerates just a tiny bit. No, isolation
transformers do no go to DC. Such a claim is goofey. And a 3 dB point
at nearly a megahertz is highly suspect as well (not to mention
meaningless). However, I've seen lots of quality transformers flat
within 1 dB over the audio spectrum (20 - 20,000) and even such a spec
over 10 -100,000 Hz are common in high end audio transformers. It's
very difficult to achieve these figures because the requirements to
extend opposite ends of the frequency range tend to cancel each other.
Hence some serious trickery is required.
Obviously a DI with a high end transformer will work for anything you
want to use it for. But a cheap one, on the other hand for bass may
have a limited low end response that might not be noticed with a
guitar but will start to become noticeable with a bass, especially one
with a low B.
Sir Lurksalot
@adenine.netfront.net:
>
> Wait, how do you get a transformer to have flat response with DC? An
> auto-transformer, maybe, but that wouldn't be an isolation tansformer.
>
You just can't control yourself and resist the temtation, can you, Mike?
The BorgMan
news:7oo1eoF...@mid.individual.net:
Well... you always have to define it. Some people consider +/- 3dB to be
flat.
--
Aaron