Anex, to give some DATA
on transformers would take a book, I will give a very brief idea, I am learning about these wonderful items.
They are VERY complex, probably more so than loudspeakers.
In there essence they are just a core of iron or other part magnetic material, like cobalt, nickel (alnico is aluminium, nickel and cobalt) and other bits like manganese.
And a few coils of wire.
that's all, just iron and wire.
The iron mixes are myriad, the cores have different sizes, shapes, materials, laminations.
They are treated with insulation.
The wire is obviously insulated as you have perhaps 400 volts on one winding and perhaps 10 on another.
That also makes a capacitor, different voltages.
You have myriads of insulating material, and also tapes to wrap the thing.
Innumerable ways to wind the coil, interweave the windings like a big sandwich layer.
Numbers of turns, inductances, 'conductivity' of the core to magnetism, a huge amount of variables to balance out.
Much more to it.
The capacitances(wires and insulation) and inductances interact to electrically resonate, which it does at some highish frequency, anything from 20khz to a few hundred, this needs controlling and causes test waves to show this up. All the variations in winding and materials colour the sound.
The core can distort a bit, hopefully not but I am sure cores colour the sound.
The leaks are old, so they probably have more 'basic' insulation, perhaps more natural materials, possibly a less complex coil winding, but the kel 84 wad are actually quite simple coil from looking.
So on paper, the wads are more modern, but I bet the leaks sound superb. In transformers, like speakers and amps, measure better doesn't mean sound better, frequently the old stuff is better. Its also likely built better the windings can come loose and buzz, older top quality ones were excellent in that respect.
Andy Grove of audionote who apparently is very clever with transformers, which means he is very clever period designed the wads, but they are built to a price, by SP wound components, and I have had quality control problems with them. I have had about 6 or 7 wad amps, inc 2 kel84's.
much more to it, and the maths is horrid.
They do sound as different or more so than differeing capacitors, but again its the case of different, not necessarily better. for the regular ones, once you get into exotics...well, I don't have any yet...
. Nick from the Emporium told me that he despatched the Rogue last Friday and it's still not here. WAD's 300BPP are out with a customer who doesn't want to hand them back :grrr: (i.e. he wants to buy the monoblocks).:grrr:
