The Future of Guitar Amps .....

[Flinto2002]

So no big transformers and light weight, more tube options, etc... Sooooo.... ? Why is it the future? Heads now arn't that heavy, so this doesn't impress me.... If I was 75 lbs and could barely lift my guitar, it would be interesting! Haha.... I think that tech would be great for a stand alone power amp, that would really take some weight out of a rack.

I think you answered your own question.

[Nemo13]

I think you answered your own question.

No I didn't. I did say it may be a solution if it was a 'poweramp' since they are usually in stereo and twice as heavy, but as far as another small gutar amp on the market? No biggie.

[eaudio]

Wow I remember those guys from my car audio days in the 80's.

Didn't you do a deuce for that back then and find your true sexuality in the process?

Yeah I learned trannys aren't my thing.


On a related note I see it is an OTL design... the "difference" from "usual" amps they are highlighting. Hadn't noticed.

Thinking back to my years in home audio, the best amplifier I ever heard was an OTL design built by a guy here in Orange County. Monoblocks with gobs of tubes. Sound was completely liquid. Insane. Intoxicating, etc.

We talked about the pros/cons of OTL and apparently some of the detractors to the design suggested the tranny was a great safeguard against speaker damage if something went wrong with the output section... that it was a good idea NOT to have your $45,000 speakers connected to directly to the tubes.

I've never heard of anyone ever actually having a problem and it may be just one of those considerations that keeps OTL out of high volume production... you know? Where you need one guy making them and making them correctly. Looks like they address it with "Blow-Proof™ - Reasonably sustains dead-shorts or no-load / total-opens without self-destructing."

You have to ask, if for decades, OTL has had a reputation for incredible sound (which it does on the playback side of music) why hasn't it taken off? What does this particular product do to address those reasons?

I hope to check these out and learn more.

[stephen sawall]

http://davidberning.com/technology/patent5612646

Well the numbers are impressive. I am interested in just the fact it goes down below 20 hertz. But we all know the sound is going to make or break the deal.

[Flinto2002]

I think you answered your own question.

No I didn't. I did say it may be a solution if it was a 'poweramp' since they are usually in stereo and twice as heavy, but as far as another small gutar amp on the market? No biggie.

Ah, but it's not 'another' small tube amp, most of the little ones run 6V6 or EL84 and put out little wattage. This one is 50watts, and most 50watt amps are heavy. You ever lift and OD100 or OD50? Let me tell you, they are heavy, and I'm in good shape and not a small guy. So it's a small amp, that pushes real power. Plus it self biases to any tube compliment. Those are both pretty big deals.

Whether it delivers on any of that remains to be seen...

But as to the 'why', I think that is pretty clear.

[cliffc8488]

The technique is similar to a dc-dc converter. Instead of a conventional OT the output signal is modulated to a high frequency which allows a much smaller transformer.

While it's a novel idea the following points need to be remembered:
1. You still need a power tranny so the purported weight savings can't be as great as claimed. I suppose you could use a switching power supply but that's not unique to this amp as you could do that in any tube amp with the concomitant change in transient response and feel.

2. The design requires high-voltage, high-speed MOSFETs in a full-bridge configuration. Circuits like this are notorious for catastrophic failure. The patent shows no gate protection. I hope the real thing does. Also, I would be concerned about the switching noise coupling into the preamp. Probably not an issue for clean or slightly dirty but with significant gain isolating that switching noise could prove problematic.

3. The OT is an important part of an amps tone. As the amp is pushed the frequency response of the OT is reduced which contributes to "note bloom".

It's an interesting application of a switching impedance converter. Whether it gains acceptance given the above is questionable.

[Sveinis]

The future is to build the amp into the guitar like this:

http://www.finn.no/finn/viewimage?finnk ... reaId=7081

[stephen sawall]

The future is to build the amp into the guitar like this:

http://www.finn.no/finn/viewimage?finnk ... reaId=7081

Santa is the future.

[Flinto2002]

The future is to build the amp into the guitar like this:

http://www.finn.no/finn/viewimage?finnk ... reaId=7081

Satan is the future.

[stephen sawall]

Hail Satan ?

[Goliathdav]

http://www.thomann.de/fr/vox_nighttrain.htm