On Tuesday, February 5, 2019 at 4:08:18 PM UTC-5, nickbatz wrote:
I have an STT-1 (and feel lucky that I do). Yes, the transformer changes the sound. I think a more interesting question is, why would you want to do that?
It works well on... well, to be specific I run my Yamaha VL1 through it sometimes just for the color. It's an amazing synth, but brighter than thick - like many Japanese instruments from the early digital era. That was their taste, apparently, i.e. I mean it purely as a comment rather than a dis.
You can ask the same question you ask about the tube paths (I have Telefunkens in there) - why would you want anything other than the straight wire sound? The first thing that surprised me, going back a lot of years, was that the solid-state path can often sound more like what you'd think the tubes would sound.
I used to enjoy using an Aphex Type C while transferring cassettes because it did just the opposite; put a little edge back on the lossy cassette audio.
In addition to the GML pres I have here, Jim Mikles, a local friend, has just finished prototype work on a device with a solid state preamp that sounds really nice, even on the somewhat finicky TLM102 and AKG C414 BULS. No transformers and really smooth:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIMfgQ6-7yU
I've had a positional statement for years that still rings true. "Good analog is better than bad digital. Good digital is better than bad analog. Good solid State is better than bad tubes. Good tubes are better than bad solid state."
I think the answer to, "Why would you want to do that?", is, in many cases, the same as "Why does a dog lick his balls?" Because he can!
Nick are you still writing somewhere?
Regards,
Ty