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I'll try...

Posted by lipmanl@hotmail.com (D) on November 24, 2006 at 11:45:53

In Reply to: soundstage illusion: tube and solid state posted by commonmode@earthlink.net on November 24, 2006 at 09:47:05:

Other people can explain this better than I can--I don't understand the intracacies of transformers well enough, yet.

First, I think that effective stereo imaging happens when (1) there's an image to begin with (a decent recording) and (2) phase and relative amplitude information both "agree" on placement of instruments. So phase is important.

If you've every seen the feedback circuit on tubes amps, the part that goes from the output secondary to some early stage consists of a resistor partially bypassed by a capacitor. There is some frequency-dependent time delay (read "phase distortion") that has to do with a current change in the primary changing the magnetization of the core causing a current in the secondary.

Anyway, I think that such error in phase may be the cause of the differences in stereo imaging you hear between solid state and vacuum state amps. I can also tell you that all that explanation aside, I have heard believable, rock-solid stereo imaging from vintage tubed amps (my Scott 299B).

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