Do transistors have different sounds?

[guypettigrew]

My system is all valve. Different valves (for example Telefunken and TJ Full Music ECC 83s) sound different.

Is this the same with transistors? I'm guessing different companies produce transistors of the same types.

Guy

 

[Who Cares?]

It'd mean a lot of soldering malarlky, in the same circuit design, to test this out.

 

[i_should_coco]

About as much as tubes.

 

[pmac]

Given my fairly limited experience, I would say a big yes

:cafe:

 

[Tenson]

Greater negative feedback is used in most SS amps so transistor differences are probably largely self-correcting and play little role in the sound.

 

[bandit pilot]

About as much as tubes.

Make some inbox space mate. :^

 

[i_should_coco]

:^

 

[68rednose]

There are at least different types of transistors and the number of applied transistors are variables that will lead to differently operating and thus differently sounding amplifiers.

 

[bandit pilot]

One I got yesterday has 20 of the little buggers on the output. I've had these amps before, and they do sound quite different to other SS amps I've heard.

 

[cjr]

Fuses do as well.

 

[68rednose]

Fuses do as well.

But only the cryogenically ones :sofa:

 

[cjr]

Yes Rudy .... only ones with an electrical continuity straps welded to a tack in a carpet gripper tack.

 

[68rednose]

Yes Rudy .... only ones with an electrical continuity straps welded to a tack in a carpet gripper tack.

Bugger, that's why it didn't work, we have tiling on the floor...

 

[Valvebloke]

Greater negative feedback is used in most SS amps so transistor differences are probably largely self-correcting and play little role in the sound.

If by 'sound' you mean the air pressure variations which leave the speakers then you're probably right. If by 'sound' you mean 'what people hear between their ears' then the link between the sound and the details of the amp circuitry can be tenuous at best.

VB

 

[i_should_coco]

As much as you can hear a transistor in isolation as such! When used in low-feedback circuits where the intrinsic characteristic are not suppressed by feedback I would expect different manufacturer's types to produce different distortion spectra and therefore sound different. It's certainly measurable.

 

[RobHolt]

I think if you exclude some of the old types and especially the germanium types, the circuit is going to dictate the sound rather than the choice of device. Obviously there are come exceptional cases, e.g. high gain phono front ends where the noise performance is going to be pretty important.

I think the same goes for tubes to a large extent - what you do with them is more important.

I think Pete is right though, if you back off the feedback then distortion levels and spectra are going to have impact.

Just as well we all agree that lashings of luverly NFB is a thoroughly good thing.......... ;-)

:run:

 

[Radioham]

If we take a transitor of the same type and the manufacturer, the only difference is the Gain, and the circuit design should sort that out. If we consider different manufacturers they can have a different internal contruction which could affect things like internal capacitance, response time, maximum frequency. Then if we throw in different types we end up with devices like Sony V-Fets and Audiolab Sankens. Companies like Quad in the 405 say that thier aim is to use "Any" transistor type since thier circuit is not dependant on the power transistor used. Its all done in the class A bit.

In most cases of Transistor and IC manufacture, the manufacturers produce a "spread" of devices during manufacturing and the best get one part number, and the majority get another. The worst get no number and are used in road construction as hardcore.