Timeline for Are op-amps really superior to transistors for an audio tone control?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
7 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 16, 2023 at 7:32 | comment | added | danmcb | actually this kind of soft, asymmetrical distortion is considered fairly pleasing, by many. But of course it is undesirable in a chain where fidelity is the goal. | |
| May 16, 2023 at 21:40 | comment | added | Audioguru | The fairly high level I showed occurs frequently in hifi peak levels (+20dB above average levels). 30% distortion sounds awful. Radio stations use lots of compression which also sounds "wrong". | |
| May 16, 2023 at 19:02 | comment | added | user107063 | @leftaroundabout BJT transistors have wide enough variation that it does not make sense to use them without considerable negative feedback, and then they clip pretty hard. The solid-state simulation of tube amp overdrive is usually done with JFETs instead. | |
| May 16, 2023 at 15:37 | comment | added | user319836 | 1. Single transistor tone control circuits should not operate with the voltage swing you show. 2. The transistor’s operating point can be set to the peak of the hFE-lC curve so for “small “ signals the linearity is not as bad as the simulation suggests. 3. The lower diagram in the OP shows negative feedback which also improves small signal linearity. | |
| May 16, 2023 at 14:55 | comment | added | Criticizing Israel not allowed | @leftaroundabout exactly - that's why my first question was "do you want a precise circuit or a creative one?" :) | |
| May 16, 2023 at 14:40 | comment | added | leftaroundabout | Of course, an electrical engineer's awful distortion may be a sound engineer's awesome overdrive... most popular when produced by the valves in guitar amps, but also studio equipment often prefers discrete transistors, in part because they distort early and smoothly when the input gets to the limit. By contrast, op-amps first distort almost not at all and then suddenly hard-clip, which sounds much worse. (Which, of course, can also sometimes be just what the musician wants...) | |
| May 15, 2023 at 18:52 | history | answered | Audioguru | CC BY-SA 4.0 |