Very often his circuits have strong harmonics, because he wants them there. It's part of his "signature sound" to have high harmonic distortion (warm sound) but low general noise. They are not high fidelity in the sense that is promoted here, but they do sound good for those who want that (and that is a relative large group). That is what he says himself. If you want a high sinad absolute neutral sound, his designs are not for you.
hi and thanks again If low HD is important a single transistor is not a valid solution
i have read somewhere that his goal was to reduce distortion in signal transmission
Hi thank you very much
Hi almost zero education I have no hopes to design something from the scratch My approach is quite trivial
love is not science Lets say that i admire simplicity a lot The complexity scares me I always to try to make things as simple as possible
clealry i cannot pretend to get the best with 2 transistors Just something surprisingly good
I once took a test and I had a very hard time to identify any distortion less than 0.5 %. But I don´t remember if it was THD only. At what level will IMD reach hearing threshold?
Difficult to say... with test tones it will be easier to hear than in music where a lot of masking is going on.
Some problems simply don't have simple solutions. Either that, or simple solution may work but a bit more complex one may work better. Use as much complexity as needed and no more.Hi
I apologize in advance for a question that might seem a little confused (like i am)
Let me start by saying that I agree on the paramount importance of measurements in the sense that if a component measures well it cannot sound bad
Perhaps it can be conceded that something measuring so-so sounds pleasant
I'll get to the point. I'm a bit obsessed with line preamplifiers. I have read tests, downloaded diagrams, and listened to many units during years.
One thing I noticed is the extreme difference in the level of complexity of the circuitry.
I have seen circuits with only one active component per channel and others with 20 or more that perform the same function in practice.
I would like to understand in practice whether the so-called circuit minimalism is a valuable design approach and those who complicate it are wrong or minimalism has limits that cannot be overcome and complexity is, let's say, a necessary evil.
How much the following principle is valid ?
KISS principle - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
To be more specific and talking about measurable performance I wonder if very low distortion and noise, the peculiar qualities of good sound, can be achieved also with very simple circuits.
I'm rather confused because often the simplest circuits, if done well, make a very favorable impression on listening.
Are those who complicate things that could be simple wrong ?
If simple is adequate, that's fine, but engineering is full of problems where a simple solution is not sufficient. There are no simple ways to build a data center, a nuclear power station, an air traffic control system, a subway system, an MRI scanner. The list of engineering things where simple is hopelessly ineffective far outweighs the number where simple is sufficient. If you are scared of complexity you would not cope with an engineering job.
then i developed the feeling that slightly more complex circuits could even improve on the already very decent THD, the PSRR and lower the Zout of the BOZ project to provide an overall better line stage
i see perfectly your point complex tasks require complex solutions Fine
Designing anything requires knowledge. Sometimes you can get that from academic study. Sometimes years of practical making gets you there. In my experience, there is always someone cleverer than you or with more experience. It's hubris to assume you know everything. Never stop learning is my motto, and I've designed and operated some very complex global systems.
It can be as easy as duplicating the chip manufacturer's circuit suggestions from datasheets such as this one for Texas Instrument's DRV603.
I owned one of the Zen power amps. https://www.passdiy.com/project/amplifiers/the-zen-amplifier
Me too in 1997. I tried a similar approach with bipolar transistors and found out fast that to get sufficient gain for negative feedback you have to add current sources, for better performance get a differential input stage, then improve it with Wilson current mirrors, and still the DC performance was meagre and very temperature dependent. Looking at the last circuit I'd tried I realized that it makes much more sense to use an opamp which contains all this and more in a thermocoupled package with tightly matched components, and all this for almost no money. I just kept a power Mosfet for sufficient output current.
Replace "price" with "performance"
Both apply actually.
Clearly you are very right But being ignorant i am scared by complexity even if it amazes me All those parts on a board sometimes seem a work of electronics art
i am not very smart I got my degree just copying from textbooks and notes without realizing what i was really doing
