Power transformer
The transformer that steps mains voltage up to the high voltages a valve amplifier needs and down to the low voltages its heaters use.
The power transformer feeds every other part of the supply, so its current capability sets how much the amplifier can deliver before the voltages sag. A generously rated transformer keeps the supply stiff and the low end tight, while a marginal one struggles and produces the compressed, breathy behaviour players call sag. Because it works at mains voltage, it is also the component that determines what the amplifier can be plugged into in different countries.
Example: A valve amplifier sold in different regions differs mainly in the specification of its power transformer.
See also
Related
- PageRectifier
- PageWattage
- PageValve
- PageAmp in a box
- PageAmp stand
- PageAttenuator
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley