Product Overview
Menno van der Veen is well known for his research and publications on tube amplifiers for audio systems. The main objective of his engineering firm is optimizing tube amplifiers.
In this book he describes one of his research projects focusing on the question of whether full compensation for distortion in tubes and output transformers is possible. In the past century a variety of methods have been developed with the aim of attaining this goal. One of them has largely been forgotten: transconductance, which means converting current into voltage or voltage into current. Menno van der Veen has breathed new life into this method with a research project christened Trans . In this book he describes the basic aspects and properties of this method in detail, along with its pitfalls. These pitfalls are sorted out one by one. The end result is a set of stringent requirements for Trans amplifiers.
Armed with these requirements, Menno then develops new Trans amplifiers, starting with Transie 1 and Transie 2. These DC-coupled, single-ended tube amplifiers have unusually good characteristics and are suitable for hobbyist construction. Next the Trans principle is applied to amplifiers with higher output power. A trial-and-error process ultimately leads to the Vanderveen Trans 30 amplifier, which optimizes the good features of Trans. The characteristics of this amplifier are so special that Menno says he has struck gold. To ensure that variations in tube characteristics cannot interfere with optimal Trans behavior, Menno makes use of simulations and comparison with other amplifier types. This book reads like an adventure story, but it is more - it is an account of solid research into new ways to achieve optimal audio reproduction.
