Circuit Synergy:
The Whole is Greater than the Sum
Today’s slightly controversial ruminations stemmed from a recent
interview I conducted with a well-respected British amp designer. The
subject of “top-shelf components” came up and a few things came
to light that got me thinking. Talking to real-deal audio engineers is
an interesting part of this job, because I start to see things from their
perspective. Imagine creating a pedal or amp of your own design and
putting it out there in the world, only to have the amazing sounds
it emits credited to a few inanimate components. In some cases,
these components impart no difference to the sound whatsoever,
but because they are rare, defunct or were the standard in “the good
old days,” they take all the credit.
Clock drivers, BBD chips, mythical diodes and NOS tubes sometimes
cost more than a great pedal (or ten) and in my opinion, it is getting
ridiculously out-of-hand. In fact, many of the old parts for pedals
and amps vary in tolerance and performance so much—even within
the same branding or part number—that they need to be matched
manually and retested by designers. We pay a premium for the time
and effort it takes for “hand-matched NOS” this or that and it is often
a wasteful practice when new-stock tube and component consistency
is better than ever.
Admittedly, I am no electronic engineer and I have played many
vintage variants that for whatever reason sounded better than the
reissue, but I have also had the opposite experience more than a
few times. One thing I do know is that a great circuit designed by
a brilliant engineer can sound amazing and evolve to suit the needs
of different players in different times. Here are a few of my own
experiences that I will share with some iconic pedals that fit into this
category of controversy among variants.
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