Jensen transformers for that “big iron” sound
Back in the Golden Age of Analog, talented electronics engineers such as Rupert Neve and Deane Jensen designed custom transformers to balance circuits. These transformers became associated with the so-called “big iron” sound: typically bold, punchy, and colorful. In the late 1960s, as Neve started building his acclaimed consoles around transformer-balanced circuits in England, Jensen was in California working his way up in the pro audio world, eventually becoming VP of engineering for console manufacturer Quad-Eight. Identifying transformers as a primary culprit in poor-sounding audio systems, Jensen set about improving on existing designs. Recognizing that his work with transformers wound require powerful tools to accelerate circuit analysis and optimization, he became a pioneer in computer-assisted design, writing his own circuit-analysis software that allowed him to accurately model and fine-tune his transformer designs and optimize them for use with real-world electronic circuits.
Demand for Jensen’s transformers continued to grow and by the late ’80s, tens of thousands of Jensen transformers were in service around the world — and not just in pro audio. Their excellent performance also led to use in applications as diverse as seismic sensing, lab instrumentation and test equipment, and even the Space Shuttle! Today, Jensen Transformers is owned by Radial Engineering and Deane Jensen’s legacy lives on in countless products such as the Radial JDI (considered by many to be one of the finest direct boxes ever made) and the Daking Mic Pre 4T, which will impart that coveted, characterful “big iron” transformer sound to every signal you pass through it.
