It’s no secret since the beginning of amplification, transformers were, and still are to this day, credited with what is often associate with that “Tube” sound. In fact, in many audio circles, transformers are often given much of the credit for those harmonically rich tones we so revere! So what does a transformer do? Because transformers are not perfect devices, they have a very unique and subtle way of distorting and adding desirable harmonic content to the final tone we hear. The added texture and presence associated with them are often credited with the “glue” or warmth of the amplifiers and recording gear they inhabit.
These added harmonics add a very desirable excitement, low end fill, and cut-thru clarity to the system they are utilized in by adding harmonic content to the original signal not otherwise present; similar to what a slightly overdriven tube does, but lower in frequency. Another quality (or shortcoming ;-})of transformers is hysteresis. This memory effect that delays the changing of polarity of the transformer core, and thus signal passing thru them, also helps create even more of those desirable harmonics we enjoy. So is it any wonder we couldn’t help but want to add this harmonically rich texture to our best selling amp, the forte’ HP2, now our forte’ HP2X ?
Bergantino HP2X Bass Amplifier with “Custom Output Transformer”.
Built-in parallel compression.
Drive Circuit: Goes from Soft Clip “purr” to mix shredding distortion. Featuring the new proprietary B.S.D. (Bergantino Smart Drive) technology.
Same 3dB of additional dynamic head room from HP2 as compared to the original HP.
Variable Low-Pass (VLPF) and Variable High-Pass (VHPF) filters, critical for precise tone shaping and taming of the most challenging gigging environments.
In order to best employ a transformer into our current forte’ HP2 design, we worked very closely with the engineers at Cinemag, a highly respected company and large player in the transformer industry. Carefully choosing things such as core material, winding ratios, impedance, inductance, and other tone-enhancing parameters, we were able to come up with a transformer design that uniquely and perfectly fit into the current architecture and circuit topology of our HP2, allowing us to give our new HP2X many of the tonal qualities these transformers have been lauded and sought after for, over decades of use in the musical amplification industry.
