ABSTRACT
Since the birth of audio electronics, the audio transformer has played an important role. When compared to modern miniaturized electronics, a transformer seems large, heavy, and expensive but it continues to be the most effective solution in many audio applications. The usefulness of a transformer lies in the fact that electrical energy can be transferred from one circuit to another without direct connection (e.g., isolation from ground loops), and in the process the energy can be readily changed from one voltage level to another (e.g., impedance matching). Although a transformer is not a complex device, considerable explanation is required to properly understand how it operates. This chapter is intended to help the audio system engineer properly select and apply transformers. In the interest of simplicity, only basic concepts of their design and manufacture will be discussed.
