Question about toroidal transformers?

First off what are they (besides the big round things in the front of the 755), and how do they work in an amp?

Second question, is there an up-side / down-side to having "5 individual toroidal transformers, 5 individual power supplies, 5 individual amplifiers" vs. the way outlaw had the 755 amp setup. The reason I ask, I saw an add for the following amp :

http://www.sherbourn.com/products/5_5210.php
I just wondered what the logic behind this was. Thanks for the help.

Transformers convert the 120V AC power from your wall outlet into lower AC voltages that are then converted to DC to run the circuitry inside your amplifier.

A toroidal transformer has the advantage of more efficiency and that it radiates less stray magnetic field than a conventional E-I lamination transformer. They are more difficult and expensive to make than other types, but they are the best type for high performance audio equipment.

The number of power transformers used is a design decision really does not have a whole lot to do with normal performance. It appears that the Sherbourn amplifier uses seperate transformers so that individual channel modules can be swapped out, power supply and all. Whether an amplifier uses smaller individual transformers or one or two larger ones with individual windings for each channel does not make alot of difference in performance.

[This message has been edited by soundhound (edited February 07, 2004).]

Thanks for the prompt reply soundhound.

Sounds like the Sherbourn amp was made for easy replacment or service. Humm..........

A modular amplifier like this would be easier to service, but power amplifiers are generally reliable as an ax - they just don't fail all that often. Modular construction in something like a preamp/processor is a good thing for upgrade ability or allowing a choice of features to be configured by the customer. One potential downside to modular construction in a preamp like this however is that the motherboard that the "daughter" boards plug into must be obsolesence proof, which is almost impossible with rapid advancements in technology. Also, the cost of modular construction can often outweigh the potential benefits.

[This message has been edited by soundhound (edited February 07, 2004).]

i like sherbourns approach to amps. i definitely prefer like the modular approach to a power amp, because then each amp does not have to share with the others... i know that the top sherbourn also has two ac inputs, which is nice as well. monoblocks are ideal, but they are not easy to place in your system usually, so a power amp of monoblocks is a good compromise.