Topic: Transformerless preamps?

[Chilly Brioschi]

^^ think  Aretha Franklin
    Sweet vocal, present, not pronounced bottom, and smooth at the top
Would roll the tube version on a set of KM184 or AKG C1000S
They also have the dual-transformer in a solid state model as well, no diagram found.

"Tube sound" mostly happens in the PA stage, but certainly can be evident in a pre.

There are a few Phish recordings made with tube gear... mic's and Pre's.

[ts]

Did I sound like I was looking to avoid transformers? Not at all. I was mostly curious about the MV100 and thought maybe a list would be a good idea. But as dsatz pointed out, probably easier to make the other list.

[checht]

[snip]
If transformers *are* your bag, I stumbled on something interesting with dual Cinemag (Reichenbach) transformers per channel.
70db of gain, clone of a Neve design, I believe.

Inspires me to share a little history: In '83, used km84is from Wally Heider Studios in hand, I set out to improve upon the 2-D cell p48 plus Tandy xlr->1/4" decouplers in common use ahead of the D-5m. I liked the Neve sound, so just called 'em, asked for an engineer, explained my use case, and requested help. He thought it so weird that he was inspired and sent a diagram that used Jensen transformers. I cold-called Jensen, found a sympathetic engineer, and he helped me select a transformer for decoupling from p48 and also with enough gain that I could run line in. That design, plus 6-9v batteries and a couple caps and resistors for p48, became the black box that I sold to tapers using Neumanns. Financed my touring habit for years, and I could build them while on tour after demo'ing them in the section for tapers around the country. Doug Oade, an engineer who actually knows what he's doing, took the idea and radically improved it by adding a sophisticated active section, and that design is, as far as I know, the origin of his transformer-based line.

[Chilly Brioschi]

That is TaperSection History and belongs in some sort of legacy statement, a book, a comprehensive article, something...

The phantom "B+ battery" makes me smile, thinking of the ARC Swap Meet tables with A, B, and C batteries lighting up old early 20th century tube radio receivers.

Did we even imagine that the PR2301 phantom-on-a-chip chip would exist ?
I had breadboard Op-Amps doing digital switching logic puzzle toys, but no imagination to a charge pump regulator, or anything close.

Did I sound like I was looking to avoid transformers? Not at all. I was mostly curious about the MV100 and thought maybe a list would be a good idea. But as dsatz pointed out, probably easier to make the other list.

Curiosity, no way criticism
I was wondering if there was some sonic thing or undesired artifact that you were running from or toward. 
The new digital modeling really changes the game.
Moore's Law of Computing starts to affect digital audio, so I expect changes that I might not be able to keep up with....