Re: Germanium Transistors, Noise and Leakage

Posted by Travis on Aug 03, 2016; 3:24am
URL: http://guitar-fx-layouts.238.s1.nabble.com/Germanium-Transistors-Noise-and-Leakage-tp32320p32321.html

The relation between leakage and noise would depend on the circuit the transistor is being used in.

In a general sense, more leakage does not equate to more noise

Low leakage is not always better depending on what you are building.

The Fuzz Factory and Oracle are both based on the Fuzz Face. In all 3 circuits, high leakage will generally alter the bias in a way that makes the pedal sound gated rather than noisy.

Leakage varies with temperature, and transistors with high leakage tend to be less temperature stable.

You should get a tester like the DCA55 to get a better idea of what's going on when you're selecting transistors