Our amplifier
module, CM-5018, which has taken us several years (!) to bring to
perfection, is one of the best you can get, no matter what cost. You
will hear every single detail of the input signal, but no distortion,
no hum, no noise, no coloration. It is the perfect power amp for
nit-picking audiophiles, recording studios or just anyone who wants to
enjoy the music,
not just listen to it. The same module is used in our Poweramp 5 stereo
amplifier.
Poweramp 5is
a genuine high-end stereo power amplifier. But ten times cheaper than
what you would expect for this sound quality. For real music lovers,
audiophiles and recording studios. Now complete with lazer cut european birch cabinet (IKEA style). You only need
pliers and a screwdrivers, all soldering is already made. The kit is based on our best amplifier modules /
mono blocks ever, the CM-5018. The sound is crystal
clear with all details from extremely deep, dry and firm bass to frequencies above what
humans can
hear. Sensitivity is enough for direct connection to a CD- or DVD
player, DAC, computer soundcard or other 1V sources. If you want to enjoy your
music for hours without
getting tired, this is it. Prices from 3880 SEK (approx. 356 USD, oct. 2019) plus shipping
cost. Click here for the building instructions.
CM-5018
Amplifier module (mounted on heatsink, ready for use). Approximate output Power 50 W at 8 Ohm load,
sensitivity 900 mV. For you who want a first class sound and can do the
rest yourself. Som experience from building electronics is needed. The
module itself is solder-free. For the connection only a screwdriver is
needed, no soldering. Every single module is tested by us before
shipping. Price 995
SEK (approx. 106 USD, oct. 2019) plus shipping cost. Click here to read more! Kit with two modules +
Power supply PCB: 2490 SEK/296 USD
Some people ask: Is your amplifier design a class A, AB or B?
Background, how and why our amplifier modules came to be:
We got a request from a subcontractor to Volvo many years ago. They had
problems with a loop current amplifier which controlled the driverless
trucks that moved cars from one assembly line to another. Sometimes
they lost the track and could throw a car into the wall instead of onto
the next assembly line. Not nice at all...
Well, we got involved in this project, and the problem was solved.
Some years later a subcontractor to "SL" (the bus-and-tube company in
Stockholm) asked us to make an automatic two-way ticket booth
amplifier. The problem was that it had to be placed in a metal box
outdoors. So, the temperature could vary from -40 C (cold winter
nights) to about +70 C (sunshine in the summer). The idling current
should be as constant as possible over these 110 C variations, and it
also had to be stable over time, as it should be used for at least a
decade or more without need for any service or adjustments.
At first it seemed impossible, but then we remembered the current
amplifier for Volvo. Using the constant current source, but making it
work in another way, we solved the problem.Then a few years passed...
In 2005 we needed a really high sound quality amplifier to be able to
test and demonstrate our first studio quality loudspeakers.
The amplifiers we had used before (NAD, Sony) were not good enough. We
searched the market and found a few that seemed good enough, but they
were far too expensive (several thousands of USD). So, we decided to
build one ourselves. How difficult can it be?
Well, it took almost two years and about thirty prototypes until we were satisfied.
One problem was that we hade decided to use very fast HEXFET:s as
output devices to get the best possible, detailed, sound. It was a
class AB design, and it needed thermal feedback to stabilise idling
current. But HEXFET:s temperature curves donīt match the bipolar
transistos used for thermal feedback, so it took quite a long time to
get this work properly.
Also, every single amplifier module had to be fine-tuned to the right
idling current. And as the idling current was also dependent on power
supply voltage, one had to have exactly the right transformer. If a
lower voltage transformer was used, there was a risk of audible
cross-over distortion.
Also, if one of the power supply voltages (+ or -) was lost, for
example caused by a blown fuse, the amplifier produced a DC current,
which could cause damage to the loudspeaker.
So, we only sold these units to people who were more-or-less experts.
After a year or two, we re-designed the amplifier so it did not have
this problem anymore. Now the loss of - or + did not produce any
signifigant output current. But still we had to set idling current and
use the right power supply voltage.
However, after some more time we remembered the special amplifier we made for SL.
Could the same stabilizing principle be used also for a hi-fi amplifier using HEXFET:s?
We tested and it worked! No audible cross-over distortion, despite no thermal feedback and no adjustment.
Idle current was now almost independent of temperature, supply voltage or aging.
Finally it was ready for sale, also to non-technical customers.
There was only one drawback: When driving high BxL driveforce woofers
without conjugate links at very low frequencies and high volume there
were stability problems. Neither we or our customers had noticed this
until one customer who had speakers with high BxL woofers told us he
had found a track on Spotify where the bass sounded "fluttering". We
played the same track, and at high volume we got the same result. (Our
SQ-50 woofers have high BxL.)
We did some extensive studying about the phenomenon, and after a lot of work came up with the solution:
Separating the two current sources, switching from one-transistor
current sources to a two-transistor configuration, and finally
introducing a current mirror stage between the input and driver stages
to further increase linearity and decrease sensitivity to reverse
currents from loudspeakers.
So, from the initial design we had now gone from 7 transistors (inkl the HEXFET:s) to 16 per module.
But it was worth it! We now have an amplifier that produces no audible
distortion of any kind. And (much thanks to the output design using
HEXFET:s) with a brilliant clarity, with every single detail. And high BxL is no problem at all.
Now to the answer to the question: Is it class A, AB or B?
The short answer: No.
The closest would be AB, but with an important twist:
A normal class AB power amp needs thermal feedback
from the power transistors (normally a small signal transistor mounted on the heat sink)
to keep the idle current (relatively) stable. Initially it is set by
adjusting a potentiometer. However, the small signal transistor and the
power transistors donīt react quite the same way to temperature changes and aging. So after some years the idle
current goes either down (causing cross-over distortion) or up (causing
the temperature to raise, eventually destroying the amplifier) unless
you re-adjust the idle current once in a while.
Also, when playing music, the switching from one of the output
transistors to the other is very sharp, which makes idling current
level rather critical, so a re-adjustment once in a while is important
for sound quality.
The output HEXFET:s of our design have a varying impedance between them and the loudspeaker output.
This makes the shift from one to the other smooth.
At the crossover (no output voltage) the impedance from each HEXFET to
the loudspeaker is 10 Ohms. But as output voltage rises, impedance gets
lower and is close to zero at full output voltage.
This smooth transition reduces cross-over distortion significantly, and
the negative feedback of the design then makes it almost totally
disappear, far below a level any human ear can detect.
So, you could say it is "a kind of" class AB design, but the way the switching from one to the other power transistor is made (smoothly, not sharp) makes it quite different.
You will never have to re-adjust anything to keep the sound quality at
its peak, and there is no risk of cross-over distortion or heat build-up
due to changes in idle current over time.
And instead of temperature feedback to get a varying bias voltage for
the output transistorīs there is the fixed bias voltaged and varying
transfer impedance between the HEXFET:s and the output, making
temperature changes and aging a non-problem.