Constant, clean, and quiet power is crucial for good audio component design. There are often several different power requirements, even on the same circuit card. We believe the power supply sections of an audio product are the single most important determinant of sound quality. We design isolated, independent power supply sections for every unique voltage required in our products and optimized for their specific voltage and current demands. Solid power supply voltages translate to better control, detail, and dynamic contrast. The ability to drive low impedance loads effortlessly heavily influences how an amplifier controls a loudspeaker. In a typical but lessor designed power supply and or output stage scenario the difficult load a loudspeaker represents can make the amplifier distort and or lose control both of which cause undesirable sonic attributes. Coupled with equally robust circuits, these over-specified power plants award a consistently effortless sonic presentation - a trademark of all BSC Audio products.
Class A amplifiers put a higher demand on internal circuitry when compared to other conventional designs. BSC Audio creates over-sized, linear power supplies to power all of its components. Main amplifier power supplies are massive, permitting full class A bias at its respective 8 ohm rated power with an abundance of headroom, enough to double output power to 2 ohm and below. For example, the 75W Class A BSC S5 amplifier's power supply is big enough to power a 200 watt plus class A/B design that could deliver power below 2 ohms. Huge military quality filter and decoupling capacitor banks support the hefty demands. All associated components are specified to work safely at double the demand in environments over 105°C for extended periods of time. All power supply circuit boards are built to the highest quality standards utilizing heavy gold plated copper traces.
Extreme power supply engineering is not reserved for power amplifiers alone, the same rigid standards are incorporated into all of our Preamplifier, Integrated, and Source components alike. Voltage stages are regulated and multi-regulated to maintain constant voltages to critical circuitry regardless of operating conditions. Power supply sections for Analog circuitry are isolated from the potentially noisier digital power circuitry. Digital power supplies are double regulated with huge current capability to virtually eliminate power disturbances that often translate to clock or microprocessor communication errors.
The heart of any serious audio product is the power supply, and fundementally the most critical part of the power supply is the transformer. All of our transformers are custom designed toroidal types over-specified to provide the quietest and purest foundation available today. We choose to use toroidal transformers due to their exceptional power delivery, low noise, and consistent radiation patterns. Transformers convert the incoming AC line voltage from the wall power outlet to a new customized AC output voltage and current specification. The output of the transformer is then sent through a rectification process changing AC voltage to DC voltage. The DC voltage is used as the first stage in a power supply circuit. BSC Audio specifies all amplifier transformers have at least enough current capability to accommodate the doubling of the rated 8 ohm power into a minimum 2 ohm load impedance. In the Class A series products the transformers are rated to deliver current into an even more difficult 1 ohm load with headroom enough to accommodate the constant current draw on the power supply from hard class A biasing. Our preamplifiers also utilize oversized toroidal transformers emphasizing a quiet and unmovable AC voltage platform for our power supply circuits.
In BSC Audio products ground paths are plentiful and consist of 2 oz. to 3 oz. gold-plated copper traces to maximize transfer speed, current delivery, and eliminate corrosion. All circuitry and the chassis are referenced to one grounding point electrically (star ground), eliminating potential loop noise conditions while creating a large pool of electrons to draw power from. Typical circuit board copper weights are .5 oz. – 1 oz. which for low power applications is typically adequate, but not up to the task when high power demands are required. In some instances, solid blocks of copper are utilized to maximize the current potential. When ever possible BSC audio incorporates large ground areas between circuit board layers called "ground planes" effectively increasing the surface area of the ground pool without adding to over all circuit board size. BSC typically uses 4-layer circuit boards and even 6-layer boards when required. The signal traces in the 5 series components are all curved, not having a 90 degree or equally sharp angle over the circuit trace distance. This maximizes transfer speed and minimizes contamination due to heat collection formed in the corners of a circuit trace. Future products will also incorporate curved traces in the power supply and communication traces as well.