C250 amplifier, producing a much more rich and open sound.
Having a Power Plant built into the Clas- sic 250 to regenerate a clean AC signal for the input gain stage is one of the factors that sets this amplifier apart. It is worth noting, however, that the Power Plant is only regulating the input stage. Therefore, additional levels of AC regeneration can be implemented to improve the amplifier as a whole, for example with a P1200 Power Plant. In other words, a clean, well regu- lated AC power line will make a difference with the C250.
The X1 output current stage Typically the output stage of a power amplifier is tied to the input stage and together they form a “team” to produce the power. Not so in the C250. This revolu- tionary and
The C250 can handle loads less than 2 Ohms and still breathe easily. To accom- plish this we incorporated 20 high current output devices per channel. Each of the 40 output devices in the Classic 250 can handle 30 amps of power.
The main power supply
Obviously the purpose of a power ampli- fier is to generate power. Pure, clean and musical power that has no limitations.
Inside the C250 are two completely inde- pendent toroidal transformers and power supplies and a short signal path to main- tain the highest possible power quality.
Each of the two toroidal supplies is a mon- strous 800VA transformer that is housed under its own chassis, isolated from the main body. These transformers feed a robust 80,000 mFd’s of energy storage.
Operation
Front Panel: Power
The front panel of the C250 was designed to bring both a level of elegance and sim- plicity into your system. The power button (on/off) is located directly in the center, below the meter display.
Plugging the C250 into the wall activates both the regenerator (power plant) and voltage gain (input) stage. The meter dis- play will light up in yellow for 17 seconds while these two circuits activate, during which the power button will not respond to your touch. These sections are kept powered up at all times. After the initial 17 second activation period, the yellow light in the meter display will go dim. Still, the output section has no power.
Pressing the power button will initiate the power up sequence, which lasts for 40 seconds. During this period, the meter will light up in yellow and the PS logo in blue, indicating the standby status. It is not advisable to try and play music during this period.
The C250 becomes fully operational once the meter display lights up in blue. This indicates that the C250’s output stage is engaged. Once fully powered up, pressing the power button again will turn the output stage off.
Front Panel: Display
The front panel display window in the C250 contains an analog meter that reads several useful statistics.
The top line, labeled “DCV,” is a represen- tation of the voltage that is available to the output stage. There is a direct relationship between this value and the input AC volt- age. For example, feeding the C250 with 120 volts should present a DCV value of 80 volts.
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