Technology
Inside the GainStation 1
The most time-consuming part of the development of the GainStation 1 was searching for, selecting and matching compo- nents, PCB‘s and IC‘s. One decisive factor in achieving impec- cable audio quality is the refusal to accept any weak spots in the chain—the insistence upon each link being as good as the next. It makes no sense to use a world-class op-amp with an improperly engineered power supply or lower-quality passive components such as resistors and condensers.
The GainStation 1 is based on fully discrete op-amps that operate in class A mode. Class A operation dictates that both end tran- sistors are constantly conducting current to prevent distortion. In conventional class B amplifiers, each transistor carries a half- wave, and distortion occurs every time current moves from one transistor to the next. Class A operation requires much higher closed-circuit current—approximately 6 mA with this op-amps or roughly three times the total current consumption of a conven- tional amplifier—which in turn leads to increased heat genera- tion.
Several months went into the development of the GainStation 1 op-amp. First, we tested several different circuit configurations, using test equipment as well as listening tests with a wide variety of program material. It became more and more apparent that less complicated circuits provided better audio results.
The GainStation 1‘s input differential amplifier utilizes an extre- mely low-tolerance, thermal-coupled matched transistor pair in a single casing. This prevents deviances between the transi- stors to ensure minimal THD (total harmonic distortion) even at various temperatures. The resistors in the initial differential amplifier are connected to a secondary differential amplifier— also based on a matched transistor pair—that handles current conversion.
