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I've heard lots of things about the C4S circuit used in Bottlehead amps. It seems like a constant current source would be a good thing, so the debate seems to be centered on John Camille's Cascode Constant Current Source, or C4S for short. What are the issues? What's good about it and what's bad?
My understanding is it throws hash on the grid smearing midrange and treble. How much or to what extent I do not know. It might be a minuscule effect that only propellerheads would ever talk about.
I see, that makes sense. Mine makes a tiny sound, like a florescent light. You can hear it buzz when there is no sound. Now I know what causes this. The amp sounds very good though, and for the price its hard to beat. Next time I'll try an amp with a different kind of power supply.
Hi, Do you mean the C4S boards specifically make a sound? My Paramours in general make a little amp noise but I cannot say this is tied to the C4S boards. My understanding of these boards is that they, along with other circuitry -- including the use of an inexpensive choke (inductor) permits a cost savings. Specifically, use of a modestly priced output transformer rather than the more typical expensive ones. Is this thinking correct? Mark