Re Biasing a SS Amp?


Can anyone tell me if a Class AB integrated amplifier can be re biased by a modder to Class A operation & if it can would it be a difficult modification?Thanks much folks...
freediver

Showing 1 response by kijanki

In my opinion it will make it worse. It is called overbiasing. There is optimal amount of bias for any class AB amplifier. Increasing bias makes partial operation in class A but is increasing window of increased gain caused by the fact that two, instead of one, transistors are conducting. This double transconductance is called "gm doubling". Measurements of the same amp with different bias points (Douglas Self) show slightly increased distortions above certain optimal bias point. Overbiasing is not as bad as underbiasing but optimal bias is what you want. In addition class A amps sound better because since they don't have to be linearized so heavily negative feedback can be shallower. Class A amplifiers have gain, before feedback is applied, in order of few hundred while class AB amp gains go in thousands. Deeper feedback can produce TIM (transient intermodulation distortion) - basically an overshooting fast transitions, equal to producing odd harmonics in frequency domain. Also, as Hifigeek1 said, it might age prematurely capacitors, since it was designed for different heat dissipation.