The process of making a great sound is a creative work, of great dedication and demand, attention to detail and time. It is a delicate work of simulation and modeling as well as experimental tests that ensure a unique sound as fina result.
AGS amplifiers melt the best vacuum tube sound with digital technology to provide them with functionalities that go beyond the imagination. The following block diagram offers a simplified view of its structure.
The system can be divided in four sections:
- Power supply.
- Preamplifier.
- Power stage.
- Control and monitoring system.
The power supply block provides different power lines for propper operation of each section: control and monitoring block, preamplifier, tube filaments heating, polarization of power tubes and power main bus of the power stage.
The preamplifier includes the following features:
- Four wired inputs: three line inputs and one phono input, with automatic selection system.
- Volume and Tone Control with Bass and Treble adjustment.
- Headphone output.
The power stage varies depending on the model. AGS Audio Engineering offers amplifiers with Push-Pull and Single-Ended topology. To give them maximum flexibility, the equipment allows the configuration of the power tubes in Pentode, Ultra-Linear and Triode mode. On the other hand, the power stage can be configured to operate in open loop or closed loop. These options provide AGS amplifiers with six different operating modes. These modes represent different dynamic and transitory responses and allow them to adapt to the particular tastes of the listener.
Finally, there is the control and monitoring block. This block acts as the brain of the system and is responsible for monitoring the state of the amplifier as well as controlling all the functionalities it offers. The following tasks are listed below:
- Switch-on timing for tubes heating.
- Test of the main power bus.
- Test of speaker impedance to adapt the output impedance of the power stage to the speakers.
- Automatic polarization of the power tubes. This allows the use of different valves without the need for any adjustments.
- Low consumption mode. In the absence of sound, polarization of the power valves is modified to prolong their useful life and reduce power consumption.
- Overload detection system at the speaker output.
