BHK Signature 250 Amplifier

The BHK 250 stereo power amplifier is an industry reference standard for performance—a 250 watt per channel investment grade musical instrument that brings life to music.

The BHK Signature 250 Stereo Power Amplifier culminates one man’s lifelong quest for perfection in power amplification. Bascom H. King’s magnum opus combines a vacuum tube input with a powerful MOSFET output capable of 250/500 watts per channel. When cost-no-object performance is the goal there are a rare handful of power amplifiers capable of transporting listeners into a musical space few are able to enjoy. The BHK Signature 250 is one such amplifier. Lush, gorgeous, powerful, revealing, hand built, perfect. If you are uncomfortable with compromise and seek the finest performance, reliability, and build quality in a single-chassis format, the BHK Signature 250 is a perfect fit.

Design

Nothing in the design of a power amplifier is more important than its input stage when preserving music’s finest nuances. In the BHK Signature, a vacuum tube serves as the perfect interface between the preamplifier and MOSFET output stage. This hybrid approach offers stunning musical performance and unrivaled, effortless drive to the speaker. The Signature 250 Stereo Amplifier is the ultimate choice when a single chassis solution is required.

Application

The BHK Signature 250 Stereo Amplifier produces 250 watts/ channel into an eight-Ohm loudspeaker, 500 watts/channel into four-Ohms, and stable into 2-Ohms; enough power to satisfy even the hungriest of loads. Use this amplifier as the bedrock of your high-performance audio or home theater system. The BHK 250 provides the finest performance, reliability and build quality possible, in a single chassis format.

Technology

Overview

The importance of the power amplifier in the 2-channel system chain cannot be overstated, yet it's often overlooked. It's the rare few music lovers that truly appreciate the power amp's critical role in preserving music's nuanced details, because most amplifiers fail to preserve them. Overtones from plucked instruments, subtle cues defining placement, depth, soundstage width, and transient decays are often lost in the power amplifier. Suddenly revealed are the tiniest of details that now ring clear through the BHK, perfectly preserved through its low feedback, vacuum tube and MOSFET design. When it comes to musically controlling and powering loudspeakers, the BHK Signature has few peers at any price. The stereo Signature 250 produces 250 watts/per channel into an eight-Ohm loudspeaker, 500 watts/channel into four-Ohms, and stable into 2-Ohms; enough power to satisfy even the hungriest of loads.

Input Stage

A power amplifier’s input stage is a critical interface in the quest to preserve music’s essential details and vacuum tubes do it best. Hand matched pairs of Russian Gold Lion 6922s provide the perfect interface between the delicate musical transitions output by the DAC or preamplifier, transferring it without loss to the MOSFET output power stage and eventually the loudspeakers. The hybrid approach used in the BHK Signature takes advantage of the best traits technology has to offer, unavailable in traditional solid state or tube designs. While vacuum tubes are the perfect input stage, they cannot make the same claim on a power amplifier's output. Conversely, solid state designs are correct for output stages, but suffer when used as inputs. Only a hybrid approach takes advantage of the best in both disciplines.

Output stage

A power amplifier connects its reservoir of energy to the loudspeaker through a type of valve (solid state or vacuum tube) controlled by the input stage. If the input stage has done a good job of preserving music's subtle details, textures, timing and phase information, transferring it without loss to the power stage and eventually the loudspeakers is best handled by a tube-like solid state device known as a MOSFET. Not all MOSFETs are the same, their differences characterized by their relationship with the input signal and the power supply driving them: N-types for the positive going signals, P-types for negative. N-types have lower distortion and perform better than P-types but N-channel-only amplifiers are rare. Using only N Channel MOSFETS in its output stage, the BHK Signature produces a near-perfect balanced waveform without the degradation inherent in a complementary design.

Features

• Zero-loss vacuum tube input stage

• Differentially coupled balanced MOSFET output stage

• All through hole construction (no surface mount parts)

• RCA Single ended input

• XLR balanced input

• 250 watts per channel 8Ω Signature

• 500 watts per channel 4Ω Signature

• 2Ω stable Signature 250 stereo

• Less than 0.1% thd 20Hz to 20kHz at rated power

• Damping factor 100 for excellent loudspeaker control

• Front panel standby button for vacuum tube input

• -3dB greater than 200kHz

• Dual, custom, solid copper, gold plated output binding posts

• Fully balanced from input to output

• 83 pounds

• Input 12 volt trigger

• Easy access for tubes

Specifications

Reviews

INDUSTRY

I confess I have no criticism of the BHK 250’s sonic performance—only high praise. It is extended and detailed at both frequency extremes and has an immediate, musical, and open sounding midrange (all qualities I love)….

Although the PS Audio BHK Signature 250 stereo amplifier is higher priced than most amplifiers I have used, for an amplifier of this pedigree and obvious premium quality I believe it is quite the bargain at its current $7,499 price tag. In fact, I would seriously consider snapping one up while this price is still available.

So I think I will just buy this beastie and be...

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Stereo Times-Frank Alles

Bascom, Paul, and Arnie’s combined 150 years of audio excellence has led to a design of classic physical beauty and sonic excellence that easily achieves the goal of competing with über-level amplifiers, but at a fraction of the retail price. As audiophiles, we sometimes fall into the ‘price equals performance’ trap. We fear being the emperor with no clothes when our friends ask how much we paid and it was, gasp! LESS than what flagship gear is supposed to cost. Naturally it must not be that good. This amp is that that rare Holy Grail whose sensible price belies its astounding performance...

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HiFi Plus-Eric Neff

They have truly exceptional imaging, depth, and natural soundstage width, and they really can get the best out of the naturally miked and produced recordings that have a real-world soundstage. The 300s’ dynamics are extraordinary, particularly in the lower octaves that seem to be in even more demand for audio reproduction today than the upper octaves.

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The Absolute Sound-Anthony Cordesman

The fact is, the BHK Signature 300 is a powerful, nimble-sounding amplifier that immediately drew me in with fast, punchy, tight bass; rich, liquid mids; and delicate, transparent highs—all effectively well integrated into a coherent whole. READ MORE

Stereophile-Michael Fremer

I can't recommend the BHK 250 enough. Like I said I bought this one and it is now here between the speakers with the Claytons off on a rack. I won't sell the Claytons ever and for sure they will eventually find their way back into the system.

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Positive Feedback-Dave Clark

The PS Audio BHK Signature 250 has everything that one would expect from a power amplifier of this category: it’s powerful, fast, accurate, gentle regarding its ability to convey the harmonic complexity of even the most difficult audio tracks and has a great dynamic reserve. Its ability to recreate a coherent and well focused soundstage puts this product among the best power amplifiers regarding this parameter. I could go on for a while extrapolating specific parameters and writing about how well the BHK behaved respect to them, but it would be useless. In my opinion the ultimate reason of...

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Fedeltà del Suono-Giulio Salvioni

Yes, it's all things you'd expect from a top flight amplifier: powerful and precise, fast and dynamic, generous in its staging, and close in its focus. But its ability to translate those elements into a musically coherent and consistently compelling performance is what sets the BHK Signature apart from any other power amplifier I've listened to. I sense a classic in the making.

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Audio Video Magazine-Deon Schoeman

AWARDS

2016 Brutus Awards from Positive Feedback