Distortion in power amplifiers, Part III: the voltage-amplifier stage
The voltage-amplifier stage (or VAS) has often been regarded as the most critical part of a power-amplifier, since it not only provides all the voltage gain but also must deliver the full output voltage swing. This is in contrast to the input stage which may give substantial transconductance gain, but the output is in the form of a current. But as is common in audio design, all is not quite as it appears. A well-designed voltage amplifier stage will contribute relatively little to the overall distortion total of an amplifier, and if even the simplest steps are taken to linearise it further, its contribution sinks out of sight.
As a starting point, Figure 1 shows the distortion ...
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