Benson Amps has launched the Germanium Boost, a booster that self-regulates its bias for consistency.
Building on the ideas behind Benson’s Germanium Fuzz, the Germanium Boost operates like the former but leverages an error-correction circuit instead of temperature control to ensure that its NOS germanium transistor stays biased rightly. That guarantees consistent sound even during temperature changes and component drift.
Besides error correction, the Germanium Boost’s circuit includes a NOS germanium transistor in conjunction with a class A buffer to raise its input impedance and give a transparent volume boost before the primary boost circuit. For a dirty solo boost or toneful always-on enrichment, the main gain stage dishes out some compression and EQ color to your sound.
Control-wise, the Germanium Boost consists of a single volume dial to add and subtract volume as you see fit. According to its designer Christopher Benson:
“Our goal was that people could utilize the highly-regarded sound of the germanium transistor to color their sound and boost their signal without worry that it would unpredictably ruin a gig or recording session.”
The Benson Amps Germanium Boost retails for $199.
