BOB Linear Power Supply

Soul of Sound BOB Linear Power Supply

Lower voltage. Lower thermal load. Built for the 808.

BOB was developed as a dedicated external linear power supply for the Burmester 808 Mk3. Its purpose is simple: to provide the preamplifier with a deliberately lower supply voltage, reducing the thermal load inside the unit while leaving the 808 itself unchanged.

BOB retains the separate supply concept while moving rectification into its own chassis. A dedicated transformer arrangement, active rectification and substantial energy storage form a deliberately simple and robust foundation for the 808.

The original 808 Mk3 power supply houses two transformers in a separate chassis, each serving one channel. Four AC supply lines are fed to the preamplifier, where rectification takes place.

Soul of Sound BOB Linear Power Supply

BOB preserves this dual-mono separation, but moves rectification into the external power supply. It delivers two independent pairs of positive and negative DC rails to the 808. Their deliberately lower voltage reduces the thermal load on the internal regulation while leaving the preamplifier’s essential architecture unchanged.

Soul of Sound BOB Linear Power Supply

Inside, BOB follows the same dual-mono logic. Each channel has its own transformer, active rectification and reservoir capacitors, keeping the two supply paths independent from one another. The layout is deliberately straightforward, with short connections and substantial energy storage rather than unnecessary complexity.

Soul of Sound BOB Linear Power Supply

An automatic circuit breaker provides protection on the mains side, while the four front-panel indicators allow the positive and negative supply rails of both channels to be monitored independently.

Soul of Sound BOB Linear Power Supply

BOB was designed with respect for the original 808 architecture. Rather than altering the preamplifier, the intention was to create an alternative power supply that could become part of the system without changing the 808 itself.

For that reason, BOB uses the original external power-supply connection. The existing Burmester cable simply plugs into BOB in place of the original transformer unit, with no modification required to either the preamplifier or the cable.

The result remains completely reversible — an important part of the concept from the beginning.