Absolutely love going back through these older videos

I can testify to this. I had a Sony TA N55 es amp which is a stereo amp but is bridgable to mono, it's a great sounding amp in stereo, but cutisoty got the better of me so I picked up a second one and run them as a pair of mono blocks, and the difference was immediately apparent. The most noticeable area was in the bass, it didn't suddenly become louder but separation and detail improved, I could feel the space between the bass guitar and other low end instruments, I could hear texture to the low end which wasn't there before, subtle details from the string surface which I'm used to hearing in the mid range are now apparent on the low end instruments. I could also hear increased separation and transparency across the whole frequency range, with the right recordings the speakers even disappear, if I close my eyes and listen to Fleetwood Mac rumours it's like the band is spread out in front of me and I can't pinpoint the speakers location. These sony amps are a great way to get into monoblocks as they go for less than £400 each on the used market, so less than £800 I have an incredibly transparent dual mono set up which to my ears out performs any stereo amp I've had up to now.

Watch out when thinking of buying tube mono blocks. They usually have 4 small tubes and 4 power tubes each. They will sound so amazing and you will listen to them 10 hours a day! But then you need to replace the tubes every year which will cost around $500. After the new tubes are burned in a couple of days you will again be amazed by the beautiful tube sound! (+subwoofer)

4:38 It's not for the faint of "wallet"

I really really love your videos and the way you explain things! Thank you sooooo much!

Two points, I'd like to make. All components with amplification can use "monoblcking" - ie. separate transformers, power supplies, and grounds for each side. Whether that is your CD player, tuner, amp, preamp, or even your auxiliary units like an EQ. If it amplifies, it can benefit from "monoblocking". You CAN have two monoblocks inside the same box. Remember, that case is really just a faraday cage and a convenient way to mount stuff. It's entirely possible to put in a second transformer and keep the grounds separated. Quite frankly, it surprises me that it's not done more often. And my second point is - while it may make some sense to have two separate transformers, it does not make much sense to have two separate units. Most people will be plugging both into the same circuit, if not the same wall plug. This ties them both together anyway. Two separate power supplies sharing the same primary winding in a transformer can create a situation where the draw from one might affect the current available to the other. But there's two arguments against that - first, that happening at all means the transformer wasn't big enough for the job. And second, the voltage regulator is supposed to compensate for that. This is why we want those coke can sized capacitors on the other side of the regulator. One of my pet peeves about stereo equipment is the lack of EM isolation inside the unit. I open up a unit and am faced directly with the power supply, out in the open, in proximity to everything else, and sometimes even with signal wiring routed near it. Yes, it costs a dime or two to put that power supply inside a faraday cage. And yet, it would cost a few more to put processor chips in faraday cages. But the S/N ratio should greatly benefit in most cases. Yet, almost nobody does it.

“Heavy is good, heavy is reliable”

I just switched my dual jbl15 mains to mono. I'm actually really impressed w the clarity. The db boost is a nice + also

I remember I was laughed at when I was a teenager (and there was no internet), I had gone ahead and used separate amplifiers for the left and right channel external speakers for output out of my boombox. I was emphatically told by my seniors that “Stereo Amplifiers are different than Mono amplifiers” and you cannot use mono amplifiers for creating a stereo. Finally after decades, I have the right answer from the expert himself. Thanks Paul!

Now you tell us ! Lol Thanks Paul for doing these wonderfully informative videos and uploading them for us to see and hear !

True story. I have a pair of Benchmark AHB2 amps, and the difference between running one and running two, is very significant. Images are larger. It's a little more resolving. It brings an ease to the system.

So can you get mono preamps and phono sections to go with your mono power amps?

Thanks for that very relatable and understandable breakdown.

You explained that perfectly. Thanks for the info.

Damn, now I need monoblocks!

I went for two 2-channel power-amps and bridged them so each of them had just 1 speaker to take care of but now I've changed them back to stereo amplifiers where one power-amp takes care of the midrange/treble to both speakers and one power-amp takes care of the bass to both speakers. Don't know if it's worse to do like I have it now but something in my brain tells me it's better and nicer now.

Paul, would you comment on stereo amps that can be switched to act as mono amps? Does it still suffer from the same drawbacks as a conventional stereo amp would over a dedicated mono design?

Great videos Mr McGowan, What do you think of stereo amplifiers that can be bridged to 1 channel, so you can one amplifier for each channel?

In New Zealand a local product is Plinius. I have a tweaked Plinius 8150 (class AB) integrated that sounds pretty good but is no match for my pair of Plinius SA-50 amps (class A/AB stereo) that I run in bridged mode as monoblocks. Paul is correct that when you get up to a certain level of sound quality separating the channels makes a significant difference.

love this so much!

Hi! Same question here. What about dual mono stereo amps, one chassis but with separate power supplies for each channel?

Boulder Amp's 2110 preamp has seperate housings for each channel, both controlled by another block. Pretty impressive.

Mind expanding on this? Just wondering is it the response? Is it cleaner? Is there any point having a mono-channel amp per speaker in a surround sound system? I'm very fascinated with this

Hi Paul I just saw your video Stereo vs. Monoblock. I would like to know if bridging the ampliers can produce the same effect as Monoblock. Thanks Paul

I had used Dynaco Mark III monoblocks for years and at one time had 4 of these amps. The output tubes needed to be changed about every two years and were becoming expensive at $18 each. I decided to go solid state and purchased a used Marantz model 15. This amp appeared on the front like any other stereo power amp, but was in fact a dual monoblock unit. The only problem I had is that it did not match up with the AR-3a speakers well and the "overload" light would flicker. These speakers a nominal 4 ohms and actually approach 3 ohms at some frequencies.. I traded for a Marantz 250M which I am still using.

And they have that wonderful symmetric look which should not be dismissed.

glad hear this since I'm building active tower speakers with internal triple mono amplifiers in each one of them

I am an electrical technician. I view this a little differently from you. I have a 130 watt times 9, high end THX theater amp (9 X130 = 1170 watts). The input power is rated at only 110 VAC @ 650 watts. Do the math, running at 90% efficiency (which is a little high), that's 64.8 watts of power that is available for each channel. When driving only my vintage speakers, my theater amp does great. It did this because when using only those two channels, it draws only 260 watts from a 650 watt power supply. Kick in the other 7 speakers, then its easy to see why that really nice amp comes up way short when also driving the 350 watt vintage speakers *** I also had an older 4 channel 135 per channel Sony amp. Using only two channels made a significant improvement in the punch the bass had. *** I also had a Sansui pure DC stereo amp @ 120 watts per channel that had a 250 watt power supply. That amp could kick the crap out of those same vintage speakers. But that amp was the same age, and it was designed to justly drive those big speakers. In every case, the power supply having more than enough power to do its job, was what made the big difference. That all being said leaves us to one last truth: your best components bring a lot more light into pointing out the weaker ones.

Sorry if this was answered elsewhere in the comments, but what about stereo amps with a bridged mono switch like my Adcom 555 MK2? Would the mono-mode use sound better than just one amp in stereo mode?

very helpfull information,Jonathan from MALTA ;-)

Yes...yes..yes.... Paul....old school all the way.... everything you have said is 100% correct...It is the best explanation of monoblock I have ever heard...once you build a stereo with two monoblock amps you never go back to a power amp.... I bought my first B&K power amplifier in 1989 and two years later I traded it in for two monoblocks.. there are so many really great deals on monoblock amplifiers... expecially older ones... you also forgot to mention with a very good crossover unit, the high and low frequencies are unmatched to any other system including digital systems....

So does this principle run to pre-amps? Would running two separate pre-amps running to two mono power amps also improve sound?

Hey Mr. McGown; Do You want a question from Syria Best Regards.

A good compromise is a quality Dual Mono design its almost as good as a couple of monoblocs.

Very informative and thanks for the Always precious advice. A nice thing with monoblocks is that they can be placed close to the speakers and long XLRs cables can be used for line level signals as well. I read somewhere that is better to keep speakers cables as short as possible. I did not understand clearly why. But that is what i read. And that balanced connections can run for several meters without particular loss in signal quality. Kind regards, gino

Hope this isn't off topic. Would car audio benefit by going mono block amplification on the front channels ?

Thank you Paul !

Did I write it already? But, if yes, then once more: I use a Dynavox TPR3 Tube Preamp, and this Preamp is connected to 2 Dynavox ET100 Stereo Poweramps. BUT! I use them as Monoamplifiers. That's quite easy, I just hooked them up with two Y-Cables, so that both Channels of 1 Stereo Amp are either the right or on the other amp both channels are the left Channel. Since I use vertical Bi-Amping for my 4way (Refrigerator sized) Loudspeakers, this is the best solution for my needs... So, the Subwoofer is one channel, and midbass-coupler, midrange, and tweeter are fed by the second channel of the same amp. And it did cost me an apple and an egg compared to some other monoblock systems lol... For my ears, the dynamic is great, and the tube Preamp delivers the tube-sound I love...

can you also take about "dual mono" design?

Sounds good... So under the monoblock logic shouldn't we also make mono-preamps too? Separate boxes for left and right line-level input signals with separate power supplies for each? - Delicate line-level signal handling is more important than brute amplification signal handling.

i have two AudioSource 310 amps, and a NAD preamp. that can connect to two amps.. but only the left channel of the amp, sound, can i invert the cables to listen the right channel ?? how to wire them to listen stereo ? Please help..

does this apply to 2 identical stereo amps but just using the left output only on one amp for one speaker, and the right output only on the other amp for another speaker ? so one amp per speaker

If anybody knows the answer, thank you. How does this apply in car audio? Usually we think of monoblocks as limited frequency amps used for subwoofers. How about Full range monoblocks for left and right channels in a car?

Hello ! Which of the two would you choose which is higher quality ROTEL RB 1590 or EMOTIVA XPA DR2. Thanks !

If i have 2 stereo amps and use one amp for the left channel and the other stereo amp for the right, would i get the same quality as 2 monoblock amps?

Hey Paul .. I was curious... If I took two identical stereo amps and split the audio between the 2 (left ONLY to one -- and right ONLY to the other) would it somewhat duplicate the same effect? Or is not using the other channel not make any difference becauae the unit would still assume power for the channel even if it wasnt used???

I've often found that two stereo amps setup in a vertical biamp configuration can sound better than two standard mono-blocks.

What if I have a stereo amp with a mono bridge switch ( 2x Bryson 3B ) is it the same as two mono block when bridged ?

I love your videos very much Paul. I own two vintage Sony TA-NR1 monoblocks and I'm absolutely in love with them. Mono is the non plus ultra if they are taken to the limit as you've done with yours... it's not worth to make some featherweight monos. Some haters should think about the inconveniences of putting two of these monos you moved in only one chassis...it's that obvious!

Most people would be just fine with a quality stereo receiver. Enjoy the MUSIC!

Very nice video......i am from Greece

Hint: Camera is much easier to maneuver over amp to look inside...lol I thought you were going to have coronary....lol I agree with the isolation of your amps and providing much more power and quality sound to your speakers. Especially when you have expensive Electrostatics or high-end towers or bookshelf speakers. For example, I had been using my Denon AVR X-3500H bi-amped to my Klipsch Icon Series W-35's. I then bought two Outlaw mono-blocks and there was a huge difference. I think Outlaw amps are really good and priced competitively. What is your take on Outlaw amps? The two Outlaw mono-blocks were $399.00 each.

What about dual mono? Same main cord but all inside is in two, transformers, circuit bords and two compartments?

I built 3 amplifiers as a DIYer and engineer; one with a single transformer powering two separate monoblock boards, second with 2 transformers with each powering a monoblock board, and the third with a single transformer powering a stereo board. These were all using the same lm3886. All that "crosstalk, isolation" talk is undetectable to human ears. Oh, and you think having two power cords makes it so you're not sharing power? Think again. It is absolutely no different than having one power cord (sufficient enough to provide required current) running two transformers in the same box. Your outlets, likely all of them in the same room, are all wired in parallel; the exact same as one power cord wired to power two transformers.

I have a Luxman L10, which is a monoblock amp and it sounds fantastic.

Thanks for the video Paul. Basically a pair of mono blocks are more advantageous than a stereo power amp. However, the extra cost is enormous and therefore carefully consider whether you should actually buy monoblocks. If money and space are not a problem, clearly buy mono blocks. But, monoblock is not equal to monoblock. There are stereo power amplifiers from a manufacturer X, which are better than monoblocks of manufacturer Y. Many greetings from Germany

Hi, I watch your instructive videos with interest. I like composing music with Sibelius music software and virtual orchestras. Once I finish a composition I export the file as a stereo wav. file that can be reproduced on any stereo equipment. The original Sibelius Software file can have as many separate tracks as one wants, usually one for each instrument. I can export to a wav file with 4 completely separate tracks. I would like to reproduce this 4 track file with reasonably hi fidelity using an amplifier that is really 4 amps in one, or two stereo amps, or 4 mono amps. Not surround but 4 in 4 out, so that I can hear each track completely separately from each of 4 speakers. Please advice what equipment I would need and how to hook it up. Low to medium budget. Do it yourself possible.

So if the amplifier has 1 set of rca input red is channel 1 and whiteis channel 2 but has 2 channels. Is it stereo mono? Also the 2 channels can be bridged (speaker output)

I heard every reason he could think of, why Mono block amplifiers are better other than it saves the company money on electronic component costs and it helps them sale more expensive product to the consumer. As a company would I want to sell you 1 item for $1000 that fulfills all your needs or do I want to sell you 2 at $1000 each??? The Great Mono Block sound he was talking about was the sound of the cash registers ringing multiple sells. LOL I'm not mad at you keep hustling.

Thanks, i'm totally agree. Best regards from Verona itay

Hey Paul, Why is the Sprout 100 designed long instead of wide given all the connections in the back? Also, can PS Audio make Sprout monoblocks and a preamp for those of us who don't have 15K$ at the moment? Cheers, Marc in Montreal

I can not agree more with Paul.. trust your ears.. great post Paul..

So what about using a bridge stereo amp or using only one channel on a stereo amp? Does it then make it the same as a monoblock? In other words, is the issue just with sharing components or is there something special about monoblocks that isn't present in a stereo amp?

I think it can get pretty cold in Malta in the winter too, Paul 😊

For 2 Chanel stereo...Is this class A , B or D ? I don't really like class D...can I connect mono blocks to my marantz model 40n ? What about using. Rose streaming DAC and connect 2 mono locks...can I do that and is it good

Ah Paul du bist einfach der BESTE.

my good man...you forgot to point out the best part of monoblocks.... no intermodulate distortion between channels past your head unit setup. that makes for very stable imaging and tonal balance especially on well executed two channel live recordings. matching the amps though....that becomes critical and is a bit of a pain to do unless the amps are adjustable se class "a" tube units. :-) my setup goal on installations is to get as close as .01% gain level balance across the bandpass spectrum as possible. that is not always achievable though and i have had to return amps before because they could not be brought within that spec. bias would float too far between them(power supply/regulation instability) some carvers were bad for that once they got a little age on them as well and as of late, a few macintosh units but that doesn't reference new amps. short your input and hook up a meter with your usual load to the speaker terminals and watch the show. an analogue meter of decent quality is the most entertaining. a digital meter is just watching the numbers jump. then trace record a sweep and fft that puppy and see the differences. a little difference goes a long way because:tonal balance and placement within the imaging field. in this game....it's all about being anal retentive for the sake of performance....like so many other hobbies close to the heart.

I'm happy with my set up never will be able to get mono blocks but spent £8000 on my set up and it's the best I've ever heard or will so I'm in heaven anytime I watch a movie in 7.2 or music in 2 channel is bliss for me and have had my set up since end of 2012 and love it as much as the first time I heard it lol but after break in lol even more.

Possible comparison with car engine: car with a higher engine volume, and the same number of horsepower (like other one with less volume), can work more easily with the same loads, it can pull more, it can last for longer... in the way, that engine is not faster, or that monoblock is not louder, but it makes everything ... more beautiful.

can i replicate a mono-block amplifier. if i have 2 stereo amplifiers and bridge 1 amp on the right channel and bridge 1 amp on the left channel. is this accomplishing the same exact thing. what would be the benefits vs 2 mono-blocks vs 2 stereo amps ran i this configuration?

Some companies makes dual mono amplifiers with separation that is comparable to that of having two mono blocks.

It's indeed talking in absolute terms / generalize as you express because there are dual mono amplifiers also sharing only the AC cable or even with two AC connections. I've had several of them like the Levinson ML-3 and Krell KSA-100. Biggest disadvantage is then that those dual monaural amps tend to be very heavy with two transformers and a bunch of those big filtercaps. When J. Gordon Holt the former and now late chief editor of Stereophile reviewed the Conrad Johnson Premier One an 200 Watts stereo tube-amp (not dual mono though), he complained about its 135 lbs weight, even more than he weighted himself, and he had to call in his publisher to get this herculean amp out of its crate or the review couldn't haven taken place at all due to this situation.. He argued that Conrad Johnson should have made two mono's instead, so the tossing around with it could be done without the risk of an hernia. I have the 'b' version of the Premier One and yes it's a pain in the ... back actually to get it anywhere on your own and I could not lift it out of its crate either without assistance (When alone, trick is to open the top of the crate, lay a cushion or other thick soft item beside it. Turn the crate (or box with any insane American heavy amp) 180 degrees carefully, pull the crate or box up and then turn the amp back on its feet. It was a good point that Gordon Holt made and yes Conrad Johnson made a more manageable mono the Premier Five, but most high wattage Class A/AB amps even in a monaural fashion tend to be heavy also like the big Krells or Rowlands.

Can we make a 2.1 channel amp using mono blocks.. I mean 3 blocks for left , right and bass... At the input end we need to filter our bass from both the channels then feed it to third mono block.. The filtered left and right channel can than go their respective monoblocks.. This entire thing is a question, I am an just getting into these amp things not much knowledge.. hence asking can such a thing be done and if yes..will it make any difference.?????

The budget is the decisive factor. At a certain MSRP only so much of the cost can go to components. Got a little Synthesis Nimis integrated tube class A amp that sold at €1290 MSRP. Imho that is hard to beat bang per buck. It is a simple 2x mono design with seperate psu's (three in total). The only downside is you need matching high sensitive speakers (aprox. 90db or higher).

Has this comparison been done: Integrated monoblocks vs separate stereo pre-amp and amp

Plus monos just look cooler as well as the Separate stands and can be placed closer to each speaker and use a shorter wire most importantly

Love my PS Audio Delta 250 mono

Monoblocks are discreet. Many stereo amps are not. Using bridge mode on any amp is always a bad idea due to the variances in each side's construction and operation.

what about dual mono designs like, for example the primaluna? Could not they do it as well? the only shared component is the power cord, but it just means the two meet at the power cord rather than 30cm later at the socket

4 small caps vs 2 big caps ? which is going to be better ?

It looks like a beautiful place for an office

Paul, I was told to achieve the very best...have 2 monoblocks per channel....so one handles mid-highs and other lows ...so 4 monoblocks in total but is this true or snake-Oil ?

"All this stuff". Its a technical term!😉. Thank you for another great video.

they should be called MONSTER blocks lol big as hell. love them.

The important thing is that both monoblocks are voiced as exactly to one another as possible.

If you have two toroid power supplies in an integrated amplifier that will power the left and right channels separately, it is much better than one power supply for the left and right channels.

probably no one will chime in, but what if you want to run 4 speakers? is there a monoblock amp that has speakers A & B???? Thanks!

I'd happily put my future Vitus SIA-030 integrated amp up against high end mono blocks such as the BHK mono's as I know how good it will be.

I wonder what Billy Woodman would say.. Active speakers every time..

Paul, mono blocks don't share a common ground first (as they use separate chassis, right) and second (mostly but not always) are balanced, i.e. two channel amplifying the plus and minus where ground is not referenced by the signal itself. Balanced operation doubles the voltage swing and the slew rate.

Could you maybe make a big box and put two small mono blocks and a preamp in the big box? And you would have an integrated amp that sounds better? Maybe class D for a more compact unit.

''Are monoblocks better than stereo amplifiers?'' Yes.

What about dual monoblock stereo amps? Plenty of them out there with separate transformers, etc...

Nice

Monoblocks are better if they are good monoblocks😁 a good stereo amplifier will be better then 2 bad mono s😉

Totally sounds like David Letterman! Great video BTW. Thank-you

Aren't they technically 4x as expensive since they each cost double the price of a stereo unit and you need two of them? :P

Only in the audiophile world do you get half (mono) and have to pay more then a whole. I get there is more cabinet expense and such but in the real world when you buy more then one it usually come with a discount the more you buy.

Would 2 carver tfm 45 amplifiers sound better than just the one @ 2 channels

So By his logic, two 2150 monoblocks sound way better than a 3060? Then why audiophile-grade amp makers have a stereoblock too for their reference series?