2. amps-preamps
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Do high dollar mono blocks truly improve the Sound Quality over the mid tier amps

I'm currently running a pair of Classe Delta Mono"s to drive my Wilson Alexx V's.  IMO they sound wonderful with plenty of power.  I've been considering upgrading these amps to the next price/quality level.  My biggest concern is whether I'll get the level of improvement in SQ that will move the needle.  I'd love to hear from folks who have made this move in their systems or heard comparisons at shows or dealers.  

128x128skinzy
verdantaudio's avatar
verdantaudio
1,499 posts
 

I have heard those speakers a few times with Ayre Reference gear, D'Agastino gear and darTZeel or however their pattern of letters is supposed to be.  

For years I was "chasing the dragon" after hearing those with the Ayre gear as it is one of the most memorable listening experiences I have ever had and what drove me to design my own speakers and start Verdant.

The difficulty is that you could easily buy a pair of amps that you like less than the Classe or could find ones that blow them out of the water.  It is a matter of taste.  I am biased heavily toward musicality and staging rather than accuracy and measurement.  It is why I am biased heavily toward tube gear or very musical SS gear like AVM, Riviera and Audia Flight.  

What do you want more of?  What is missing?  Are there moments when you are disappointed and how? Answer these questions.  If you can't spot issues then maybe you just have an upgrade bug and this could and should be scratched elsewhere in your system.

skinzy's avatar
skinzy OP
172 posts
 

@wspohn & @verdantaudio , thanks for these observations.  I'm also in the "warm" "musical" camp as I think most are.  I'd maybe describe it as neutral vs colored where "colored" is not a bad thing.  Measurements only tell one side of the story. I find colored amps are more enjoyable up to a point. 

I'll soon be able to answer my own question as I've decided to go for a pair of Momentum M400 MxV's.

atmasphere's avatar
atmasphere
11,772 posts
 

Atmashere when was the last   time  the class D mono blocks 

were Officially upgraded or improved ?  AGD for example has had 2-33 upgrades that are a noticeable step up  in sonics depending on model. 
there has been several new Gan Mosfets in the last 2 years  just an observation .

@audioman58 We spent about 5 years refining the amp we released. It had to sound better than our tube amps, else people in the market might think we were nuts or just cashing in. Plus I wanted to enjoy them in my own system and not miss the tubes. We met those goals and so the amps haven't needed refinement since release. I can't speak for other manufacturers in that regard- each follows their own path. Its not as if we are sitting on our hands though. We switched to some newer devices in the 2nd year of production as they made our heatsink more effective. That required an entirely new module. But it does not sound different from the old one.

carlsbad2's avatar
carlsbad2
1,602 posts
 

Evaluate amp vs amp and ignore the mono-block vs traditional.  Sure Mono blocks can have some advantages, but many top amps are built as 2 monoblocks in traditional chasses.  Monoblocks increase the length of the signal cables while reducing the length of the speaker cables.  No consensus on which is better.

But a better amp will definitely sound better (truism?).  I much prefer class A.

skinzy's avatar
skinzy OP
172 posts
 

@carlsbad2 Mono blocks also offer significantly more power if the stereo version of the amp shares the watts.  Love your system.  Hoping a "better" amp will move the needle.  I will report back.

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