McCormack DNA amp options....

With 93db efficient speakers, I question the need for another amp - much less a conversion to monoblocs on top of that. (You do realize you can use two stereo amps on a pair of speakers without converting them to monoblocs.)

IMO, you would be better served allocating that money to upgrading your existing .5 to the max - Rev A Gold. In particular, you can now get the Plitron toroid transformer for the .5 which significantly improves bass performance (among other things) and makes the .5 seem even more powerful. Also, I would strongly suggest the soft recovery diode upgrade. You won't even recognize the sound of your old amp after these upgrades.

One other thing. If you still want more power and upgrades, I would stick with adding a .5 versus just getting the bigger models. The primary reason is that shipping a .5 to get upgraded does not require crating and is much less susceptible to shipping damage via regular means. In addition, two DNA.5 probably sound a little better than one DNA 1 due strictly to the traditional benefits of biamping.

Just call Steve and talk to him about your possible options. He is very down to earth guy and I'm sure he will give you all your pros and cons.

Jose.

I'm taking the upgrade plunge, or rocket. I just purchased two DNA-1 amps that were originally produced as mono-blocks and had them sent to SMc for the rev A+. My speakers are Eggleston Andras, which are power hungry, thus I chose the 1’s over the .5’s. It actually costs about the same to upgrade two 1's for mono rev A as it does to upgrade one 2 for rev A.

two DNA-1’s 1,500 (for two amps)
mono conversion 450 (per pair)
rev a upgrade 2,400 (for two amps)
total 4,350 (of course now you have to look at used Pass X-350’s and so on for this price)

one DNA-2 1,250
rev a upgrade 2,950
total 4,200

However, the difference between two .5’s and one 1 appears to be more substantial:
Two DNA- .5’s 1,000
Rev a upgrade 2,000
Mono conversion 450
Total 3,450

One DNA-1 750
Rev a upgrade 1,200
Total 1,950

Rather than upgrading your current .5, you can look for a used .5 rev a. I see there is one pending sale here on agon for 1,200.

For me, I’m very optimistic about a mono config's ability to better handle the low-end frequencies. Plus I admit, I just like the idea of two amps. Just thought I’d share my reasoning with your similar questions on options. Until I actually receive the amps, that’s all I can share. It’s a tough call to purchase a product and service/upgrade based solely on personal reviews and reputation. Crossing my fingers.

Hi Zach; if you really love your DNA-0.5, then you would REALLY REALLY love the DNA-0.5 Rev A Gold. I recently had a .5 upgraded to .5 Gold, and it's the best amp I've ever heard-- bar none (well, the DNA-2 Rev A is as good if you need/want the power).

I use the .5 Gold on the easy to drive Vand. 5 speakers (6 Ohm nominal, 4 Ohm min., and about 87-88 dB sensitivity). I should note that the Vand. 5s have built in 400 wpc amps to drive their built in subwoofers. As your speakers are also apparently easy to drive (what is the resistance range in Ohms?) the .5 Gold would have no trouble-- it will put out 200 wpc+ into 4 Ohms.

I could use all the audiophile terms that express greatness in an amp because the DNA-0.5 Gold has them all, and it's a big step up from the already very good std. and Dlx .5 amps. But mostly, the DNA-0.5 Gold is the most musical amp I've ever used. The mid-range can be breathtaling, especially on ballads-- female or male, and on hard driving R&R, rhythm (PR&T) and dynamics are excellent-- just to name a couple of strengths.

The main advantage of mono-blocs IMO (if you don't need the power) is that you can set the amps right next to the speakers and use very short speaker cables.

As Sdecker recommends above, give Steve McCormack a call at SMc and discuss your needs.

I've used (long term) the DNA-1 Dlx, DNA.5 std. and Dlx, DNA-2 Dlx, DNA-2 Rev A, and finally the DNA-0.5 Rev A Gold. My opinion? If you don't really need the power, go for the DNA-0.5 Rev A GOLD. If you do need the power, go for the DNA-2 Rev A or better. It's as good as the .5 Gold.

I need to get around to writing an Audiogon review of the DNA-0.5 Gold;>). Cheers. Craig

Garfish is right. There is no question that a 0.5 sounds better than a 1.0. The Rev A+ with soft recovery diode is amazing. Maybe start with one and then add another to bi-amp, assumming your speakers are made for it. SMc will wire the inputs together so you can just use one cable per side, for a vertical bi-amp config (one amp per channel). With your high efficency speakers, I can't imagine you needing more than the 100 wpc @ 8 ohms, and you can easily go up to bi-amped 0.5s which Steve will tell you will sound much better than a single 1.0. In fact, I am about to send one of my 0.5s in to go up to A+, and then will bi-amp my Vandersteen 3Asigs. Steve does seem to be a fan of mono-blocking a pair of 0.5s, but then you are going to hurt re-sale or limit your ability to use them as stereo amps w/o re-converting them. But if you want a balanced configuration, monoblocks conversion of a pair costs the same as doing one stereo amp.