Pass Aleph

Got to Love these guys(girls) at Pass, thats customer service.

Here is the kind immediate rely from Pass Labs:
"While not bridging in the classic sense, what people sometimes do with the Aleph amps is to run the speaker outputs in parallel, thus delivering one channel worth of signal at a higher current level than can be obtained using the amp as a stereo unit.
Best regards,
Peter Perkins, North American sales, Pass Labs and Volksamp"

My question to savvy Audiogoners is: how do I effect a parallel output? What does the wiring diagram of the amplifier outputs to the speaker look like?

Dear Ivan,
You are kind to promote our customer service so prominently on Audiogon. To elaborate on my reply, visualize the two speaker outputs on the Aleph stereo unit (Aleph 3, 4, or 5): there are two red and two black posts. Further visualize two bare wire pairs (for the purpose of this illustration): at the amplifier end, you connect one strand from one of the pairs to each matching output (red and red and black and black), then, at the speaker end, twist the two wires from the red outputs together and hook them up to the red binding post, and do the same with the black outputs and the black binding post. You now have, effectively, one channel (mono) from the stereo amp.

The next step is to consider the INPUTS to the amplifier: you will also need to separate these from your preamp or source into a parallel configuration for EACH of your now "monoblock" stereo amplifiers. In other words, visualize red and black outputs from a selector on a preamp. You will take the "red" and feed BOTH inputs on one of the "monoblocks" with this signal. This will require some sort of a Y or splitter. You would also take the "black" and feed BOTH inputs on the other "monoblock" in the same fashion. Thus, you have taken half of the output signal and fed it into one amplifier, and the other half and fed it to the second amplifier.

If you are attempting this with the Aleph 4 or 5 you have a choice of XLR or RCA inputs; the Aleph 3 only accepts an RCA input.

OR....you could round up a nice used pair of Aleph 2 monoblocks from one of the many reputable sellers on Audiogon and make your life easier, and arguably get a better result...

I hope this is a more explicit response than my initial one.

Best wishes,

Peter @ Pass

Peter,

Why don't you introduce people to get a pair of Aleph O as this still the best amp amongst of Aleph series, right? Though the power is not its strength but still provision of clarity, 3D, dynamic, sweet and transparent while driving my Duntech Princess.

Dear Bigfinger2000,

Your point is very well taken. From our experience the jury is still out on the 2- or 3-gain stage Aleph amps, with the 0, the 0s and the Aleph 1 being the original 3-stage models. Some people prefer the additional control and dynamics that the third stage offers, while others appreciate the elegance and simplicity of the 2-stage designs (Aleph 1.2, 2, 3, 4 and 5). I was actually only responding to the question about making the stereo amps mono, but, you're right: Ivan could actually look for one of four different Aleph mono models: the 1, 1.2, 2 or the original 0.

Peter