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Who is the KING of MONOS?

WHO IS THE KING OF MONOS???

Mcintosh 501:
Big. Heavy. Reliable. Built like a tank. Smooth and pleasing. This chuck of metal will flow liquid sound at you all day and not even get warm. It is Fun to listen to and fun to look at. Arguably the best looking amp of them all. Some accuse it of being too laid back. Others would consider selling an appendage to obtain a pair.

Krell Evolution 600e.
Pretty. Maybe not Mac pretty but still pretty. Unlike lesser Krells it is smooth and articulate. Possibly possesses the best bass of any amplifier anywhere. Expensive. If it can be the King it should be expensive.

Cary SA 500.1
Probably has one of the best reviews ever written. Cary is said to be a perfect middle ground between Krell and Levinson. Not too laid back. Not too harsh or dry. Just perfectly nestled in the middle. Not big or heavy. A little plain to look at. Middle of group price tag. A few complaints floating around about reliability. A few complaints that Cary is cheaply made. Is it worthy of a King’s Crown? 10 Audio thinks so………

Levinson N 53.
It is pleasing to the eye. It has lots of clout. It has cost no object claims. It costs a lot of big American Dollars. It has a non typical switching power supply. Levinson is sometimes accused of being too warm. Is this the case the N53? The company has encountered a lot of turmoil in the recent past. Can it overcome the negatives and beat the rest? Will the new D technology be its demise?

Classe CA-M600.
Aesthetically pleasing but doesn’t match anything else. Another smooth operator. This amp has also been accused of being too laid back and polite. Sometimes polite is a good thing. Can it be the polite King of Monos?

Pass Labs XA600.5
Can anything negative be said for this beast. Another block of beauty that has a glowing meter. A little magic and a little hocus pocus maybe. I can see the others getting a little nervous with the Pass in the mix. If only the company would answer the phone and tell me who the dealers are. I hope the product is better than their customer communications.

Wyred4Sound SX-1000
Can it even fit in with names like this? According to the reviews and the manufacturer it can. Its Class D. Its Light. It looks good. According to a lot of people it does things Class A / AB cant. It is by far the cheapest or cost effective of the group. Can this economical wonder compete or beat any of these brutes? Will it wimper and run away with its tail between its legs? We shall see.

Let us discuss who the King should be. Let us discuss who it shouldn’t be. Who cares about price. This is a Royal group. Who is the best of the best? No one wants to hear “They all sound the same.” Don’t waste our time. These boxes have magic inside. Who has the most? Which one should we all be dreaming of when go sleepy at night?. Who is the King Of Monos?
128x128paimei
bombaywalla's avatar
bombaywalla
1,958 posts
 
Nothing dumb about this thread or the participants.
More goodies get added every day.
Hear that Audiofeil?
I'm afraid that I have to agree with Audiofeil - it's a blatantly dumb & idiotic question to ask. Not going to comment on the quality of the participants as I see several names that have contributed positively in many other threads.
Basically, you cannot ask "who is the king of monos?" WITHOUT giving a context. For example, if you own very eff speakers (like horns or Audionote), you could buy the smallish Monarchy Audio SM70 monos & be in 7th heaven. No need to buy an MBL 1200W/ch beast for such type of speakers. OTOH, if you have those MBL Radialstrahlers, then, an MBL 1200W/ch mono would be the king. Merely citing a big mono for its size/grandeur has no meaning & that's why this thread is a dumb thread.....
everest_audio
285 posts
 
This is very much like the thread "Best Integrated Amp PERIOD". There isn't one. There hasn't been one. There never will be one. Likewise, there isn't a King of Monos. If given context for a particular situation, there could be some very good suggestions, but there will never be a "King" or "Best".
paimei's avatar
paimei OP
52 posts
 
The question may be somewhat subjective. However, these amps all have individual traits whether they be positive or negative. They have features and qualities that set them apart from one another. Im sorry to have offended any lack of imagination.

This is a thread that has drawn great comparisons between many great products. It has also presented many products to consider that most had no prior knowledge of. This thread has drawn from the knowledge of the entire Agon community. Aside from the few that have nothing to offer but snide comments I think it have been not only intelligent it has been fantastic.

Mission accomplished.
knghifi
1,668 posts
 
Agree with Audiofeil and AudioBombaywalla ... dumb thread!
roysen
68 posts
 
Nobody as far as I can see have claimed there is one mono amp which is best in all contexts. In my opinion it is pretty dumb not to see that this thread shows so many contenders and candidates to such a title that only personal evaluation in given context can decide what each individual consider the best mono amp out there.

This thread is however a good place to start if you are looking for "the best" because you can draw on other peoples experience and use that as a base for your quest to what is best for you in your situation
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