Dual mono integrated amps

Check out the Boulder 866.  Great sounding Integrated from a wonderful company. 

Belles Aria Dual Mono integrated is designed with that logic in mind. I believe the higher end Signature and Virtuoso also follow that model. I have heard the full line and they are amazing. Belles also puts out a dual monoblock product and a separate Aria preamp that has gotten sterling reviews. I have been pondering those for awhile but the stock market decline has put that on hold.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

How do you think the i-30 would do with harbeths from a treble and mid-range standpoint? I have Shl5+’s.

yes indeed, i ran exactly that pairing in our second home system for several years... terrific combination... the primare’s sweet treble and immense low end grip is just what the shl5+ (my set were older non xd's) needs and the midrange excellence is exactly what you would expect 👍

@jjss49 

Thanks for sharing your experience. 

How do you think the i-30 would do with harbeths from a treble and mid-range standpoint? I have Shl5+'s.

i have both the kinki exm1 and the primare i-30

both are excellent, kinki improves with replacement of key op amps (i did mine with sparkos)... resultant sound has a supreme crystal clarity with tremendous bass drive... an overtly powerful and exacting sound, some speakers do better with this type of amp

primare is more organic, warmer and smoother, excellent detail and drive but moves midrange forward and gives it more of a sense of body, more tube like in character... it is a special amp for sure

both are just terrific, great values, built like absolute tanks

voodoochillin

Absolutely!  I was a die-hard Separates fan and owner, prior to my AX-5 integrated.

I never thought that I would ever own an "Integrated Amp". Truth is, the product line and technology are light years from the last 10-20 years. Your choices, New or Used, are plentiful in 2023.  Have fun and keep me posted on your purchase(s).

Happy Listening!

@jafant 

It’s hard to complain about all this wonderful equipment we have access to. But we can still be crazed and obsessed!

voodoochillin

I have no complaints with my AYRE AX-5 integrated amp.

Happy Listening!

At the time I owned the Kinki I also had a Simaudio i3.3 as well as the Primare. When comparing them to the Kinki, both amps sounded bigger, more dynamic and much more effortless. I was not super impressed with the build quality either, my volume knob was loose and wobbly. I’m not saying the Kinki was bad by any means, just feel like the value proposition is much higher with the Primare. At the time my speakers were Proac Studio 3 and Meadowlark Herron I’s.

what was it that you liked about the Primare over the Kinki you liked?

Thanks for the i-30 recommendation. It may allow for experimentation without breaking the bank. Those are some beefy transformers...

+1 for the i-30. liked it better than the Kinki. I’ve moved on to a much more expensive dual mono integrated from Audia Flight but the Primare has to be one of the best amps for the money on the used market.

 primare i-30

True dual mono IMO is when each channel has a separate transformer. 

Simaudio makes some wonderful products:

@voodoochillin

In that case(!), to find out the best practice for dual mono-ism in that form factor/price range, just lift the cover on your integrated. I have full faith in Nelson Pass.

 Are there particular examples of integrated amps utilizing a dual mono design that do a particularly good job in this respect?

Gryphon Diablo 300

take a look at the Kinki EM1

@petaluman 

my father in law has a hint 6 driving some LS50’s which I will listen to soon. I do prefer a simplified integrated since I have an external Dac and streamer. 
 

@jimmyblues 

this is what I’m getting at. I have a pass integrated which is great. The separates beat it at soundstage dimensions. Tone is another question as the Pass is glorious.

Regarding dual mono amplification, I remember noticing a significant improvement with my Naim Audio system, when switching from a Naim NAP 250 to a pair of NAP 135 monoblocks.The same sound signature, but better control over my speakers (Harbeth HLP3ES). Greater width, depth of the soundstage, better instrument separation etc. System at the time was a Naim CDI, 72/Hicap/NAP 135/Harbeth HLP3ES. If a dual mono design is properly implemented in an integrated amplifier then it seems logical that it would sound better than with a single power transformer. Just some grist for the mill. 😄

In the UK as well ATC do dual moni amps ... p1 &p2 think their integrated amps do the same

To return to the original question, have you checked out the Parasound Hint 6?  Extremely versatile, with built-in phono & DAC sections, crossovers for subwoofing, Home Theater bypass...  A bit of a kitchen sink, but a great one box solution for many pieces in building a system.  You can always upgrade section-by-section.

The dual mono power amp was designed by John Curl.  A single power transformer is used.  I suspect that is the case(!) with most integrated amps - there's just not enough space for 2 of them.

@barts Wrote:

Pretty strong statement there Mr. Wolfie62.

I agree!

Mike

@petaluman Wrote:

I applaud the dual mono concept in integrateds, but it's not the same as mono blocks.  Separate chassis, separate power cords, even separate circuit breakers if you can arrange it.

I agree. I have mono blocks each one on dedicated 20 Amp circuit.

Mike

This FAD of putting 2 behemoths on the floor between speakers is just plain stupid. It refelects the spudity of the owners.

Pretty strong statement there Mr. Wolfie62.

Regards,

barts

@voodoochillin 

The H390 and H590 have two transformers. The larger one is oversized ( Says Hegel). Is it better than Mono Blocks? For the money? Maybe. If you buy a preamp and two $2000 amps, a pair of interconnects and an two extra power cords, maybe.   I’ve had separates since the seventies and the H390 is my first integrated.  There’s Accuphase and Luxman you might look at as well.  All three are great and all three have a house sound. I went with Hegel, but I wished there was a Luxman dealer near me.😁

@ortodox 

Audience AU24SX

I used lower level Audience for ~10 years, and was very satisfied, then went through a relatively brief 'grass is greener' phase (tried a pair of Purist Audio design and a pair of Swisscables) before getting a good deal on the SX (formally top of the range), and returning to the fold.

@whipsaw , what speaker cables do you use with A200 ?

The Circle Labs A200 which I, and some other members use, is a "true" dual-mono integrated, and it sounds terrific. It's a minimalist design, though, so may not suit everyone's needs.

Thanks for the responses. It appears that Hegel uses 1 toroidal power supply for its dual mono design. Can anyone comment on this technique? Doesn’t this defeat the purpose?

I applaud the dual mono concept in integrateds, but it's not the same as mono blocks.  Separate chassis, separate power cords, even separate circuit breakers if you can arrange it.

That said, you can get fine sound from an integrated amp, and dual mono is one of the many techniques available to amp designers to improve sound quality.

My first amp in 1978 was an AU 717 Sansui. It was a dual mono design. Great amp.  My $.02

I have an SAE Two A14 integrated amplifier, dual mono design. Designed by SAE, but made in Japan in 1980. It’s top notch! Each preamp and amp has its own power supply. It’s the reason I haven’t had the urge to upgrade. 
 

This FAD of putting 2 behemoths on the floor between speakers is just plain stupid. It refelects the spudity of the owners.

Norma 140 intergrated amp.

I second the musical fidelity a 308 option. If you can find one used, it’s an incredible value, and mine sounds great to my ears.

@akg_ca   I've own/owned a lot of Rega and they do great work.  The Osiris probably is a beast and not only because of the dual-mono design.  A lot more than that need be in order to make it roll.  Rega knows its way around those things.

The review link was interesting.  Very cool minimalist system.  I can only comment that the whole system would benefit tremendously set atop a Quadraspire SVT or similar to control smearing.  Cheers

The Musical Fidelity M6si integrated amp offers excellent performance, facilities, and power.  As per the Musical Fidelity web site “Internally, the M6si is configured as 2 independent monobloc power amps with a separate preamp. It is, in fact, a preamp with 2 monobloc power amps that just happen to share the same casework.  The M6si has 220wpc. It has very low distortion, outstanding noise ratio and extremely flat frequency response”.  

I am very happy with my Musical Fidelity M-6Si integrated amp since this amplifier deliveries the sound quality I am looking for.  

Musical Fidelity makes/made several dual mono integrateds.

Some of the older models have gotten good reviews; Tri-Vista 300, A308, A5

Yep ,… my REGA OSIRIS integrated amp.

https://everydayaudiophile.com/2019/12/23/rega-osiris-a-dual-mono-champ/

https://audiofi.net/2012/08/rega-osiris-punching-heavy/

I don't think every monoblock set up benefits the same way.  Monoblocks, to my mind, benefit most from having much beefier power supplies than their stereo counter parts and/or output stages as well.  After that it's channel separation, but your mileage may vary.  I think it's possible to make stereo components with excellent channel isolation.