Is it better to get dedicated monoblocks instead of bridging stereo paired amps?

And you can always go with two stereo amps and bi-amp the speakers if you want the "monoblock" aesthetic (and I use that word very loosely).  It isn't always about power or wattage.  Amp design and their inherent "sound" usually more important, which you have already determined.  You like the Sim Audio's sound and the 761's are a dual mono design.  So technically they are monoblocks stuffed into the same chasis. 

And in the end, if you were to buy the McIntosh, which have a much different sound, would you be content or still wanting or yearning for the SimAudio's?

- Jeff

Bridging two SS stereo amplifiers to mono is usually NOT a good trade-off for the massive power gained - up to 4x power for amps that "double down" i.e. high current. Why 4x power and not 2x? Because bridging doubles the output voltage which also draws (or attempts to) 2x current since the speaker load is the same. Or put another way, each L/R side of an amp "sees" half the speaker load and thus is dumping 2x the current at the same voltage as before - but both sides are now working in tandem (opposite phase) so these stack and 2x (current) * 2x (L/R sides) = 4x. Net result: amp is working harder (as if the speaker load were halved), and it often sounds worse. There’s also often extra circuitry to invert the input signal for opposing phases. I’ve experienced this myself - don’t like the bridged mono sound. Dedicated monos are the much, much better way to go.

Tube amps with a switch to stereo/mono mode are different - they typically parallel the output of L/R sides through their output transformers. The taps effectively become half the labeled value  in "mono" mode (e.g. 8 ohm taps become 4 ohms), so you just move down to the next tap as needed - that’s how 2 ohm taps (or even 1 ohms) can come in handy! In my experience, the extra power here (2x) is a benefit with none of the downsides of bridging - in fact, often these tube amps sound drastically better in mono!

Yes it is. Separate power supplies.

@dman777 

+1, absolutely yes, “dedicated mono blocks instead of bridging stereo paired amps”.  

Sorry for not reading your post more fully, OP.

I still think you should NOT compare one brand which you know to another which you haven't heard based on whether they are true monoblocks or bridged stereo amps.

Having made that part clear, a dedicated bridged mono amplifier is superior only because they tend to have a lower minimum impedance.  Usually when you bridge a stereo amp they also raise the minimum speaker impedance.  So if the minimum was 4, it becomes 8 after bridging.  This has to do with the current carrying capabilities of each output stage involved.   There are, of course, exceptions.

Having said all of that I might prefer the sound of a single stereo amp of one brand to any size monoblocks from another.  Depends and I'd not make a switch without a personal audition.