2. amps-preamps
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What do you hear with a better/bigger power supply and output capacitors in same amp?

Start by assuming a good stereo power amp with a proper-sized toroidal transformer and a good supply of output storage (good capacitors).  One option might be to merely enlarge both toroidal transformer and cap supply. What do you hear?

Another option is taking that amp and bridging to mono (I’m not knowledgeable; but I have ears) and using two as mono power amps. For all practical purposes each channel has twice the toroidal watt capacity and output cap capacity as before. (Another question, unrelated; what improvements can be claimed from using both L&R sides of the signal path board together?)

Typically more watts claim more headroom on transients and long loud passages. But what else do you get from this? I changed amps and my ‘new to me’ amp (avoiding names) sounds audibly better in at least five distinct ways from my prior (and decent) power amplifier (admittedly on rather good speakers).  I hear more bloom/air, tonal texture, detail, micro-dynamics, and low bass ‘growl’ than before. If I move to mono-blocks will I get something more, or not? How audible?

musicaddict

Showing 1 response by gs5556

gs5556
1,218 posts
 

If you bridge two amplifiers it will be difficult to tell if the change in sound quality is from the doubled capacitance or the doubled power rating of the xfmr's. However, monoblock amplifiers themselves have no sonic advantage over a single box stereo. The reason mono's exist is for thermal management. It is very difficult to build a Class A stereo amp more than 50 or 60 wpc -- the amount of heat sinking would be ridiculous. To go above that, only mono's are economically feasible. For tube amps, mono's are common because of real estate reasons as the transformers are relatively big per unit of power and need to be separated (magnetic field reasons) and the tubes need space for dissipation. 

 

 

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