AudiogoN Forums: Who is the KING of MONOS?

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?

Paimei (Threads | Answers | This Thread)

12-05-10

Responses (1-50 of 153)

Click title to read one, or click date to read all below it.

12-05-10 I thought i was the king of mono one year; caught it at a ne ... Stanwal

12-05-10 Paimei, they absolutely don't all sound the same. until you ... Danielk141

12-05-10 Speaking of ny parties,i once fell out a 3 story window in c ... Usblues

12-05-10 Stanwal, if your name isnt mark levinson or nelson pass you ... Paimei

12-05-10 Danielk141. you are right. synergy is important. i unde ... Paimei

12-05-10 Maybe we should do this using the process of elimination. i ... Paimei

12-05-10 If you're talking pass labs, what about the xa200.5? i'd th ... Peterayer

12-05-10 The pass x600.5 is not the top - they also have the x1000.5. ... 6550c

12-05-10 Hate to say it but i don't think your list even makes the to ... Enzo618

12-06-10 I can add players. email them to me. trying to stay in the ... Paimei

12-06-10 6550c, why did you not like your pass? reviewers are giggl ... Paimei

12-06-10 Bryston 28b-sst2. the kings....i had to relocate them this w ... Jb8312

12-06-10 Bryston 28bsst2 added. they are sweet. i should not have n ... Paimei

12-07-10 Why no tubes? can't stand to be in the sight of the king? ... Atmasphere

12-07-10 We can do tubes versus ss after we pick a winner from this g ... Paimei

12-07-10 Paimei. i had the original pass x600 monos from about 1999. ... 6550c

12-07-10 I have been getting some nasty comments about pass. i know ... Paimei

12-07-10 . whoa there podner! wait just a gol' durn minute about the ... Mitch4t

12-07-10 That is great. so you think the pass should stay in the run ... Paimei

12-07-10 Atmasphere, those are some crazy ass tube amps, how many tub ... Dev

12-07-10 I personally can't wait to hear these http://www.vac-amps. ... Dev

12-08-10 How about the vtl siegfrieds or the old 1250w wotans? plini ... Ngjockey

12-08-10 Musical fidelity titan? mbl 9011 - darn, only 440w goldmun ... Ngjockey

12-08-10 Of course, the king of monos is.......the bat rex amplifier. ... Rgurney

12-08-10 I have no problem adding amps to the list. 1000 watts. at l ... Paimei

12-08-10 Also add, yba passion 1000 mono's, jeff rowland 7 and 9 mono ... Doug99

12-08-10 Dev, the ma-3 has 42 power tubes in each channel. since they ... Atmasphere

12-08-10 Atmasphere, i hail those as worthy of a king for sure! who ... Mapman

12-08-10 Atmasphere, i'm at lost for words. congrats! bravo and t ... Dev

12-08-10 Speaking as a relative peasant, i dropped over $3000 on a pa ... Mapman

12-08-10 i third that! awesome!!! best regards, -- al Almarg

12-08-10 Atmasphere, and into low impedances too. truly impressive. e ... Unsound

12-08-10 I have not seen that many bottles in one place since my kids ... Mapman

12-08-10 Mapman, it gets better than that. you will find better does ... Muralman1

12-08-10 Mman, perhaps. i do expect the cost of class d to continue ... Mapman

12-08-10 Really, guys? such silly chump-change power ratings in mere ... Kirkus

12-08-10 What about the spectron mono amps? running in bridged mode t ... Coxhaus

12-08-10: Enzo618
Gryphon Colosseum's Solos or the Antileon Signature mono's, Boulder 2050's, Soulutions, Vitus, Goldmunds, Wavac 833's, Pass XA200.5's (only those), TAD M600's, Krell EVO 2's.

I think this is the direction you should look if you are really looking for the "King of Mono's" with no price tag limitations.
Enzo618 (System | Threads | Answers | This Thread)

12-09-10 sanders sound systems magtech monoblock: 1600 watts into ... Soundlock

12-09-10 Are we judging the king by power or benevolence? Unsound

12-09-10 Super size does not necessarily mean better. Muralman1

12-09-10 Murlman1, i know where your headed with that observation, b ... Mapman

12-09-10 Don't worry mapman, i will not press, you are right. one da ... Muralman1

12-09-10 What a stupid thread. Audiofeil

12-09-10 Stupid, yeah, but crowning a king is at least more fun and a ... Mapman

12-09-10 Don't forget about spectron musician sometimes way overlook ... Audioman58

12-09-10 This is another "which is best..." threads. to be ... Ngjockey

12-09-10 I am no discriminator of origins. all of our contendors are ... Paimei

12-09-10 In that case, count my vote for hanging chad. Ngjockey

12-10-10 I would disagree with you audiofeil. i think the post has g ... Paimei

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