Mono Blocks / why are they not more prevalent? + Wyrded4Sound SX1000R

I’ve had quite a variety.  

From a massive 70’s Kenwood receiver a Sony wee compact dual mono (really!!) simply shined …which my daughter and a succession of two roomies will be happy to attest to, through Conrad Johnson tube preamp and dual monos, through a succession of Naim Classic separates but not dual monos…100, 200, 500, to finally using the most astounding of all, ATC 50 active speakers with an amp for each driver, plus 2 REL Gibralter subs. I think the main thing is less complex load in the path between the wall socket to each speaker always sounds better, closer to the recording.
Perhaps the biggest proof for me was a second system. A little Linn Classic that I bi-amped years later. After nice comments from the shop i added an LK140 (cheap,used one). After fiddling speaker cables to Linn for the Classic to tweeters, and Naim cables to woofers of my old Linn Tukans) it gave me a wonderfully improved sound in every way!  All i can say is that i jammed away the entirety of “Hamilton”, dancing delighted to Lynn Miranda Manuel’s performance most of time. And it’s not short. There was a single big old REL in the chain too.  
I like to dance, but this was ridiculous!

It was not the pure tonality of each string and horn of my Naim/ATC/REL setup, but adding the bi-amp signal clarity let every bit of Linn’s charm sing, sing, sing. 
Frankly, I’m not sure I’ve had any better experience of recorded music.  I’m always happy when i listen to this little system. It’s not the tonal purity of my flagship, but absolutely wonderful and a world better than before bi-amping.  If it’s adding color it’s a great one. 

Go figure.  I’m just believing my ears. 

Like pretty much everything in this world, just follow the money. 

My current Tube Monblock amplifiers do sound different from my equal level quality tube stereo amps I moved from to the mono amps. And, different yet again from my last two dual mono solid state stereo amps. The channel separation, instrument placement, sound stage presentation, and layering was immediately evident with my current monos.  

I'm fairly convinced now it would likely take a much more expensive dual mono stereo amplifier to provide similar results to my current monoblock amps - fwiw.   

+1 roadcykler:  I would also add that that is the trend nowadays in audio:  to compartmentalize everything, regardless of whether it has any benefit in sound quality.  Does anyone remember when you couldn’t buy a preamp without integrated phono?  Also benefits mfrs. by increasing the price x 2….

IME a well designed pair of mono power amplifiers will always do a better job of controlling the speakers they are driving than a stereo power amplifier of similar wattage. 

For example, years ago I was using a Naim Audio system with a 70 wpc  into 8 ohm NAP 250 stereo power amplifier.  I upgraded to a pair of Naim NAP 135 monoblock amplifiers which were only rated at 5 watts more per channel (75 wpc at 8 ohm speaker impedance). Even though the 135’s were for all intents and purposes a monoblock version of the 250, they did a better job of imaging and had significantly more control over the speakers I was using at the time (15 ohm Rogers LS3/5A’s).  They had a very similar sonic signature to the NAP 250 which I liked, but took the performance to the next level. 

I have been using both Quicksilver Minimite tube monoblocks as well as Antique Sound Lab AV25 tube monoblocks in my two channel system for the past 20 years, and remain very happy with them.  👍