Does Anyone Have Mono Blocks?

[Nighted]

I'm a Firestone fan and I noticed yesterday that they now make mono blocks.

The specs look pretty darn impressive and they certainly walk all over my Big Joe 1.3 in terms of wattage, at quite literally 5.5 times more wattage per channel. The Big Joe is quite impressive at 8 watts per channel, believe it or not, I'm quite looking forward to the clean power of these new amps. As Big Joe is now, it's quite impressive in near field in conjunction with a sub. It sounds like a much bigger system not to mention far superior audio quality over every receiver I've ever owned (JVC, Techniques, Sony, Pioneer).

Big Joe IV Mono Block specs:

Amplifier Structure : Coupling capacitor, Mono-Mono Class-D Amplifier
Power Structure : Soft-Start circuit, Single-supply
Sampling Rate : 96kHz / 24bit
Power Output : 8ohm @ 44W (0.3%THD), 4ohm @ 80W (0.3%THD) / 100W (10%THD)
Circuit Protect : Output short / over current / over and under voltage / temperature protect
Characteristic : Built in high quality WIMA capacitor and inductor
Power Stage : TI - TAS5121
PWM Controller : TI - TAS5010
ADC Chip : TI - PCM1803A

Does anyone use mono blocks, and beside the obvious increase in wattage I'd get, what benefits do you think they'll offer?

(No, I will not be selling my Big Joe! )

Here's a pic of the mono blocks sitting at the bottom of the new (way overpriced) audio rack:

 

[450]

Big Joe IV is about $400 right? So $800 for stereo.

I think its a bit overpriced, Emotiva amps seem to offer much better value for the money.

 

[Sycraft]

I've never used those but I have used monoblock amps before. The theory is that you get better stereo separation and you do when you measure it, but it really isn't the kind of thing that is audible. The only time it is really worth considering is if you have your amps near your speakers, or if you need power such that you can only get the amps in monoblock.

As for Firestone's I personally wouldn't buy their speaker amps. Way too little power for what you pay for. While power isn't everything, it is good to have headroom, should you need it, and you can get high quality for much less. Have a look at the Emotiva UPA-2. Costs less than one of the Big Joes, has more power, and is extremely high quality.

 

[Solstice]

Does anyone use mono blocks, and beside the obvious increase in wattage I'd get, what benefits do you think they'll offer?

Well, I don't have much faith in the whole "two boxes to keep left & right channels seperate" aspect of monoblocking. Running a CD player with only the left channel hooked up to the rest of the system, can be pretty sure no music will be heard coming from the right speaker.

I think the real advantage of monoblocking is that you get a dedicated powersupply for each channel. Also, from their very conception monoblocks are usually aimed at being high-end products so the internal components and design should reflect that.

 

[Sycraft]

They do offer better channel isolation. That is just inherent from how electronics work. The more you share, the more leakage there'll be form one channel to the other. So when you totally isolate the amps, separate PSUs cases and so on, you get very low crosstalk. In fact, since the crosstalk could only go back through the electrical circuit, it is completely under any another noise and thus totally gone.

Fine, but not useful. Any good stereo amp likely has a crosstalk in the range of 70-80dB which is way below any level you can notice. It is more or less audiophile BS.

The useful reasons to use monoblocks are:

1) Having an amp next to the speaker. There's various reasons to want to do this, power availability, space, keeping wire cost down for long runs. Also in the case of active speakers, having an amp with minimal cable to the speaker lets the amp control the speaker cone better.

2) Having a single channel that needs amplification. For example if you had a system where only the center channel needed an amp, a monoblock would make sense.

3) Power requirements. You discover that there's only so large you can easily find in multi-channel amps. If you require more, you usually have to go monoblock (or to stage amps, but those aren't great for the home for various reasons).

All in all there aren't too many reasons to want one in particular. Most people find their needs better met with a stereo or multi-channel amp.

 

[Nighted]

The blocks are sold in pairs. I appreciate the suggestion of the Emotiva amp. I've never heard of it and it certainly looks impressive. I may look more into that for a larger system.

I like Firestone for the concept of audiophile in a compact form that I can keep on my desk and use strictly as a PC sound system, as I'm on the computer for many hours and therefore tend to listen to the majority of my music here as well as the odd movie.

I think I'll give them a go as I'm quite satisfied with the power output of the Big Joe 1.3, but the extra wattage will certainly be welcome and I am hoping that they sound even better than this wonderful little amp.