Are mono amplifiers superior to stereo amplifiers ?

[RaymondFromThePyrénéés]

Hallo everybody.

I was going to buy a WiiM but when I see all the WiiM for sale on the used market,
I think I will go back to a standard setup of AB amplifiers.

My questions are, when all I look for is an incredible sound :

I cancelled out integrated ampflifiers to be more free for upgrading parts of the system,

and I will probably buy a streamer and
a combi DAC / PréAmp instead of a DAC and a PréAmp.

My questions is :
what is the advantage of using 2 mono amplifiers compared to one stereo amplifier ?

My budget is pretty low, but I have audiophonics in Bordeaux here in France
who sells very good amps for prices around 200-300 euros/dollars
some listed very high among amps on this website.

Thank you for your input.

Best Regards, Raymond Liljeros

 

[voodooless]

what is the advantage of using 2 mono amplifiers compared to one stereo amplifier ?

Sound quality wise: nothing at all.

In some cases there may be a practical reason for mono amps, or you just like to look… whatever floats your boat I guess.

 

[RaymondFromThePyrénéés]

Thank you
and between a pré-amp + amp is there
also no difference compared to an all integrated amp

 

[DVDdoug]

and between a pré-amp + amp is there
also no difference compared to an all integrated amp

Other than features, no.

BTW - You'll usually get more value for your money with a receiver. They are mass-manufactured, mass-marketed, and sold into a competitive market.

I think I will go back to a standard setup of AB amplifiers.

I wouldn't worry too much about the class. It's the specs/performance that counts. (But class-A is "just dumb". It's energy inefficient and generally less economical, It's class-A because it was first, not because it's the best. )

 

[RaymondFromThePyrénéés]

Thank you DVDdoug. Yes class A seems to be a bit crazy today looking at the world

A salesman at the famous audiophonics here in France say
that people are beginning to get tired of the classe D sound ?

​

 

[voodooless]

A salesman at the famous audiophonics here in France say
that people are beginning to get tired of the classe D sound ?

There is no Class D sound… stop being classist.

 

[RaymondFromThePyrénéés]

I understand, thank you.

So now I have see if for the 600 euros
I intended to spend on a WiiM Ultra Amp

If I can get better quality with a separate setup like this :
Straemer, Dac, PréAmp and Amp for the same price ?
or lets say for about 1000€

with a much better sound then the Wiim ?

So man options to choose from today, it is difficult to navigate

 

[voodooless]

Better sound? Probably not. You may get more power, so it might go louder if you need that.

You’re also more flexible to replace separate components. And if something breaks, you don’t have to replace or fix everything.

On the other hand, the WiiM is super compact, powerful, offers very nice features including room correction. It’s excellent value.

 

[RaymondFromThePyrénéés]

not easy to navigate but perhaps I should start with a wiim as a beginner

 

[RaymondFromThePyrénéés]

thanks to all of you

 

[WillBrink]

On paper as they say, maybe. Audible, No.

 

[RaymondFromThePyrénéés]

Thank you. Is is possible to "bypass" the amp in the wiim ultra amp
if I want to use occasionnaly another amp like for example a tube amplifier ?

 

[voodooless]

Thank you. Is is possible to "bypass" the amp in the wiim ultra amp
if I want to use occasionnaly another amp like for example a tube amplifier ?

Not conveniently. It offers USB audio out, so you can add a DAC and then an external amp.

If you want to switch amps, just get the streamer only version and add an amp. 3E audio has some nice amps, for instance.

 

[RaymondFromThePyrénéés]

ToI buy the WiiM ULTRA without an AMP,
perhaps that is a good idea actually.
I read also read about the Fosi.

Is it then also possible to ad two subs to this WiiM ultra with no amps ?

 

[RaymondFromThePyrénéés]

But is the WiiM Ultra such a good deal when comparing with other streamers
when buying it without its amp ?

 

[voodooless]

Is it then also possible to ad two subs to this WiiM ultra with no amps ?

Only in parallel. It has only one sub-out. So you’ll need some way to tweak the subs individually. If the aub has it’s own DSP, that would work.

Devices with multiple sub outputs are generally much more expensive, unless you go for something more dedicated, like a MiniDSP Flex.

You can do WiiM mini -> flex -> amp. This would offer 2 sub outputs. It’s also a much steeper learning curve.

 

[kyuu]

Is it then also possible to ad two subs to this WiiM ultra with no amps ?

You could use a miniDSP 2x4HD in combination with MSO to properly align two subwoofers downstream of a device like the Wiim Ultra that has a single subwoofer out, but as voodooless says this has a learning curve. For an "easy-mode" way to to do it you'd need something that can run Dirac Live BC, which unfortunately seems limited mostly or entirely to AVR/AVP products, or obscenely expensive streamer-DACs like the NAD M66, at this time.

 

[RaymondFromThePyrénéés]

thank you, I will do with one sub.

But is the WiiM Ultra such a good deal when comparing with other streamers
when buying it without its amp ?

 

[David_M]

You can have the opportunity to have more power in mono than in a stereo amp. With mono amps, the full power from the electrical outlet is available to convert into output wattage. In stereo, it's shared between two channels.

 

[Keith_W]

You can have the opportunity to have more power in mono than in a stereo amp. With mono amps, the full power from the electrical outlet is available to convert into output wattage. In stereo, it's shared between two channels.

Sorry that's incorrect. What happens if you plug both mono amps into the same outlet using an adapter? Do you halve the output of the mono amp?