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Are mono amplifiers superior to stereo amplifiers ?

I've never seen anything in an amp that strays into the realm of audibility.
Not with music even in hard panned pop production there usually is some bleed between L & R and in acoustic recordings there is definitely a mix even from the recording sessions ( if stereo mics where used ) and people where happy with vinyl with 20-30dB of separation in part of the spectrum.
 
Wondering why the amplifiers were near the speakers while the mixing console was 20 meters away in almost every concert I have been ...
If you put the amps out in the middle of the audience, they'll steal them. Or pull the wires out. :)

Having the desk out in the middle of the audience is nightmare enough from a security point of view but it's really hard to mix the sound properly from anywhere else.
 
Wondering why the amplifiers were near the speakers while the mixing console was 20 meters away in almost every concert I have been ...

Balanced interconnect in pro setups pretty much mitigates the noise over interconnect issue. Plus the power requirements to speakers in concert scenarios gives more of an advantage to short speaker cables. I guess. I'd also be guessing multiple amps for banks of speakers needing only one long interconnect for multiple speaker cables. But I am far from an expert in how stage audio is set up.

I'd personally still not be recommending it in home installations - especially with unbalanced interconnect. Even with XLR, as well as longer analogue interconnect, you'll typically also be running long mains or power cables for the amps. Compared with a single long speaker cable at probably half the cost.
 
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Balanced interconnect in pro setups pretty much mitigates the noise over interconnect issue. Plus the power requirements to speakers in concert scenarios gives more of an advantage to short speaker cables. I guess. I'd also be guessing multiple amps for banks of speakers needing only one long interconnect for multiple speaker cables. But I am far from an expert in how stage audio is set up.

I'd personally still not be recommending it in home installations - especially with unbalanced interconnect.
Physics do not change whether at home or on stage. Parasitics are easily solved with balanced interconnects while speaker cable impedance is something that can't be rid off.
Does it make a difference at home? I don't think so.
Is it worse to have monos instead of a stereo? Certainly not.
Unbalanced interconnects should anyhow be avoided in whatever setup.
 
I read that starting out with a wiim ultra and evolve by adding a dsp to the wiim ultra later on is possible, so I an grow with the wiim ultra.

But what will a wiim ultra with a DSP give me that the wiîm ultra does not do alone ?
First off, what do you mean by "a DSP"?

For example, filter creation is separate from implementation, convolving.

DSP is used to implement dozens of even broad categories of functionality.

For example, speaker EQ is very different from driver crossovers design.

Timing / delays / phase tuning as distinct from frequency / magnitude blending.

Ad-hoc user PEQ as opposed to Room DRC

Loudness compensation vs plain volume control.

Better to pick a specific goal and then a specific tool to compare to Wiim capabilities.

Example answer: Wiim cannot implement crossovers for stereo subs, that must be done downstream, split from the Wiim's stereo output at full range.
 
Unbalanced interconnects should anyhow be avoided in whatever setup.
Ridiculous unless you are wealthy.

In contexts where unbalanced wiring and signals will never deliver any audible benefit, such a "rule" would be 100% a waste of money.
 
Ridiculous unless you are wealthy.

In contexts where unbalanced wiring and signals will never deliver any audible benefit, such a "rule" would be 100% a waste of money.
Not much though. Good RCA plugs are 2 moneys, XLR 4. Cable is the same.

It's all dirt cheap so while balanced really isn't necessary in most cases, the cost difference is negligible.
 
Since I already read such a statement several times, let's try to avoid this to become a mantra.
One of the 2 has an almost speaker independent frequency response, the other not. That the differences would not be audible would purely be a question of luck.
The question was only about power output level, and I answered it correctly.

The quality of PFFB implementation makes no significant difference in 99% of cases.

But you are correct, in my case I am willing to pay a bit more for 3e A7 on that basis.

But the flexibility of separates is IMO 100x more important, and that is what I have been advocating for the OP consistently regardless
 
Amperes. You know this - no need to mock!
Ampere - without s since it is a measurement unit - cause losses in the impedance presented by the cable. Losses that increase with cable lenght. Reason why amplifiers are placed as close as possible to speakers in concert halls. Not to mention the higher risks of instability due to the increased capacitance of long cables. But you know this.
Ridiculous unless you are wealthy.

In contexts where unbalanced wiring and signals will never deliver any audible benefit, such a "rule" would be 100% a waste of money.
A basic set of XLR interconnects costs 10-15 bucks. 10-15 bucks to avoid ground loops, parasitics, common mode crap and so on.
Not only an RCA cables set costs more to not be complete garbage, but it requires additional circuitry in the electronics to partially get rid of the mess it creates.
What is ridiculous is agressively defending a connection system that is just conceptually broken, especially on such a forum. Even the connectors themselves are stupidly designed by connecting the reference last.
To be clear, I am not advocating to throw away already purchased electronics with nothing else than RCA connectors, but for people buying new components, there are now cheap electronics with balanced connections. Choosing them over the ones offering only unbalanced should be a no brainer.

The quality of PFFB implementation makes no significant difference in 99% of cases.
May I suggest to have a look at the impedance in the treble area from 99℅ of the speakers?
 
Thank you. Seems that going DSP is more about sound calibration and correction than anything else.



QUOTE="antcollinet, post: 2584441, member: 36536"]
Not much but some. The Wiim as I understand it will give only frequency response corrections. More advanced DSP will aslo give timing/phase corrections. And if you go for someithing like Dirac or MultiEQ XT 32 - they are more sophistication still. Especially if yo go up to Bass Control, or even ART with Dirac. But then your DSP solution is going to cost multiple times what the Wiim Ultra does.
[/QUOTE]
 
A basic set of XLR interconnects costs 10-15 bucks. 10-15 bucks to avoid ground loops, parasitics, common mode crap and so on.
As you know ofc the cost of cables is trivial.

> there are now cheap electronics with balanced connections. Choosing them over the ones offering only unbalanced should be a no brainer.

Yes of course in cases where the OPTION of going unbalanced does not add much more to the cost.

But focusing on that aspect as if it is important, for contexts where it is not going to make an audible difference

is going to perhaps eliminate possible choices that are much better value according to more appropriate priorities for those on a budget.

If a user's long-runs or RF-noisy environment context makes it likely balanced wiring and signals will actually make an audible difference

then yes it may be worth paying double what an SE-only equivalent would cost.

But not by default, that "if" should be carefully considered **for those on a budget**
 
As you know ofc the cost of cables is trivial.

> there are now cheap electronics with balanced connections. Choosing them over the ones offering only unbalanced should be a no brainer.

Yes of course in cases where the OPTION of going unbalanced does not add much more to the cost.

But focusing on that aspect as if it is important, for contexts where it is not going to make an audible difference

is going to perhaps eliminate possible choices that are much better value according to more appropriate priorities for those on a budget.

If a user's long-runs or RF-noisy environment context makes it likely balanced wiring and signals will actually make an audible difference

then yes it may be worth paying double what an SE-only equivalent would cost.

But not by default, that "if" should be carefully considered **for those on a budget**
Ground loops appear as soon as there are two components connected to earth and connected together, so not really in specific environments.
RCA interconnects cause these loops to mix with the audio signal. Whether they are audible or not is not predictable.
 
There are other factors involved in ground loops, balanced wiring is just one tool to ameliorate their effects if you are having trouble eliminating them.

The environments where balanced wiring MAY help, besides long runs and RF-noisy ones

include where the safety grounds are not all at the same true Earth reference

or a system where one or more of the components connect the audio signal to the circuit ground rather than to chassis ground.

Recommending that all components "must" be connected via balanced wiring and signals

is only a little less extreme IMO than saying the same about TOSlink interconnects.

There are indeed times when they are a good solution to specific problems, and certainly BETTER to have them available to use as AN OPTION than not.

I'm just saying there are other, myriad choice factors that should be given a HIGHER priority.
 
the cost difference is negligible.
Ok, please give some examples of streamer + preamp units with all of Wiim Ultra's SQ + bundled features

where balanced XLR interconnects are available (ideally as a choice not exclusively).

Or low cost source-switching boxes.

And that's not even getting into the often incredible bargains available in eBay for stellar vintage gear, where such choices are rare.

I 100% agree that such choices are worth paying more for, FOR MYSELF.

I'm just saying, telling noobs on a budget to make it a universal RULE is ridiculous.
 
Ok, please give some examples of streamer + preamp units with all of Wiim Ultra's SQ + bundled features

where balanced XLR interconnects are available (ideally as a choice not exclusively).

Or low cost source-switching boxes.

And that's not even getting into the often incredible bargains available in eBay for stellar vintage gear, where such choices are rare.

I 100% agree that such choices are worth paying more for, FOR MYSELF.

I'm just saying, telling noobs on a budget to make it a universal RULE is ridiculous.
I was talking about the cabling. You choose gear for whatever reasons and features, and then balanced or not doesn't make a difference in cable cost. Doesn't matter.
 
Yes I already stated cabling costs are trivial, nothing to do with my point.
You choose gear for whatever reasons and features
Yes I'm just saying that

"works with balanced signals & wiring"

is just one of those factors, to be balanced against cost/value.

Not a "must have" for everyone.
 
Poor Purifi engineers fight for the last ounce or lower output impedance only to be mocked.

Well... :

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