Bottlehead Forum
Bottlehead Kits => Legacy Kit Products => MonAmour => Topic started by: gabriel on April 27, 2020, 04:12:16 PM
-
I'm considering these mono blocks for a pair of 91db speakers I have (Devore Fidelity Super 9). I'm torn between these and the Kaiju 300B. My thinking is that both amps are borderline for the power/sensitivity ratio, but if I get it wrong with the Kaiju I can just buy another one and run them as safely powerful enough mono blocks. I don't really have an escape hatch with the MonAmours.
Any thoughts on this? Am I right that my speakers are borderline too insensitive for these amplifiers? Is there some path towards increased power if it turns out I need a little more from the MonAmours?
-
Am I right that my speakers are borderline too insensitive for these amplifiers?
Which one? I haven't heard the MonAmours but I have a Kaiju and while working on my horns have run them into Magnepan MMG's which are 86db only with a good tailwind and a push down the hill. There was no problem with the lower sensitivity or the impedance. After a day of playing (loud) they were used at backyard bbq levels. Still no problem with amp/speakers/volume.
So take the info with a grain of salt. They will play loud, all depends on the music and your perception, my bass head son thinks my system is bass shy. I don't think so, but he likes to shake the walls to distortion.
-
How big is your room? Do you know how loudly you listen?
I believe you'd have plenty of power with either amp.
-
Thank you for the replies. I don't listen very loudly. Usually the volume is such that two people sitting next to each other can comfortably hold a conversation. Sometimes I'll play a bit louder than that. The room I listen in now is about 15' x 20'. Sorry if I wasn't clear earlier that my preference was for the mono-blocks. I'm hoping they are suitably powerful. It sounds like they are.
I don't really trust iPhone db meter apps, but using one and measuring up to 90db I found it uncomfortably loud.
Last question. It's not obvious to me if the price listed for the MonAmour is for a single amplifier or for a pair. Anyone happen to know?
-
It's for the two mono blocks. Just finally got mine built.
I always add that my experience with the SETs is that speaker load matters in addition to sensitivity. Some of my speakers just don't work because they present a difficult load with dips in impedance. Others with the same sensitivity but easy loads sound great. the Devore line looks like a relatively benign load, so I expect it will sound great up to pretty loud volumes.
The MonAmours and Kaiju are pretty different sounding amps in my listening so far, I think due to the well known difference between 300B and 2A3 tube sounds. Since power output is kind of comparable between the two, I think that's the biggest factor in choosing.
-
Yeah, 90dB, even if you're 2M away and the app is off a bit is attainable with MonAmours.