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| The
SE-100 delux Mono Amplifiers
from Monarchy by MGD |
| Monarchy SE-100 delux Mono Power Amplifiers $2,358/pr. 383 AlIerton Ave., South San Francisco, CA94080 ph 650.873.3055, fax 650.588.0335, e-mail : monarchy@earthlink.net, URL : http://www.monarchyaudio.com. 100 wpc 8 Ohms, 200 wpc 4 ohms. Input impedance 30 kOhms. Balanced XLR and RCA inputs. No bi-wire. 8 MOSFET output devices per channel. Solid state, single-ended circuit with class A operation. On loan from manufacturer.*** |
| At long last, the review of the Monarchy mono power amplifiers is upon us. You will recall from last month's issue that the reason for the delay of the SE-100 delux was a series of manufacturing problems that tended to have an adverse affect upon operation (some blew up). So when this last set of amplifiers came in I was determined to run them day and night for as long as I could to see if the bugs had been worked out. This last set of amps have operated flawlessly, so it's time to do a little talkin'. |  |
| These mono amps could almost be called compact. They weigh in at about 25 lbs. each, and are only 9" wide on their face. Each amp has a single 550 VA toroid transformer, and has 8 Hitachi MOSFET output devices per channel. It has a bipolar front-end with current mirror, cascaded driver (two gain stages only). Like the RE Designs LNPA-150 amplifier, the delux has fully regulated input and driver stages, meaning no dynamic headroom from this amplifier- generally a good thing because the amp is able to put out its entire rated output continuously. Importantly, this amplifier is single-ended from input to output, as a result it runs class A throughout its operational range -meaning, it runs hot (though not as hot as I would have expected for a 100 wpc amp). |
| The designer of this amp (and the SM-70) may be known to many of you, and if you don't recognize the name, his past product designs will no doubt be familiar, At the age of 18 he was responsible for the Son of Ampzilla, Grandson, etc., and is still the owner of GAS. His name is Andrew Hefley. |
| Set-up. See 9/98 for extensive set-up procedures. |
| Operation and Listening. As stated above, the delux is a class A design running single-ended. For the uninitiated, single-ended operation means that a single output device (or multiples in this case) covers the complete output signal, ie., the device never turns off as it traces the entire musical waveform. On the other hand, a push-pull amplifier (the standard for most amps) uses at least two devices to cover the musical signal, one for the positive portion, and one for the negative portion. The push-pull amp will generally run much cooler because the output devices are off part of the time. This isn't intended as a primer on amplifier design, go somewhere else for that, but this will explain why single operation is different from push-pull. |
| As already stated, I tortured this amplifier to see exactly what it could take. Low impedance loudspeakers (4 Ohms and below) were cranked for days at a time to see if the amp could take it, and see if the amps heated up. If they did get hotter with prolonged use, it would be a sure sign that Monarchy had fudged on the claim of single-ended class A operation. I was somewhat concerned about the above claim because it seemed to me that the amps ran a little too cool to be pure class A all the way up to 100 wpc (200 wpc at 4 Ohms). So, I was a little surprised when the amps didn't heat up even more during my torture sessions, nor could I detect increased wall draw as volume was changed. That was very good! However, and I can't provide "specs" as such to support this, the amplifiers were not as powerful sounding subjectively as some other class A 100 watters I have heard. The Plinius SA-100 for example "sounds" more powerful, though its rated almost identically. The Majeel Pristine isn't class A, but it's rated at 1 00 wpc, and in an A/B with the Monarchy it was the Majeel that drove speakers, especially difficult to drive ones, with the greater ease and precision. Of course, the Majeel retails for $5,000. but the comparison is meaningful to demonstrate just how far the Monarchy delux can go. |
| Conversely, power wise, I found the delux to have more subjective power" than the Belles 150A, that retails for less than half the delux. Where does one go? At approximately the same price as the delux is the new Paresound 3500, and the Edge M-6. Both have much higher power ratings, and they both seemed more powerful during an audition, especially the Parasound 3500, which is about to re-write the book on dollar-to-watt ratio expectations. But is power everything? |
| The first set of mono amplifiers sent to me sounded absolutely incredible. These amps had me doing cartwheels around the listening room as they were capable of doing things that few solid state amps could. Talk about tonal density and visibility of images - this amp had it in spades. But did it ever run hot. Fry eggs on the chassis hot, though it should have since this first set had the small heat sinks and could dissipate less heat because of it. But the sound was unforgettable, so much so, that I wrote a small sneak preview on what I had been hearing. |
| Subsequent pairs of amps came, and each was bedecked with the "delux" package (larger heat sinks, better appearance, slightly better parts). Each of these subsequent amps ran cooler to the hand, though I think the larger heat sinks would be responsible for that. |
| Sonically, this last set of amplifiers is very good. They do not, however, sound like the first set of amplifiers sent to me so many months ago. |
| This is how I perceive their performance. In some ways the delux sounds a lot like the Bryston ST-4B. The top sounds extended, but never bright. Some may say the top isn't bright enough, not enough energy in the treble. Try the right power cord. I found the TG Audio HSR-a to be a great match for the amps, as it has near perfect energy delivery in the mids and high frequencies, just what the delux needs to sound evenly balanced. Yeah, it still has a slightly dominate fundamental range (the lower mids), but the amp sounds very natural tonally with the right power cord on board. What the amp won't do, with any power cord, is sound super airy in the cymbal range. Actually, there is more natural air and ambiance lower down in frequency. A great amount of detail and unconstrained low level information kicks in as the amp descends from the upper treble. By the time one hits the middle midrange, the amplifiers are hitting their peak spatially and dynamically. This is typical of a solid state single-ended power amplifier. The Balanced Audio Technology VK500 was extreme in this regard, having much less energy in the upper treble than it did smack dab in the middle of the midrange. To a lesser extent, the same was true of the Alternate Audio CA35. Though I found the CA35 to be capable of doing some high frequency air when the speaker load was right. The delux is relatively load insensitive, and was typically able to float the highs as well as the Alternate Audio could on its best days. |
| With a good bass foundation to build the midrange upon, the delux is able to focus the attention of the listener on the basics of the music, upon the midrange aspects of the music where the emotional drive of a performance is embedded - it is good at that. Correspondingly, when one listens to strings, particularly the violin, it's more the box than the strings that are emphasized. The woody textures are highlighted while the scraping of the bow on the strings is subtly less attention getting. The fuller aspects of the vocals are brought to the fore. |
| Dimensionality of those images with the latest delux are in the better than average range. But oddly enough, this is where I found the original amps sent to me well over a year ago to be superior, if only by a small margin. Now, how is it that I can make a meaningful judgment regarding the ability of the current amp sent to me to round-out a dimensional object less effectively than an amp that has been out of the Big Rig for many months? It's like this. The original amps took me by surprise, grabbed my attention, and slapped me in the face with its imaging and life. Great dimensional contrasts were made with ease with the old amp, each sound it recreated was done so with a degree of integrity that gave a certain amount of life to each element of the sonic soundfield. Every element of the performance (every instrument, voice. sound, etc.) had its own presence, and maintained its tonal independence from the other elements on the stage. There was a suddenness and spontaneity to the music that was alluring and reminiscent of the real thing. Mesh noise seemed nonexistent. So I went crazy. |
| The latest amplifier is less so. It doesn't image as completely around a sound. There is a small amount of mesh noise present that is ever so slightly like the "MOSFET mist' Sam Telling spoke of years ago in the better MOSFET designs. Under the most rigorous of critical conditions, that is what I hear. |
| Conclusion. If you are looking for something unique and intriguing, the SE-100 delux is of that kind. It has the seductive tone quality that audiophiles have been clamoring over with single-ended tube amps for years. But, with the delux one gets the bass accuracy and dynamic slam that the 3 watt single-ended triode crowd can only dream of. Not yet a perfect amplifier (none is) it may be that the best is yet to come from Monarchy in the form of a 160 wpc super amp that I hear is on the drawing board. But, power isn't everything, and maybe the best attainable balance of power, price, reliability and sonics is already right here in the 100 delux. |
| Reprinted with permission from:
BOUND FOR SOUND |
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| Bound for Sound is published monthly by The DeWulf Publishing Cartel, 220 N. Main Street, Kewanee, Illinois 61443 USA. TEL 309.856.5515. Subscription price for one year is $24 to US zip codes; $26 Canada and Mexico and $39 everywhere else in the known universe serviced by a local Post. Mult-year discounts offered. Reprints through January, 1989 are available. Not one word from Bound for Sound may be reproduced on paper, electronically, or in Esperanto without first paying homage to the Publisher and doing various acts of yardwork (painting, mowing or washing the car) about his home and office. |
10/98 Bound For Sound
| SE-100 Specification | SE-100 Basic and SE-100 Delux Comparisons | Review From The Audio Observatory |
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380 Swift Ave., #21, South San Francisco, CA94080, USA Tel : (650) 873-3055 Fax : (650) 588-0335 Email : monarchy@earthlink.net http://www.monarchyaudio.com |