Amplifier Comparing V3 Monos v Stereos

[muzzan]

Hi. Posting here for 1st time to see if I’m missing something. I’ve had the V3 stereo for a while & think it sounds fantastic. I got a decent price on the monos so thought I would see if they were an upgrade & could relegate the stereo to a deferent room. I also got the LC30 to enable a/b testing instantly, which works great btw even if it’s a faff to set up.

Anyway after playing quite a lot of test tracks for a few days I’m really struggling to hear any difference once volume matched. Can’t hear any sound stage differences, nothing in the bass that I can distinguish. One interesting thing is there the monos are noticeably quieter than the stereo which is the opposite to what I was expecting. I also notice a louder buzz off the monos when vinyl stops playing. In a way disappointing but they still sound very good, just no different to stereo for me.

 

[machacream]

I run a separate 48V10A for each of the monoblock, the improvement in transients and speed is hard not to notice. Mine stays very dark, do you run balanced XLR? Can the speakers scale up well with the upgraded electrical?

 

[Bittybo Tootkins]

Mine stay very dark too, with the 48V/5A power supply. If you have very demanding speakers or like to play music super loud, a beefier power supply might help. In all other cases, I don't think it will make any audible difference at all. Nice to have them anyway though.

 

[machacream]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I only drive a pair of Kef Q150 (86db sensitivity), and originally only had one 48V10A driving both V3 monoblock. I wasn't expecting much when I tried two 48V10A, but was well rewarded. I don't listen to them loud, but can really notice the dynamics change.