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SlickdealsForumsDeal TalkMonoprice Monolight Multi-Channel Power Amplifier w/ XLR: M8250x 8x200W-Channel Home Theater $2149.99 or M8125x 8x100W-Channel Home Theater $1699 + Free Shipping via Monoprice
Monoprice Monolight Multi-Channel Power Amplifier w/ XLR: M8250x 8x200W-Channel Home Theater $2149.99 or M8125x 8x100W-Channel Home Theater $1699 + Free Shipping via Monoprice
$1,699.99
$1,999.99
+12Deal Score
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Monoprice
For those interested
Note, don't believe these tend to go on sale often. Offer valid while pricing/supplies last.
Model: Monolith by Monoprice M8125x 8x100 Watts Per Channel Class-D Multi-Channel Home Theater Power Amplifier with XLR Inputs Hypex NC252MP
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To the asshole who keeps disliking any post which has info about separates (btw, this thread is about a separate amp? right?) -- go enjoy your vizio soundbar and stop threadcrapping by downvoting posts!
I don't think I do, but I was curious how the setup goes. Do they buy a receiver with XLR outputs or a lower end but with all the current atmos etc and use speaker wire to XLR.
Just wanting to learn how they use something like this.
XLR output connections typically only come on processors, not on receivers.
You cannot adapt XLR to speaker outputs, could be adapted to receivers with RCA pre-outs, but you'll lose the inherent noise rejection of a balanced XLR circuit.
Just don't expect "better" sounding audio from this if your currently using a decent avr from Denon/Onkyo/Yamaha/etc with no issues.
I was wondering the same. Seemingly, the only reason to purchase a dedicated multi-channel amp is to eliminate the planned obsolescence that is the treadmill of Dolby and DTS. Buy this new receiver because your old one doesn't have ATMOS.
Most receivers have discrete amps just like this one. Why does it cost more to buy them inside of a dedicated package?
I was wondering the same. Seemingly, the only reason to purchase a dedicated multi-channel amp is to eliminate the planned obsolescence that is the treadmill of Dolby and DTS. Buy this new receiver because your old one doesn't have ATMOS.
Most receivers have discrete amps just like this one. Why does it cost more to buy them inside of a dedicated package?
Not really. Receivers are rated for two channels driven at 8 ohms, which made total sense back in the day of stereo. 99.9% of amps don't have a discrete power supply. They have a shared power supply. Adding new features is cheap, but upgrading a power supply is very expensive. That's why most manufacturers don't want to do it. Essentially, you're dividing down the power every time you add another speaker.
That's the purpose of an external amplifier. It's really not about max volume either, it's really about dynamic impulse response. A small power supply. It does not hove the reserves to quickly go from low to high. The receiver output now acts like a low pass filter and averages it. So you hear less detail.
An amp, on the other hand, is rated for each channel independently. So 8 channels times 100 means eight channels outputting 100 Watt simultaneously.
I'm not telling you to buy this product. Personally. I think it's overpriced. That is an electrical engineer's explanation for why someone would purchase a discrete amp.
What's so special about this amplifier as compared to others? Curious to know as it's highly priced
From my own experiences combined with what I'm reading here, I think that sustained volume and power requirements are the factor. Most of us don't have high requirements to this end due to the fact that we will experience hearing damage in the use cases for these sorts of dedicated amplification.
But there are occasions that present the need for such an amp. I witnessed such an occasion at an Oktoberfest party that is held annually by a friend of my wife (well, her husband - I don't know any women this crazy).
Just a regular house in Metro Detroit. Less than an acre in a suburban neighborhood. The husband owns a successful microbrewery so his man-cave second garage at the back of the property is his beer brewing lab among the other man-cave necessities (very nice, eat off of the floor, stainless everything, etc).
I didn't know anything about audio back then other than a good system is to be appreciated. But there were two amplifier-only boxes that were each dedicated to a single speaker (brands all unknown) - only two channels but everything was beefy, including the arc-welder speaker cables. I knew enough then to understand that this probably cost a pretty penny just from my junior high perusing's of the Crutchfield catalog back when they sent catalogs in the mail. But I didn't understand why it had to be expensive until both blood-alcohol and volume levels went up later the Oktoberfest party.
It was the loudest residential system that I've ever heard - hearing damage loud. I've heard loud systems before but none of them were this accurate. Even at your large venue rock/pop concerts, there is some distortion that everyone seems to accept as requisite to play that loud. I didn't understand until I heard loud music played accurately at this party. It seemed impossible.
The system played for hours and never broke a sweat.
Was I impressed? Absolutely. Do I need one? No. Most people don't. Do I want an 8x100W Class D amp just in case I might need it in an emergency? Most definitely.
Even the best AV receivers are rated for home use cases - if you check the rated wattage, it will state "per channel into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.05% THD with 2 channels driven". Onkyo rates at 0.08%. Yamaha at 0.06%.
You can get spendy on Arcam AVR which rate at 0.02% but I can't even hear the difference between the top mainstream brands at home-use volume levels.
TLDR: dedicated amps (especially class D) are great for filling a large area with sound for extended periods because they have a power supply which is built to support non-home use cases. They definitely have a market but it is very niche.
To the asshole who keeps disliking any post which has info about separates (btw, this thread is about a separate amp? right?) -- go enjoy your vizio soundbar and stop threadcrapping by downvoting posts!
Not all of them have been down voted. Your previous post was because it actually didn't have any helpful information.
I have wondered the same. But then why would extremely educated and experienced music and theater lovers plunk down 5 times the cost of an integrated AVR to purchase separates like this? If it doesnt sound better then what is the purpose? Loudness? Any volume over 80dB for more than 20 minutes will likely lead to hearing damage...
I have the 7x200w monolith amp hooked up with a Yamaha RX A3070 amplifier and I can honestly say that the monolith amp really helped with sound quality. I'm using the monolith to power my 2 front and center Klipsch reference speakers.
The price is what's special,perhaps it will grow your manhood. IDK..I'm baffled too!
The reason this amplifier is special is because it uses Ncore modules that are insanely low distortion and use little energy. Ncore and Purifi amplifiers are basically state of the art. Low noise, low distortion, fairly compact, low heat, low energy, etc.
Not all of them have been down voted. Your previous post was because it actually didn't have any helpful information.
I am sorry, if you can't comprehend the information in my previous post. Maybe it was too much work for you to actually do any research by going to the site I mentioned, that had relevant information about Monoprice/Monolith products and absence of any QA. I will make sure to copy paste all 100s of thread for you next time from the avsforum.
This is newer Monolith amp base on ClassD. Since I m not a big fan of ClassD amp and no review online, I m not sure It's slick deal or not. It's been a market for less than a 6 months and still no review and huge discounts. I rather go with Class AB from other Monolith product line.
This is newer Monolith amp base on ClassD. Since I m not a big fan of ClassD amp and no review online, I m not sure It's slick deal or not. It's been a market for less than a 6 months and still no review and huge discounts. I rather go with Class AB from other Monolith product line.
Hypex Ncore and Purifi's amplifiers are superior to almost any AB amplifier on the market. These are next level. Audio Science Review has measured them, as have others. Both amplifier brands I mentioned were the brainchild of the same designer. Class D doesn't break a sweat in its operating range and it's low distortion performance will still be just as good when pushed to the extremes of its rated power.
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There's always one or two in every deal thread.
Just wanting to learn how they use something like this.
XLR output connections typically only come on processors, not on receivers.
You cannot adapt XLR to speaker outputs, could be adapted to receivers with RCA pre-outs, but you'll lose the inherent noise rejection of a balanced XLR circuit.
Most receivers have discrete amps just like this one. Why does it cost more to buy them inside of a dedicated package?
Actually , Monolith amps are more like "bang for the bucks" type .
Most receivers have discrete amps just like this one. Why does it cost more to buy them inside of a dedicated package?
Not really. Receivers are rated for two channels driven at 8 ohms, which made total sense back in the day of stereo. 99.9% of amps don't have a discrete power supply. They have a shared power supply. Adding new features is cheap, but upgrading a power supply is very expensive. That's why most manufacturers don't want to do it. Essentially, you're dividing down the power every time you add another speaker.
That's the purpose of an external amplifier. It's really not about max volume either, it's really about dynamic impulse response. A small power supply. It does not hove the reserves to quickly go from low to high. The receiver output now acts like a low pass filter and averages it. So you hear less detail.
An amp, on the other hand, is rated for each channel independently. So 8 channels times 100 means eight channels outputting 100 Watt simultaneously.
I'm not telling you to buy this product. Personally. I think it's overpriced. That is an electrical engineer's explanation for why someone would purchase a discrete amp.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
But there are occasions that present the need for such an amp. I witnessed such an occasion at an Oktoberfest party that is held annually by a friend of my wife (well, her husband - I don't know any women this crazy).
Just a regular house in Metro Detroit. Less than an acre in a suburban neighborhood. The husband owns a successful microbrewery so his man-cave second garage at the back of the property is his beer brewing lab among the other man-cave necessities (very nice, eat off of the floor, stainless everything, etc).
I didn't know anything about audio back then other than a good system is to be appreciated. But there were two amplifier-only boxes that were each dedicated to a single speaker (brands all unknown) - only two channels but everything was beefy, including the arc-welder speaker cables. I knew enough then to understand that this probably cost a pretty penny just from my junior high perusing's of the Crutchfield catalog back when they sent catalogs in the mail. But I didn't understand why it had to be expensive until both blood-alcohol and volume levels went up later the Oktoberfest party.
It was the loudest residential system that I've ever heard - hearing damage loud. I've heard loud systems before but none of them were this accurate. Even at your large venue rock/pop concerts, there is some distortion that everyone seems to accept as requisite to play that loud. I didn't understand until I heard loud music played accurately at this party. It seemed impossible.
The system played for hours and never broke a sweat.
Was I impressed? Absolutely. Do I need one? No. Most people don't. Do I want an 8x100W Class D amp just in case I might need it in an emergency? Most definitely.
Even the best AV receivers are rated for home use cases - if you check the rated wattage, it will state "per channel into 8 ohms (20-20,000 Hz) at 0.05% THD with 2 channels driven". Onkyo rates at 0.08%. Yamaha at 0.06%.
You can get spendy on Arcam AVR which rate at 0.02% but I can't even hear the difference between the top mainstream brands at home-use volume levels.
TLDR: dedicated amps (especially class D) are great for filling a large area with sound for extended periods because they have a power supply which is built to support non-home use cases. They definitely have a market but it is very niche.
I have the 7x200w monolith amp hooked up with a Yamaha RX A3070 amplifier and I can honestly say that the monolith amp really helped with sound quality. I'm using the monolith to power my 2 front and center Klipsch reference speakers.
The reason this amplifier is special is because it uses Ncore modules that are insanely low distortion and use little energy. Ncore and Purifi amplifiers are basically state of the art. Low noise, low distortion, fairly compact, low heat, low energy, etc.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Hypex Ncore and Purifi's amplifiers are superior to almost any AB amplifier on the market. These are next level. Audio Science Review has measured them, as have others. Both amplifier brands I mentioned were the brainchild of the same designer. Class D doesn't break a sweat in its operating range and it's low distortion performance will still be just as good when pushed to the extremes of its rated power.