What do you think about this amp?

[Davebassman]

With a mono output?

I'm planning a couple of HI FI builds at some point. But not before I can make FOUR of them. That's right, four. Well actually two with stereo channels, so only one PS per unit. But I've always wanted to make one for my brother and I've wanted to make one for myself. It's on the back burner but I'll get to it. And I'm not going with big watts either. I just don't need them anymore so it only increases the expense. Nope. I'll be doing ten watts per channel. My point is...

I'll sacrifice watts, but why sacrifice STEREO!?! Are you building a tube HI FI amp for an older mono output turntable with a built in preamp? Just seems like a long way to go. If the record player is sentimental for some reason, I can get behind that for sure. But if it's that sort of thing you really don't need a fine tuned tube mono block to acceptably recreate whatever cones out of it. A single mono block just seems to have really limited application. Especially since everything is (at least) in stereo. So other than gear with mono outputs (and likely lower quality signal than merits a tube mono block build) all you can do is listen to the R channel or the L channel. Well, some have a bridge/mono option but I'm not sure anymore what might include that.

JM2C

Noooo!! I'm planning to build a Stereo Amp, two of them!! I only upload the layout of one of them. It's obviously that I need two... hehe

[Mick Bailey]

I built an unusual mono system for a customer and I expressed my doubts when discussing what he wanted. Anyhow, I went ahead and was really surprised at how good it was. Not just good - superb, and it convinced my instantly that mono still has a real benefit. When you listen to stereo you need an optimised listening position, based to a large degree on how the mix is done. You also need balanced hearing. Any shift to one side or another and you get a different experience. Walk around a large room with stereo playing and this emphasizes the problem. With mono, everything is uniform and you get the same listening experience everywhere. No shift in balance, no cancellation points. With mono playing you walk into the next room and hear everything clearly. I did lots of A-B listening between mono and stereo and I'm now a mono convert.

There's a problem, though in that simply mixing two channels into mono doesn't always work out. There is software to do this properly, but original mono recordings are far superior, though much harder to find. With Vinyl you also need a mono cartridge. Not so straightforward, but really rewarding.

[Davebassman]

And what about SMPS power supplies? Does anyone of you have experience?

[Mick Bailey]

SMPS works just fine, though I've only used this type for HT and run the heaters off a conventional linear supply.

[Davebassman]

SMPS works just fine, though I've only used this type for HT and run the heaters off a conventional linear supply.

Do you know any commercial brand or diy build of this power supply? I have this DC boost step up, this will work for the HT?

https://www.diymore.cc/products/high...rd-input-3v-5v

[Chuck H]

I built an unusual mono system for a customer and I expressed my doubts when discussing what he wanted. Anyhow, I went ahead and was really surprised at how good it was. Not just good - superb, and it convinced my instantly that mono still has a real benefit. When you listen to stereo you need an optimised listening position, based to a large degree on how the mix is done. You also need balanced hearing. Any shift to one side or another and you get a different experience. Walk around a large room with stereo playing and this emphasizes the problem. With mono, everything is uniform and you get the same listening experience everywhere. No shift in balance, no cancellation points. With mono playing you walk into the next room and hear everything clearly. I did lots of A-B listening between mono and stereo and I'm now a mono convert.

There's a problem, though in that simply mixing two channels into mono doesn't always work out. There is software to do this properly, but original mono recordings are far superior, though much harder to find. With Vinyl you also need a mono cartridge. Not so straightforward, but really rewarding.

That makes incredible sense. I'm old enough to remember when less expensive audio systems sometimes had a "mono" option. That is, there was a switch that indicated mono or stereo operation. There were no five way systems yet. And I also remember a receiver I had that would auto correct to mono when it was trying to pick up a weak signal. I can attest to the same experience that stereo listening requires a fixed listening position where mono does not. And lets face it, most of us don't position ourselves in a fixed spot to listen to music unless it's a seated show or on the TV.

So I suppose that stereo really only has applications for media room/TV room installation and headphones. And with headphones some recordings use the stereo effect to such a degree that it can be overly separated per channel to the point that it's disorienting. Like one ear can't hear at all what the other can. Which is far from a natural spatial effect.

So I agree that mono has it's place. I'll still build stereo systems, but I'll be considering how to best include mono listening options when the program makes it possible.

[Mick Bailey]

Do you know any commercial brand or diy build of this power supply? I have this DC boost step up, this will work for the HT?

https://www.diymore.cc/products/high...rd-input-3v-5v

Those cheap boost PSUs are only any use with a constant load and the current rating is very ambitions. The radiated noise is also high and the voltage regulation is poor, and they will only reliably give a third of the power output. The unit I used was mains input - it came from Aliexpress or Banggood, but it was a few years ago. I think it was rated at 600v but I only ever got 380v out of it under load to run a stereo SE amp using 2x 12BH7A + 2x 807. I later converted that amp to use a linear supply using a rewound microwave transformer.