General Asylum: REVIEW: Monarchy Audio 100SE Delux Amplifier (SS) by Ed

The Monarchy SE100 delux monoblocks are sold by several brokers throughout
the US. Gino Yang is the closest one in my area. He had been very helpful
all along, and he was generous enough to loan his to me for an afternoon
in-home audition. Gino himself is an old-timer. He appeared to know almost
all the best ways to get the best price/performance. CCPoon was another
responsive guy to deal with.

The monoblocks are small and cute. The parts & built quality are TOP NOTCH.
They weight about 25 lbs each, can easily be carried with the miniature
black/goldtrim handle. The heatsinks are on the sides of the amp, easily
occupied half the size of the amp.

System: Cambridge Audio Transport -> WireWorld Starlight II ->
Cambridge Audio DAC -> DHLabs BL-1 -> EVS Nude Attenuators ->
MONARCHY SE100 DELUX -> Twisted pair double run DHLabs T14 -> Maggies 3A

Previous amp: Anthem Int 1 triode mode (great mid-range, soft overall especially
in the bass)

Amps auditioned (comments compared to Anthem Int1) :
McCormack DNA .5 delux (a mismatch, everything was too soft & mushy)
Golden Tube SE40 SE (mid-range not as sweet, better bass, attenuated the
softness)
Conrad Johnson MV55 (bass heavy, slower)
Conrad Johnson MF2500 (even better, but mid-range tended to be squeechy at
times; my maggies kept blowing the fuses on the CJ)
Classe 151? (good bass, but mid-range is scratchy)
ARC VT50 (better all around)

I auditioned the older Monarchy delux, the mid-range was so tube-like. The
extreme highs and bass were more revealing. It was a great all-around amp.
I couldn't find any "major" things I didn't like.

After getting the latest delux model for a week now, I couldn't be happier.
Vocals and violins are so seducting, piano trios are so live-like, big-scale
orchestral works have the impact I could never get from my Anthem. It truly
offers the best of tube & SS. The amps do run hot after 2 hours or so, but
are still touchable (unlike the Anthem).

There are several things I don't like about the amp. The left Maggie
gets a static pop everytime the left monoblock is turned on. The right Maggie
gets a smaller pop, but the right monoblock has a bigger initial hum. But
the amps are very quiet otherwise. Then it's the cosmetic, I prefer the
older Monarchy golden lion. The new faceplate really looks odd.
Everything is encraved into the 1/2" thick aluminium plate, with
MONARCHY AUDIO (bold) on top, SE100 delux (regular) in the middle, Pure
Class A (italic) in the bottom. The arrangement is like a generic title page
of a college freshman paper.

REVIEW: Monarchy Audio 100SE Delux Amplifier (SS) Review by Ed at Audio Asylum