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

I have had this amp for a little over two months now. I hesitate to write this review because of my less than state of the art source components. I do not have the funds to upgrade them right now and I will be buying a better TT before I even think about a CDP. But then again, this shows how well the Monarchy works with even them. My setup includes self-designed Dynaudios, which I have modified since I wrote a review on them a while back that have made them a 2 ohm load. I have three 17W75ext's paralleled with no ox components including no impedance filter, so this shows the Monarchy's strength. They have the D-260 Esotec tweeter which has a 1st order xo. Speaker cables are MiTerminator 3's. Pre-amp is an Aragon Aurum with MiT Proline balanced going to the Monarchy's. CD source is a Toshiba 2006 DVD using it's DAC's, and a old Technic SL-D2 TT with a XV-15 Pickering cartridge with the elliptical stylus. I have done some mods to the TT which has improved it as good as I think it can be. I use MiTerminator 2 interconnects on both the TT and DVD.
Now the specs of the Monarchy's. First off, there is some hum if you are within two feet of the speakers. Beyond that it is not audible. The 100 Delux's are as I stated SE Class A. They use a toroidal transformer rated at 450VA. Two single-ended gain stages drive a complementary Class A output bank, which uses 8 matched power MOSFETS, rated at 150 W each, for a total dissipating power of 1,200 watts (my electric bill has took a hit because they idle at 200W and I leave them on all the time). They have 60,000 MDF filtering capacitors. The front faceplate is 3/8" thick Aluminum. They put out 100W/8 ohm, 200W/4 ohm, and 400W/2 ohm. They are 5"H/11"W/12"D and weigh 26 lbs. They have one balanced and one single-ended input as well as an IEC receptacle for using replacement power cords.
The sound. Bottom end is deep and tight. Midrange is silky smooth with dare I say it, a lush, tube-like sound. Upper end is totally free of grain and with the right tweeter, ribbon, or electrostat, can do the shimmery-airy thing very well. The real standout on this amp though IMHO is the depth of soundstage. With speakers positioned correctly, you get a very deep, layered soundstage, especially with vinyl. My DVD does not do the layered bit very well. Soundstage is wide with instruments placed accordingly, with plenty of space around them. With other SS amps I tried, they made my Dynaudio's sound a little to critical with less than stellar recordings. The Monarchy's seem to smooth them a little and make them a little more tolerable. That is not to say that it smoothes over low-level detail because that is another strong suit with the 100's. The pedal noises on Diana Kralls piano sometimes sound as if the mike is at the pedal instead of at the front. I have heard things in recordings that I have not heard with other amps. They also seem to handle complex music passages without losing the placement of instruments. I do know what they sound like hooked up to some nice equipment. I have a dealer friend who got me started into DIY speakers. He wanted to hear the monarchy's so I took them down to let him hear them. Hooked it up to a Wadia 830 CD, BAT model? tube pre-amp, and ML reQuest, using Nordas wire. I really enjoyed listening, although the ML's would have done much better in a larger room.
This is where I say I have babbled enough. Like I said in the beginning, I am conducting this review with less than stellar source components and still am very pleased with what I have. I just wish I could get a better TT and really be in sonic heaven. The CDP can wait.

Clayton

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