[438555]

re-adjusted my medium sized stack, making it (almost) Schiit only. Got the Allo Digione running as a Roon and Airplay endpoint, and feeding the Gungnir Multibit by BNC. Then the Mjolnir 1 for my Hifiman and Audeze, the Valhalla 2 for the Beyerdynamics and Sennheiser, and the Asgard 2 for Grados (roughly, at least those are my matching preferences)
Gaming PC out of the frame, feeding the Gungnir Gen5. Maybe soon, I'll get this upgraded to Unison.

 

[438555]

Why?

Because sometimes I want Tool to play MOAR louder. Can't go to a concert, so I want to make one. For everyday, the 2x Vidars are perfect for the 1.7i. For some Friday nights, I want this one to go to 11.

I bought a pair of 1100W into 4 Ohm Class D amps to try for this purpose. They could definitely push louder, but at the expense of not sounding as good as the Vidars even at lower volumes. I was also looking at a pair of XPA-DR1. But hey, maybe I'd be better off getting a "Friday Night" pair of speakers like some real efficient 8 Ohm Klipsch Forte III or RF7 III

 

[Ableza]

Because sometimes I want Tool to play MOAR louder. Can't go to a concert, so I want to make one. For everyday, the 2x Vidars are perfect for the 1.7i. For some Friday nights, I want this one to go to 11.

I bought a pair of 1100W into 4 Ohm Class D amps to try for this purpose. They could definitely push louder, but at the expense of not sounding as good as the Vidars even at lower volumes. I was also looking at a pair of XPA-DR1. But hey, maybe I'd be better off getting a "Friday Night" pair of speakers like some real efficient 8 Ohm Klipsch Forte III or RF7 III

Ugh. OK, do what makes you happy. But as an old guy who suffers from tinnitus, I urge you to wear hearing protection. When you're 65 you'll wish you had.

 

[JohnnyCanuck]

Because sometimes I want Tool to play MOAR louder. Can't go to a concert, so I want to make one. For everyday, the 2x Vidars are perfect for the 1.7i. For some Friday nights, I want this one to go to 11.

I use a single Vidar feeding Zu Essence floorstanders for that. Sublime!

JC

 

[GearMe]

You could theoretically connect 10,099 speakers if you like so long as the net load was nominal 8-ohms.

Well....sure...but don't you dare connect that 10,100th one!

 

[darkarn]

And so the disinformation spreads. This is exactly how parroting non-truths makes them real.
People, please insert your brains before reading and reacting to posts.
It saves the rest of us a lot of BS and unneeded time.
You really don't need an account to watch YouTube videos.
A 30 seconds ad doesn't break your spirit if you know there's a lot of schiit coming after it.

My bad, I should have reworded that reply; I was agreeing more about the advertisements rather than needing an account, but also noted that this is a small concern since the advertisements don't appear all of the time

In fact, I just tried watching some videos on Youtube without account and it works too. No advertisements either for some of them (if they are really short), and some of the livestreams I watch don't have them either

 

[438555]

Ugh. OK, do what makes you happy. But as an old guy who suffers from tinnitus, I urge you to wear hearing protection. When you're 65 you'll wish you had.

That ship sailed from a lot louder crap than anything going on in my living room now. Small club shows are just too damn loud, and this is coming from someone who likes it loud.
I have tinnitus that traces back to one Soulfly concert in 1998 where I was too close to the PA and too drunk to care. I don’t do that stuff anymore

 

[filthy mechanical]

Details, friend, details. Which Islay?

Welcome aboard the crazy train!

My go-to is Laphroaig 10 Cask with a splash of water (it was cheaper than regular 10 in the last state) but I just moved to this state, so I am still figuring out what is available here. Ardbeg I find sweet, and if I want that I flip over to an Irish and go with Redbreast. I also need to find a new go-to stout, I had access to the Edmund Fitzgerald from Great Lakes, but no more. Guinness is nice, but it is dry and "light".

 

[macdonjh]

Both Vidar and Aegir are described as
"Stereo 8 Ohms: yyyW RMS per channel
Stereo 4 Ohms: 2x yyyW RMS per channel
Mono 8 Ohms: 4x yyyW.

Can I safely state that Mono 4 Ohms = 8x yyyW RMS per channel or am I being naive here?
Does the Vidar do 800W at 4 Ohms?
What is the 4 Ohms mono output?

Jason Stoddard has recommended that the amps are not rated at 4-ohms mono since they may go into protection at that load when the volume is raised.

It's not rated for 4 ohms, because bridging a stereo amp into mono results in the speakers looking like they have half the impedance they are rated for.

In other words, a 4 ohm speaker load would appear to the amp as if it were a 2 ohm load when driven by a bridged amp.

The bridged Vidar won't be able to drive the "implied" rated power at 4 ohms (for any period of time, at least) without going into thermal protection.

ed

I believe the stability you're looking for is in the power supply: the transformer, big power supply capacitors, rectifiers, etc. To handle all the current required to provide the required output voltage into a nominal 2 Ohm load (likely dipping far below that at certain frequencies), would require monster-sized components, generating lots of heat (remember, current creates heat), and if you've biased your amp into Class A that heat is created all the time. To keep your components within their rated temperature limits would then require lots of heat sinks. So there you are.

Then expect it to be huge. Check out the Pass Labs XS300. There is a reason why it consumes 900 watts of power to produce 300 watts output, and why it weights >125 lbs. It's mostly heat sink.

For comparison to @Ableza's reference to the Pass XA-300, my antique Threshold SA-1 produce 160W of audio power, are 19"W x 9"H x 24"D and weigh 75 or 80 lb each.

 

[macdonjh]

By the way, there is no such thing as a "Monoblock" amplifier. There are mono amplifiers. The term "monoblock" was likely first misapplied by some audiophoole trying to describe the way a mono amplifier typically looks. Or by a car audiophoole thinking it sounded like a cool name. Pretty much the same sorts of creatures, except one chases "better" while the other chases "louder."

/rant

Would there be monoblock amplifiers if we accepted the existance of stereoblock amplifiers, the mostly extinct triblock amplifier, and pentablock amplifiers?

I think you're right, somebody, somewhere, thought "monoblock" sounded cooler than monaural, and a buzzword was born. Sigh.

 

[macdonjh]

Was thinking more like 2 speakers per channel. 6 ohm speakers in series making 12 ohms? Wondering what Vidars in mono would make of that.

Just messing around, listening to live GD recordings. Here's a picture of an earlier version of the Wall of Sound. Single Vidar for the L810s, MC2100 for the L620s.

I like your scope. Don't forget to go outside this weekend, and especially Monday Dec 21, for the big conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn.

 

[macdonjh]

That ship sailed from a lot louder crap than anything going on in my living room now. Small club shows are just too damn loud, and this is coming from someone who likes it loud.
I have tinnitus that traces back to one Soulfly concert in 1998 where I was too close to the PA and too drunk to care. I don’t do that stuff anymore

Yeah, but hearing damage and cumulative. It also keeps happening if you keep exposing yourself to loud sounds, even if today's sound level isn't has high as yesterday's.

 

[rkw]

Sir @Jason Stoddard , it'd be nice if there was a usb outlet in the Schiit dacs/amps to power my chromecast ... probably too much of a hassle.

Chromecast Audio? Yeah, too much of a hassle to accommodate a discontinued product.

 

[AudioGal]

If you want a high fidelity "mono block" amplifier with known good pedigree that can go to 2 ohms mono, get a pair of McIntosh MC2300 amps, set the switch on the back for mono and parallel the relevant output taps for your desired impedance. Yep, parallel. These beasts have output transformers, even though they're solid state. You want to drive a 1/2 ohm load with 600 watts? They'll do it. Without complaining. Be warned, they're heavy. 130lbs heavy.

 

[A Jedi]

The "monoblock" discussion is not about a 2 Ohm stable amp. It's about taking a single Aegir channel, doubling (or more) it in size, power supply and, output devices and putting it in a single chassis. So you have 40-50 watts @ 8 Ohms and 80-100W @ 4 Ohms. I'd buy two of those in a giffy. In essence it would be similar to a Pass XA60.whatever but at a Schiitier price. Aegir = $800. Mono Aegir = $1600 (double). So $3200 for dual monos vs $13,500 for the Pass monos. Aegirius FTW.