Mono blocks, or separate power supply?

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For sound quality, which one will be better: 2 mono-blocks, or one case for amps and the other case for power supply (there will be on-board decoupling as well). All cases are Philips standard.

Because PS cable wont be long, amp case will always be stacked on top of PS case (Or should I make the cable longer?)

For mono-blocks, most probably also be stacked on top of each other to save space.

One benefit for separate PS I think is I can include PS for preamp, tho I'm not sure about it.
 
sound quality? well, first it depends on the design of you amp, if money is not a problem for you then I will go for one case for amps and the other case for power supply. I have seen people using four chassis for a stereo amp. and I have seen amps using one chassis that are excellent too. in my case I went for one chassis to save money and I also wanted to build an integrated amp small but at the same time not sacrificing quality. take a look.
 
This is my diy in one small chassis.
 

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if money is not a problem for you then I will go for one case for amps and the other case for power supply. I have seen people using four chassis for a stereo amp.

Thanks Lanchile. Yeah, "separate" seems to be the norm, no? From experience with prototypes, keeping transformer away clearly improve performance a lot. Also, stacking cases degrade performance a little bit. If PS is separated, I predict putting the cases side by side will be better than stacked on top of each other (which is what I wanted to do).

Money is a problem for me, but I have more than 10 of Philips cases/casings unused, because for this long I have only built prototypes :D

What I want to build is a good amp. It means class-A, no? :D That's why small casing like yours wont do it. The heatsink is already bigger than that, hehe.
 
The reason for a separate power supply is to get it away from the amp for induced hum rejection. Stacking is just about useless. Cables are not a problem, as you will have the main cap bank in the amp anyway.

One or two boxes may be dictated by how much heat sink you are needing. Two boxes lets you put them on both sides. 4 sides not two. I really don't care what "all the so and so" are doing. I look at the performance. I listen to my stereos. Actually, I go to great lengths to hide them from view. Besides, just because lemmings jump off a cliff, why should I? All those fancy milled aluminum cases are only their for bling. If you sell an amp for several grand, it is a requirement. Would you buy the same amp for $500 less if it was in a black painted Bud box? I would, but I am not normal.
 
Why not conventional monoblocs? Generally, a single channel has less problems with the PSU than a stereo pair and they are the preferred construction for European high-end DIY.

Cool, then I'm now leaning towards this approach. If 2 channels in one casing I can use any one heatsink I have. For monoblocks I need 2 similar heatsinks or cut what I have now. That's, and some other implementation issues I need to solve.

Has stacking two monoblocks (ground is still isolated) been perceived inferior than side by side?

Best bet is for monoblocks located close to each speaker.

What do you mean close to each other? Shorter RCA cable from preamp? I always have a short RCA cable dedicated for stacked amps.
 
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