FPB 600/c/700cx vs MDA 500 monoblocks

**MCLSOUND** · 05-06-2011, 06:15 AM

Hi Guys
Has anyone ever tried a comparison of these big old mono's compared to the big FPB stereo amp?

**cannga** · 08-08-2011, 04:50 PM

Originally Posted by MCLSOUND

Hi Guys
Has anyone ever tried a comparison of these big old mono's compared to the big FPB stereo amp?

I had Krell KSA 250, then MDA 300, then now FPB 600 (rest of system Koetsu/Lyra, Linn, CJ Phono and Pre, and Thiel CS5i/Magnepan 3.5/Apogee Diva in past, etc.). Following is my purely subjective evaluation.

There is a big difference in bass and soundstage. The FPB sounds warmer, seemingly favoring low-mid bass, whereas MDA 300 seems to favor very deep bass. The MDA 300 because of this reason perhaps has an "ethereal" quality to it. Drum whacks appear to come from deep inside the bowel of the earth -- unbelievably satisfying sometimes. The FPB to me sounds more even, more natural, more accurate. For sure warmer in the low frequency.

MDA 300 has bigger soundstage - wider and may be deeper. Whether this is due to the fact that it's a mono-block, I do not know.

The FPB is an absolute physical monster. Beautiful to behold. The thing doesn't even budge a mm when I push on it. Not that I am a professional weight lifter or anything LOL, but really it's a monster with a monster toroidal transformer inside.

Both amps drive my Thiel CS5i (1.5 ohm in the bass region) without any difficulty. Of the 2, I prefer the FPB because the MDA 300, with less of the mid bass warmth, make the speakers sound even brighter, and somewhat unbalanced. I do miss the MDA 300 dearly though and sort of regretted selling them.