Symmetry Obsession

Marketing, I know! Like cars pictured on solitary road with a sunset behind, where on the contrary they will be driven in rainy days downtown forced in traffic jam, puah!

I was referring more to pics from audiophiles in real life, though. Feet on earth, so to speak.

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I’ve bought so many new cars but have yet to get the pretty woman that has been advertised with them.

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Hood rat pricing is usually cheaper off the dealer lot.

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Yes…there are mono’s if desired…

If both of them are like this…

they aren’t compliant for symmetry purposes as much as others above mentioned, when located on the left and right side of the center. That is the subject of my personal thoughts on this thread.

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I’ve always placed mono-block amplifiers close to the speakers. Especially if you use balanced topology and XLR connections like the BHK pre and mono-blocks.
And, if you really want you can run separate house power circuits and seperate power regeneration for each amplifier.

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Yes I’m planning to do exactly what you are saying.

The length of the XLRs from BHK Pre to amps is different and the configuration of the back panels doesn’t help. Again, the location of the IEC on the side of the back panels of the amps left and right can cause a crossing between speaker cables and power cords.

Otherwise if the two back panels sported the input in a specular way left vs right this could help.

Take a look and imagine two different back panels, one for the left and another for the right, where IEC/XLR inputs are opposite and not in the same location…

I prefer to tuck away excessive cable lengths rather than having different cable lengths. Especially with balanced (symmetric!!!) connections the extra length has no adverse effect on SQ. But different impedances on the left and right channel might have.

This probably underlines my passion for symmetry more than it might matter to audible differences :wink:

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I agree with you, same length for XLRs for sure but this needs a longer cable, it means adding costs if you purchase (as I presume) expensive cables.
And annoying crossing cables between power cords and speaker cables, that is what I dislike.

Congratulations for introducing the next level of obsession!

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Some of the vintage krell monoblocks have a left and a right monoblock.

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I’m way into it intuitively, but have learned to keep it in check, and even avoid symmetry in some cases. I appreciate some of the problems outlined here.

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Coincidentally (or not) my wife continues to repeat me: “You are vintage!” since we met in our 20s, she’s probably right…

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Manufacturers should make them symmetrical top to bottom so you can just flip them upside down to change the L/R orientation of the thing :slight_smile: (wait, would that work… hmmmm)

I’m not willing to pay extra for my preferred vendor to stock both a L and R version of their products. That just seems to be a warranty and warehouse nightmare.

The lights on the BHK300 Monoblocks bother me… just a little… One of them just seems in the wrong place but I can’t decide if its the left one or the right one. Maybe I should put them in the middle… one in front of the other instead of side by side? But you know what bothers me more than that? I’ve had more than one person ask me why I keep my “printers on the floor”. <sigh>

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Got it! And someone else asked “what the hell a microwave in between your stereo things… why?”
I would like to have answered “To cook cables during burning in” but it could have implied more words without sense, too much complicated for people not really interested in “our things”!

Still convinced that almost mono amps, usually sold as pair, could be left/right designed.

I don’t see how having a left and right channel monoblock amp is a warehouse and warranty nightmare it’s like saying having monoblocks is a warehouse and warranty nightmare compared to stereo amps. The krell FPB 750 mcx had the heat sink on the left for the Left channel and the heat sink on the right for the right channel.

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Here what I’m wishing for…


One on the left and the other on the right (at your choice/preference).

Symmetry obsession.

How easier would be connecting XLRs (finally of the same needed length) and speaker cables (and subs wires) without crossing each others or the power cords!

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