Over the years as both a professional designer/manufacturer and "civilian" music lover (presently) who has owned,used, borrowed an immense amount of gear over the years, I have come upon too many "highly recommended" and "beats units 4 times their cost" reviews and impressions from MONARCHY owners/reviewers to ignore this company's products any longer. My inital purchase was of the MONARCHY 22B DAC, which is current altho I am having the low-cost "dual-chip" up-grade they offer (will report after the install). For this review however, I shall offer my listening impressions and over-all experience with the MONARCHY Delux 100 mono-blocks thus far.
To say I am impressed it an understatement....

I am simply amazed at the overall superlative quality of these amps in
terms of build quality, appearance and musicality. It is very apparent to me that these amps are by far the very best amplifier value in audio today that I am aware of, besting the sonic efforts of amplifiers many, many times their cost...and size (truly justifying the many claims I have heard thus far).
Monarchy really has succeeded in producing a beautiful instrument and for a price that is extraordinary.

Now that I have that said and done, I'll explain why. I cater no no political camp of amplification...tube or solid state, each to me has its virtues and faults, every design/amp possesses strengths weaknesses and signatures that make it unique and thus provide desirable and un-desirable traits to the listener. I do however enjoy the virtues of an "EXCELLENT" solid state amp when done right and to me the MONARCHY amps are done right. When I find myself reaching to turn up the volume just because the music "sounds" so good, thats saying something to me about the device at hand. These amps are just simply extremely musical and provide everything I find a quality reference amp to provide, but above all, they have a very,very detailed character, are ultra smooth (I find absolutely no brightness at all in the upper end, in fact it is very extended and just crisp enough), and very well balanced, top to bottom. That says it all, to me, without getting technical about it.

For a MSRP of under $2400 the pair, these amps come dressed to kill. They are jam packed with very high quality internal components, quality input/output connections (the speaker terms are a standard quality term found on about 80% of the amps out there), a quality power switch and God bless Mr. Poon for providing a quality balanced input jack and associated internal circuitry. They run warm, not hot which is a good sign to me, will run a 2 ohm load (with fan cooling added),are quiet and due to their diminutive size, are very, very easy to place (a real God-send in my book, I think big amps are a fad/fashion thing unless you REALLY need huge amounts of horsepower) and have the fit and finish equal of any audiophile caliber amp(s) I know of. I like their black and gold/brass trim and find it elegant and classy.

Ok....In my opinion if you are seeking a 100w/channel amplifier(s) and do not seek out and demo the MONARCHY amps you are risking 2 things:

1) Spending one hellova lot more than you have to for possibly lesser performance. I have heard $13,000 SS amps (Big name amps) that are not as mucially satifying and accurate as the MONARCHY amps.

2) Missing out on the amp deal of this decade.

All in all, if you are a SS amp lover, you will LOVE these beauties. If you are a tube driving sort, you will also like these amps as they have the warmth and delicacy I associate with good tube gear AND you get a killer bottom end and do not have to mortgage the house to re-tube them.

Lastly,I have had very good dealings with the Monarchy folks. Every Monarchy owner I have contacted (at least 10), applaud both the product/companies ethics and service. CC Poon, the owner,designer is a gentleman as well as a genius and from my experience in high-end audio has finally given high-end what is has so badly needed for many,many years.....TRUE high-end reference performance at low cost WITHOUT skimping. Are these the best amps made ?? For the cost and up to 3 times, maybe 4-5 times or more...I say yes..without hesitation.

I have listened to the MONARCHY Delix 100's thru the following labyrinth of components in at least 3 systems:

OPTION AUDIO reference monitors (my personal monitors when I professionally designed loudspeakers)
INFINITY IRS-5 speakers (the big ones, the reference speaker of the last decade to many, with powered subs of course)
AR SP-6 Pre-amp with up-dates
Home brew SS pre-amp..a real sweetie
Yamaha DSP-A1 integrated home theater amp/pre-amp/processor in a 5 channel HT set-up driving the main speakers
VELODYNE servo sub 12"
MB QUART highly modified floor-standing monitors (real sleepers...absolutely lovely and accurate ala Merlin VSM style)
VPI turntable-Mark 4 up-grades, Alphason arm, Benz Glider p-up, Maestro wire on a Seismic Sink.
A whole slew of cabling
ANALOG RESEARCH CD player (another sleeper...made by a friend)
DENON 3000 DVD player
MONARCHY 22B DAC
ADCOM CD PLAYER

Results with above equipment was very consistent. I give the amps a 5 star compared to industry standards. I give them a 10 star based upon price to performance ratio.

KN

Just thought I'd drop you folks a line. I'm into my third day of powering the Magnepan 1.6QRs with the Monarchy SE-100s and the Monarchy Model 10A passive preamp. Wow. What an amazing difference these planar magnetics make. They're not as efficient as my Michael Green LE-5 monitors, but they have surpassed every dynamic loudspeaker I've heard in most every category, barring the chest-pounding bass factor.
The end result can best be described as neutral, transparent, and dynamic, without any edginess or grain. What a joy my system has become! I am rediscovering the wonders of prerecorded music all over again. For the first time in my life, I can enjoy the music without being cursed with hearing the flaws of the reproduction hardware, ever so minor that they may be.

Once again, the Monarchy SE-100 Class-A monoblock amplifiers shine through without blemish. They will reveal the flaws in the source material and any colorations in the upstream and downstream components. They simply tell the truth like so few amps can. This little gem has proven worthy of being considered a true solid-state reference component, regardless of price class. Give the SE-100 a listen and I think you'll find that it's closer to a steal than a bargain, considering it's sound and build quality.

Ok, yet another glowing review of an amplifier that defies its size and cost. I have had the Monarchy SE 100 amps for about a year and a half now (acutally I moved to the Delux version about 7 months after getting the std pair) and the sound just keeps impressing me. I have listened to amps from Levinson, Krell, digital switching amps, Eagle, Sonic Frontiers... ok you get the picture. Trust me, if you don't have to have a name to show all your doctor friends when thet come a call'n this is the amp of choice. Female vocals, timbre on brass and woodwinds is incredible, not to mention soundstaging. I use it with a Meitner CDD1 and BIDAT. I also have a Stan Warren modified Monarchy 22A DA which I use as a standby (mind you it has been compared favorably to the $13.5K Wadia 9 decoding computer). My interconnect of choice is Music Metre Silver (ribbon), it just sounds like music with oodles of information being conveyed. I found the amps to place a hum on both of my speakers, but I solved it quite simply by using an adapter without a ground connector, not only did this make the amps completely silent but I am now hearing more ambient and spatial information in my CD's. The only amps that I have heard that I prefer are my Kora 100SB Triodes, but they cost over 10K and are used on a hybrid system which has internally SS amped woofers. If I were to put them head to head on a system deriving its low frequency energy soley from the amp source it would be a close call...one I really wouldn't want to make, I might hurt my own feelings, what with the cost of the kora units.
I am currently turning my second system into a combo audio/home theatre setup. I am using the SE100 delux units for the 2 rear surrounds and the center along with the Enlightened Audio Designs Ovation Plus AV preamp/decoder and a GW 270 (www.centasound.com) stereo 70/chnl tube amp for the front left/right speakers. The sound is incredible (and I can hear...I mean I can really hear).

I give the units 4 stars, not five, because as slight as it is, there is something my Koras do (that I like) that the SE's don't...now this may be the odd order harmonic distortion inherent to tubes, not sure... but it is surely not a deficiency of the SE's.

The SE's are staples in my system... Here is what you do, go listen to a megabuck amp k---l, or l-----on then listen to Monarchy's, if you are honest with yourself, common since says go with the SE. I do understand pride of ownership, and some people need the reassurance that comes with a big name.

4 enthusiastic stars.

Regards,

Mike

The SE-100 is a world-class amplifier, delivering the finest soundstagingI have ever heard from my system. The individual detailing of instruments,
and the superb sense of air and space, make the SE-100 worth far more than the asking price.
These amps also mate superbly with the (MONARCHY AUDIO's) Models 22C and 33
feeding the balanced inputs.

[ The above is posted with the kind permission of the Reviewer,
Gary Galo, who is review editor with AUDIO ELECTRONICS magazine, at
www.audioxpress.com]

The Monarchy SE100 delux monoblocks are sold by several brokers throughoutthe US. Gino Yang is the closest one in my area. He had been very helpful
all along, and he was generous enough to loan his to me for an afternoon
in-home audition. Gino himself is an old-timer. He appeared to know almost
all the best ways to get the best price/performance. CCPoon was another
responsive guy to deal with.

The monoblocks are small and cute. The parts & built quality are TOP NOTCH.
They weight about 25 lbs each, can easily be carried with the miniature
black/goldtrim handle. The heatsinks are on the sides of the amp, easily
occupied half the size of the amp.

System: Cambridge Audio Transport -> WireWorld Starlight II ->
Cambridge Audio DAC -> DHLabs BL-1 -> EVS Nude Attenuators ->
MONARCHY SE100 DELUX -> Twisted pair double run DHLabs T14 -> Maggies 3A

Previous amp: Anthem Int 1 triode mode (great mid-range, soft overall especially
in the bass)

Amps auditioned (comments compared to Anthem Int1) :
McCormack DNA .5 delux (a mismatch, everything was too soft & mushy)
Golden Tube SE40 SE (mid-range not as sweet, better bass, attenuated the
softness)
Conrad Johnson MV55 (bass heavy, slower)
Conrad Johnson MF2500 (even better, but mid-range tended to be squeechy at
times; my maggies kept blowing the fuses on the CJ)
Classe 151? (good bass, but mid-range is scratchy)
ARC VT50 (better all around)

I auditioned the older Monarchy delux, the mid-range was so tube-like. The
extreme highs and bass were more revealing. It was a great all-around amp.
I couldn't find any "major" things I didn't like.

After getting the latest delux model for a week now, I couldn't be happier.
Vocals and violins are so seducting, piano trios are so live-like, big-scale
orchestral works have the impact I could never get from my Anthem. It truly
offers the best of tube & SS. The amps do run hot after 2 hours or so, but
are still touchable (unlike the Anthem).

There are several things I don't like about the amp. The left Maggie
gets a static pop everytime the left monoblock is turned on. The right Maggie
gets a smaller pop, but the right monoblock has a bigger initial hum. But
the amps are very quiet otherwise. Then it's the cosmetic, I prefer the
older Monarchy golden lion. The new faceplate really looks odd.
Everything is encraved into the 1/2" thick aluminium plate, with
MONARCHY AUDIO (bold) on top, SE100 delux (regular) in the middle, Pure
Class A (italic) in the bottom. The arrangement is like a generic title page
of a college freshman paper.

Nevertheless, what a great amp this is! 5 stars without hesistation.

These Delux amps are a terriffic value. Outstanding clarity especially vocals. These small single end mono amps are a "must listen" for any serious listener. It is difficult to find a better value for the sound quality. I love Pass Amps - but -- these may be better!!!!Don't let their small size and appearance fool you - they pack a punch. Negatives are the pop when turned - on or components in the system are turned-on. My system:Genesis 500 speakers
Alpha core cables on speakers and pre to amp
Wadia 830 CD
Proceed Preamp
Fanfare tuner
A rave review for these little amps.

I really, really , really like these amps. Right out of the box, I thought they sounded a bit thick and slow, with a rather soft bottom end. But they also did some things terribly right. For example, I found found their reproduction of vocal material (especially female vocals)quite seductive and the soundstage nice and deep. Good stuff. I've been around audio gear long enough to know that burn in can make some dramatic improvements in what a component DOESN'T do to the music. The SE-100 deluxes are no exception. After spending a couple of weeks in my video system(a GREAT place to burn in amps, IF they fit behind the TV, which the Monarchy's certainly do), I started to notice that my little Radio Shack magnetically shielded speakers were starting to sound pretty good indeed. OK they have about 100 hours on em so it's time to pull the Monarchy's and put them in my music system driving my Apogee Slant 8s. What a difference! I found them much more open, detailed and dimensional. Nice. The bass was even tighter and the amps now boogied. Nicer.
I now have over 200 hours on this pair and they are still getting better. On an absolute basis, I would say that they are laid back on top, maybe slightly dark. But hold on now this is NOT a criticism. I like'em that way. They do NOT hide detail. It's all there, just not in your face and this makes them very listenable (again, especially on vocals where this extra zestiness is soooo seductive and spooky). I found my good old reliable, shot gunned bi-wired Audioquest midnight speaker cabling (which I find a bit lean on my Reference Line amps)to be a perfect match to the SE-100s. This amp also responded very well when I added my Velodyne FSR-12 sub to the system and drove the Monarchys from its high pass section. The SE-100 has a tight upper bass which blends quite well with the Velodyne's. Cutting off the bottom end of amps opens up the soundstage even more and takes the boogie and slam factors up a notch. Once again, nice.

Like I said before, I really, really, really, like these amps...especially for the money. They immediately let me know they did a lot of things right and with continued burn-in (combined with the Audioquest midnight) are prompting me to do a serious cost/benefit analysis of my current investment in amplification. Check'em out.

Best amps for three times of the price!!! I owned several "name brand" amp on Stereophile class A recommend list before SE100.(Pass Audio Aleph 0, BAT VK60, Threshold T-400....) But this little class A single ended,2 gain stages mono blocks make me put every amp I owned for sale and feel stupid to spend so much money on those "name brand","recommended" amps.The SE100 has huge,deep sound stage you just can not touch for three times of the price. Sweet and detail sound makes me heard a lot of top end details I have never heard before with those "name brand" amps. Solid building quality without any unnecessary cosmetic that will cost you and has nothing to do with sound quality. Best of all, they will not hurt your wallet and your back.(I hurt my back and cut my right leg trying to lift my Threshold T-400 before.).I drove Apogee Slant 8,Legacy Focus,Stanley UD-6.5 pro with SE100 and get much better image,detail and sound stage then those "recommended" maga buck amps. The only problem I have with SE100 is trying to tell the guy who is buying my old maga buck "name brand" amp which amp I am upgrading to, he laughed at me, but I am really laughing loud when I counting the money I save and listening to the better sound. Two thumbs up!! Very highly recommended if you are really serious about the sound,not the look,and care about your money.For those who are interested in low cost,high quality,super value and sounding equiptments, the Stanley UD-6.5 speakers are another products you want to check out. They beat my Legacy Focus hands down for half of the price.(Stanley Audio:414-889-4800)

First, I would like to say, Gino, I think we get the point... You love these Monarchy SE amps. Please do not do multiple reviews to inflate the score.
And now to the review...

My equipment:
Monarchy SE amps
Monarchy Preamp model 33
Vampire ST-1 Speaker cable
Vampire OFS/OFC Star Quad Interconnect (What can I say? The best hi-fi shop in town is a Vampire dealer)
Adcom 575 CD player transport
Totem Model 1 Speaker (Not bi wireable)

I just upgraded everything in my system except my transport and speakers. What is truly sad... is that I paid almost as much for my previous electronics as I paid for my new Monarchy Model 33 Preamp and Monarchy SE amps. Truly sad... since the sound I am getting from my system now is light years better than my old equipment.

However I did get a great deal on my current electronics: Monarchy SE amps for $950.00 (for the pair), Monarchy Model 33 Preamp for $675.00

Yes I am prety darn lucky (pricewise)... However even at the price you can get these from online dealers, about $2400.00 combined for both preamp and amps (SE deluxes run about $2800.00), this is an AMAZING VALUE. I am sure there is better amplification out there... but you search long and hard to find it for under $3000 to $5000. I am sure there is better preamplification available... Preamplification is a difficult thing to get right, BUT this Monarchy 33 was designed to match the Monarchy amps. And it not only doea a great job at preamplification, but it does a wonderful job at digital to analog conversion. Very detailed... It is sort of a double edged sword having a D/A converter built into your preamp. On the plus side, it saves lots of $$$. No need to by a seperate D/A converter and no need to buy a pair of interconnect. The only bad aspect of a piece like this can occur when you finally replace it. Unless you can find another preamp D/A converter combo, you are gonna have to spend some bucks... HOWEVER, the nice thing about this pream is that it sa a D/A OUT. This enables you to use it merely as a D/A converter. Thus, you can upgrade your system in steps. This gives you the option of upgrading preamplification or DAC in any order you wish.

Enough about preamplification... on to Amplification:

These little guys have no right to amplify as well as they do. One look at them and the adjective 'cute' comes to mind. They look almost like toy amps... but so help me God, I swear that the sound that radiates out of them is more musical than I have heard in an amp that I have ever heard from an amp anywhere near my pricewise. The one thing I have noticed is that they are very interconnect finnicky. Review them with several sets of interconnects. I tried the 2nd to the top of the line Vampire interconnect (about 300.00 cable) and did not like the sound at all when compared to my old MAS black interconnect (about 180.00 (6) years ago). I now am trying the Vampire silver cable that runs 135.00 or so fo a meter. Man oh man... what a difference... MUCH more transparrant. Much more musical.

If any of you audition these amps in the delux models and end up not likeing them (I can forgive the transgression), please... PLEASE email me and I just might buy them off you for a reasonable price.

On a price/performance scale of 1 to 100 I give these amps a 100. I cannot think of another amp that sounds better for the money.
On a absolute sound scale of 1 to 100 I give these amps a 98. About 2% of hi end amps might be able to compete with these guys. But for that 2% you pay 200% to 500%+ more for the product.

Enjoy Monarchy gear,

Tok
aka Keith in real life

Gino is a dealer/broker. But beside that the SE100 are exellent. Compare to Pass Alp3. SE100 sound a whole lot better, and it is cheaper too.