I'll answer with this Decware Zen ad paragraph:
Quote:The SE84UFO employs a unique floating output transformer scheme where the negative speaker wire is not tied to chassis ground. That means when the amp is bridged, both channels may either be series or parallel wired. In series, both channels work as one and transparency is preserved.
So with no sonic drawbacks to running the amps in mono, you can expect 6 dB of additional power rather then the expected 3dB. This is thanks to the power increase the amp has when it sees half the speaker load from being series bridged.
So 2W standard with 6dB gain equals 8W.
This kit is based on the same circuit design so I believe this is your answer.
Quote:I see people changing the rectifier from SS to tube. Obviously they (you) see an advantage to that. OTOH, I saw comments about SS being more reliable and giving some additional output voltage. Any thoughts on the differences?
To be honest, I went with tube rectification because I wanted to simulate the Zen amp sound as much as possible, AND I really like the look. 8-) Not much of an answer but researching how to design it was a nice teaching moment for me. Sticking with the kit diodes will make the build go much quicker and simpler in the long run.
Quote:I plan on doing 2 amps, as monoblocks, for more power. Are there changes I need to make to the instructions and/or parts list in light of that?
No. As long as you keep the floating output transformer scheme mentioned, a simple jumper at the speaker connections is the only added part.
Quote:Which, I don't really have need of any kind of volume control. I will always use a preamp. Would there be sonic benefits to leaving it off?
I would think so. Since Zen Master Decert heavily promotes the simplicity of his designs, especially mentioning the small number of components/solder joints between signal input to output stage, I trust his knowledge. Bypassing the volume control should be easy enough on the kit board.