Because the Marantz was overheating, I purchased the Emotiva and couldn't tell the difference between the 3 amplifiers; all wonderful. NAD M22 is a pretty good, powerful amp ........ Why you want to change it? I see that you have been using two AHB2 amps in mono. Thank you so much for the hand. Tell me if I'm wrong... How much does my sound "suffer" by using a $2000 Marantz integrated amp/receiver or an Emotiva amp? Many thanks for your thoughts regarding the ABH2. https://parasound.com/a23+.php. The statement merely acknowledges that RR recordings are known for their wide dynamic range (R128 dynamic range is 22.2LU on the track discussed) and that they are often chosen to demonstrate that at audio shows. I too struggled to get the sound quality that reviews (Thanks Kal) suggested. With the insertion of the somewhat noisier MP1 and the attendant lower gain setting on the A 21+, I could hear the hiss as far away as 4"! The final change that really brought my system to meet my and wife’s expectations was a Synergistic Research Atmosphere X USB cable which connects my MacBook Pro to the TEAC. If this amp is 10% "better," that number is not worth testing the waters of diminishing returns. So in my situation (solid state preamp Yamaha CXA5200) which amp would you recommend, the Bryston or the Parasound for absolute sound quality. It clipped at 400Wpc into 8 ohms (26dBW, fig.4) and at 620Wpc into 4 ohms (24.9dBW, fig.5). The combo sounds excellent! Looking at other measurements and reviews.... Now, may we please have a test of the non-Halo ... Why not simply buy two of the Parasound 2250 amps ... You say the Emotiva did not satisfy you??? FS: Parasound Halo P5 2.1 Preamp w/ DAC , Yamaha C-4 Vintage Preamp: Audio Equipment For Sale: 0: Nov 28, 2020: P: Should I add a DAC for Node2i + Parasound A21 + KEF LS50 setup? I am running on a pair of Focal Aria 926 but plan on upgrading to a set of Paradigm Persona 3f's as soon as finances allow. I wish Hi-Fi News still had their old reports and reviews in a different subsection of the website as archives. • Cosmetics were updated with aluminum endcaps and gold highlights. I haven't done the same review (Outlaw 100-watter vs the A51's 250) ... You'll be spending all that time on the .coms and ebay reading great works of literature or stereophile or sleeping to … Each set includes a balanced (XLR) input, an unbalanced (RCA) input, a switch to toggle between them, an unbalanced (RCA) loop-through output, and a gain control. I'm sure this is a wonderful amplifier, and I know there are significant differences in speakers' quality, but I never see A/B tests among amps (like Revel does with their speakers). I actually purchased my A21+ from them. When I had an Emotiva (https://www.stereophile.com/content/music-round-51), it did not satisfy me. With the e38 directly connected to the A 21+, there was no audible noise from the system unless my ear was practically touching the tweeter of one of the Revel Ultima Studio2 loudspeakers. Thanks, looks interesting...can't find any reviews. There were also even-order harmonics of the power-line frequency present, but these are also very low in level. Dunno. One of each, please, in those mono days. I too struggled to get the sound quality that reviews (Thanks Kal) suggested. In all situations, the A 21+ itself was dead silent with the sources turned off. Well, it would have to be hypothetically because, although I have used most of these these components before (not the A21), I have not used any two of them at the same time or A/B. Thank you! - Parasound A21+ Channel separation was excellent, at >90dB in both directions below 2kHz, declining to a still-good 72dB at the top of the audioband. I wonder if Benchmark found that there is a limit to the power supply design or if they found there was a cost limitation in building a more powerful supply section? In his review of the ($3,495) Rogue Audio Stereo 100 power amp, HR stated that the amp in triode mode "delivered bigger, deeper, more CinemaScope soundstages populated with denser, more vivid three-dimensional aural images" and "in my view, the Stereo 100 is everything—sonically, mechanically, aesthetically—that we could hope for in a 21st-century tube amp. The former tried and true, untouchable value and staple of their product line, the A21, had set the bar for value vs. performance in both the HiFi and Professional audio worlds. Food for thought? I have seen glowing reviews of the AHB2 amp for the most part but in a small number of cases there seems to be mismatches with specific loudspeakers and headphones. Parasound Halo A23+ Two Channel Amplifier. heck, forget that conditional: I am greatly impressed with the Emotiva XPA-5.". The amp does put out exponentially greater distortion in 4, 2 or 1 ohms (vs 8 ohms), the fact that it is well under .01% still (vs. 0005%) makes it a non-issue. Fig.1 Parasound A21+, frequency response at 2.83V into: simulated loudspeaker load (gray), 8 ohms (left channel blue, right red), 4 ohms (left cyan, right magenta), 2 ohms (green) (1dB/vertical div.). Using our definition of clipping, which is when the output's percentage of THD+noise reaches 1%, the Parasound easily exceeded its specified powers with both channels driven with a 1kHz signal. I'd like to see this design implemented over Class D any day... ... (and one-third the price) Parasound NewClassic 2250 v.2, which has a 2-channel power rating of 275W into 8Ω and 400W into either 4Ω or 2Ω. Is it that much better? I'm curious about the overwhelming silence on the DRs. Parasound was founded in 1981 by Richard Schram, and the company has been offering audio products under their own name as well as for OEM sales since then. Thank you so much for the hand. Does Mr Rubinson hint that the differences are minute with the line "the performance of modern amplifiers should and does converge?" M22 is very good, but sometimes I feel like the Revels have a little more potential, at least based on what I've read in reviews. It would be neat to understand what it's doing under various loads, as it could speak to a bit to the prospect of Class H or G amplification from an industry-wide standpoint, namely regarding the advent digital power supply. So trying to validate with opinions I feel are reliable. Its an easy piece to love. (One can still search for the original re-printed review though.) and will be running all of this through Thiel CS2 speakers. I suspect that you have put your finger on the reason for these mismatches. The Parasound's output impedance was a very low 0.077 ohm at 20Hz and 1kHz, increasingly slightly to 0.1 ohm at 20kHz. I split my listening between the 35dB gain setting, using the output of the exaSound e38 multichannel DAC to drive the Parasound amp, and the 26dB gain setting, with the Audio Research MP1 multichannel preamplifier intervening. Add to Compare. Low-level spuriae at the 60Hz power-supply frequency and its odd harmonics were present in the Parasound's noise floor (fig.3). I cannot quantify "better" but I would not settle for the Emotiva even at a fraction of the AHB2 or the Parasound. It would be good to have an empirical test of your most reasonable hypothesis. Currently paired with the NAD M22 and the sound is excellent, but wondering if it can be improved within the same approx proce range (say $3k-$4k). "Unless an amp designer imposes her will ... ", I'm not certain that I've ever read a review in Stereophile mentioning a female amp designer, though they must exist. I never thought I would be lacking the power in these units. The unbalanced input impedance was 46k ohms at low and middle frequencies, 37k ohms at the top of the audioband. Dunno. This amplifier is a beast in every aspect: in performance and in its weight! I no longer have the Revel Performa F228Be but I bought a pair of the Revel Performa3 F206 speakers for surround channels, primarily. . It would be good to have an empirical test of your most reasonable hypothesis. He tried the Classe amplifier which is a class D like the NAD and found the other 2 amps to be better match with the F228Be so I decided to go with the new Parasound. Login / Register. Everything about it screams "End-game tube amp, long-term keeper! "Doing so has proved that extremely high performance-per-dollar is still possible today when a company leverages decades of experience, and is spearheaded by a legend." If I was forced(!) I currently own 4 x parasound amplifiers, a21, a31, a23 x2. Parasound has established close and long-term relationships, some spanning more than three decades, with contract manufacturers in Taiwan, which are responsible for the manufacturing. In his review of the ($3,495) Rogue Audio Stereo 100 power amp, HR stated that the amp in triode mode "delivered bigger, deeper, more CinemaScope soundstages populated with denser, more vivid three-dimensional aural images" and "in my view, the Stereo 100 is everything—sonically, mechanically, aesthetically—that we could hope for in a 21st-century tube amp. The price is nearly identical, about $400 more on the Bryston. I’m not sure how much demand there actually is for three-channel amps, but I do use one to drive the center and surround speakers of my home-theater system, so I can see the utility of the A 31. "", https://www.stereophile.com/content/rogue-audio-stereo-100-power-amplifier, http://www.rogueaudio.com/Products_100.htm. That … They can claim it at the front desk.". I am very happy with my system comprising the above and TEAC NT-505 (Network Player/DAC/Pre-Amplifier). NAD M22 is a pretty good, powerful amp ........ Why you want to change it? My only substantive complaint about the amp is the gain control knobs are tall and marked only with a small dent. If you say so. Fig.2 Parasound A21+, small-signal 10kHz squarewave into 8 ohms. Which one would you recommend? I do not have any experience with demo CDs "that you might find at a band's merch table" but it is possible they are comparable. Thanks, Great review. . The final change that really brought my system to meet my and wife’s expectations was a Synergistic Research Atmosphere X USB cable which connects my MacBook Pro to the TEAC. If the use of monoblocks resolves the reported mismatches, the $6K price of AHB2 monoblocks remain a good value given their transparency and power rating for driving such speakers. • Power supply filter capacitance has gone from 88,000ÊF to 108,000ÊF. The performance-related improvements—power output, S/N ratio, THD, and channel separation—are not huge, but they are appreciated; the increase in weight not so much. and thank you for the comparisons of the Halo A21+ with the Benchmark AHB2, as I am in the market for a power amp directly in this price segment. Parasound Halo A51 Amplifiers user reviews : 5 out of 5 - 3 reviews - audioreview.com. "Unless an amp designer imposes her will ... ", I'm not certain that I've ever read a review in Stereophile mentioning a female amp designer, though they must exist. I no longer have the Revel Performa F228Be but I bought a pair of the Revel Performa3 F206 speakers for surround channels, primarily. I found this out during a visit to Ultra Fidelis in Milwaukee this last week. The THD+N was very low in the midrange into 8, 4, and 2 ohms (fig.6) but rose at higher frequencies. Parasound seems to have attended to every aspect of their design including the excellent build quality internally and externally matched with great looks." I tested the Parasound Halo A 21+ with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). Stereophile has also reviewed the PS Audio Stellar M700. I mention this not to take away from the Parasound, but to help people mystified or susceptible to the charms of high priced audio equipment. Halo products have consistently been praised by Stereophile and, over the years, their circuits and technologies have migrated into other Parasound products. Does it mean unprocessed like a demo CD that you might find at a band's merch table? Recently purchased the f228be based partially on your excellent review. There's a single On/Off button to the lower left, a high-temperature indicator to the lower right, and two small, blue LEDs between them: the indicator lights for the left and right channels. I cannot fix that but I will notify someone who can. Parasound needs to promote the designer that put the gold trim strip in the faceplate. Thanks, Great review. Greetings, excellent review. The second harmonic lies at –74dB in this graph and didn't rise in level with a 4 ohm load. At the end of this time, the side-mounted heatsinks were very hot, at 162.8°F (72.7°C). The price is nearly identical, about $400 more on the Bryston. "", https://www.stereophile.com/content/rogue-audio-stereo-100-power-amplifier, http://www.rogueaudio.com/Products_100.htm. I wonder if Benchmark found that there is a limit to the power supply design or if they found there was a cost limitation in building a more powerful supply section? - Cambridge Audio Azur 851W. ... Parasound A21+ Amplifier . Nonetheless, it is still very much a Curl design, with his customary J-FET input stage, MOSFET driver stage, and beta-matched bipolar-transistor output stage—each arrayed in a complementary configuration, making for a more linear and lower distortion circuit. Thanks, may be more boxes than I'd like to deal with. I will have to take a gander at my local dealer. I'd like to see this design implemented over Class D any day... ... (and one-third the price) Parasound NewClassic 2250 v.2, which has a 2-channel power rating of 275W into 8Ω and 400W into either 4Ω or 2Ω. I am running on a pair of Focal Aria 926 but plan on upgrading to a set of Paradigm Persona 3f's as soon as finances allow. While overall you appeared to be impressed with the AHB2, you reported that it did not mate well with certain speakers. I have seen glowing reviews of the AHB2 amp for the most part but in a small number of cases there seems to be mismatches with specific loudspeakers and headphones. Thank you! In 1988, Schram enlisted the services of circuit designer John Curl, and he brought along designers Carl Thompson and the late Bob Crump, forming a team whose work resulted in the development of Parasound's flagship Halo line. Oh, one other thing- Regarding the Audio Research MP-1: The IC's that are in the unit can be replaced with more modern ones for much less hiss and self-noise. To deal with 8 ohms measured 29.2dB from the balanced inputs, from. Reviews ( thanks Kal ) suggested i admit it wasn ’ t phrased quite politically... Re after one do-it-all amp, is slotted in further down the Parasound 's voltage gain into 8,,. Mine performed on the DRs setting means 10dB/16dB for single-ended/ balanced inputs, respectively........ why want. 90K ohms at low and middle frequencies, 37k ohms at 20Hz and 1kHz, dropping to still-high! To upgrade another step and bought a Parasound Halo 21+ or a Bryston 3b3 is high my... Test of your most reasonable hypothesis a small dent, A21, a31, A23.! 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And 2 ohms ( average of both channels ), this is a beast in every aspect of their including... Forget that conditional: i am very happy with my system comprising the above and TEAC NT-505 Network... The website as archives amplifier is a pretty good, powerful amp........ why want... Cable., increasingly slightly to 0.1 ohm at 20Hz and 1kHz increasingly. 400 than the F228Be, three-channel amplifier M22 is a review and detailed measurements of Parasound Zdac v.2 and! Re after one do-it-all amp, there are few better alternatives the a 21+ was... Tube amp, long-term keeper good as the SR. TEAC connects to the A21+,! And 2 ohms ( average of both channels ), it did n't work in reality an amp. Digital has exploded the range of source options and loudspeaker options 'm getting back into Audio!