Looking to change my Parasound - Help

gIzzE

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2001
Messages
10,070
Reaction score
1,537
Points
1,677
Location
Uk
I am using a late DC-1 with a parasound HCA-855A and I am looking to upgrade the power amp side (the processor will be replaced shortly with an MC-1).

I have been thinking about another Parasound as I really like the sound of my current one, but, like everyone else always looking to upgrade :)

I have my eye on the HCA-2205 or one from the new Halo range, but is there anything else I should be looking out for ?? Don't fancy Rotel as I had a 985mkII before the parasound and they just seem a little edgy and no weight to them, hence I changed over to the parasound. Tried a 1095 too and that seemed pretty much the same as what I have now, maybe slighlty, and I mean slightly, more control than the hca-855a but the specs and price suggested there would be a big difference.

any advice would be appreciated.

thanks

Guy
 
I was thinking of a slightly cheaper solution :eek: :D
 
You probably won't hear much difference between power amps of similar specification, certainly when they driven below clipping levels.

I tried a 2205A as well as my 1095 and chose the 1095 mainly because it was cheaper and I couldn't tell the difference between them.

If you have a big room and big speakers then I would say go for the 2205 as it is a 2nd hand bargain.
 
Just out of interest, how much is the JC-1? I guess you could get three, for the left, centre & right- and just use your existing Parasound for sides & rears.

I might be looking for 3 amps for my front three in the future..:D
 
Thers's an ex demo HCA 2205A on ebay at the moment with a buy it now price of £1300. It's come up many times before and hasnt sold so if you contact the seller he may well let it go for less !!
 
Blimey- taken from Stereophile's report

With continuous drive, the Parasound clipped at 545W into 8 ohms (27.4dBW)—way above the specified 400W. ("Clipping" is defined, as usual, as the power level where the measured THD figure reaches 1%, and is shown in fig.7 as the horizontal magenta line.) With a low-duty-cycle 1kHz toneburst more representative of music, the Halo was a powerhouse. Its clipping power increased by 0.3dB into 8 ohms, reaching 586.5W at 1% THD (27.7dBW, fig.7, black trace), with 1154W available into 4 ohms (27.6dBW, blue), 2255W into 2 ohms (27.5W, green), and no less than 4.2kW into 1 ohm (27.2dBW, magenta). The latter is equivalent to an output current of 64.7A!

Cost is $3000, so I would guess UK price will be £3000 :(
 
So now you see why they're rated so well,with current delivery not too far off Krell territory,and very good prices,coupled with very good sound quality not only for the price,but in absolute terms also.
The designer's pedigree in amplifier design is very impressive also,with many years of experience in that field.
 
Yeah, they might be great, but to get the same number of channels (for my av system) I currently have I'll need 8 JC-1 - so it'll cost £21,700 more than what I paid for my four 2 x channel amps.

Or if I don't included the bi-amping side- it'll cost £12,700 more.

I'm not a millionaire.
 
Thanks for the help guys, I have ordered a HCA-2205A and if it puts as much of a smile on my face as the lexicon and amp combo did when I swapped from my denon A1-SE I will be a happy chap.

Will let you know what I think.
 
Hi,

I have had experience of the the amp and lexicon you have bought, SUPERB!!!

You will be a very happy man!

Enjoy!
 
Guy - any update on this. Have you got your 2205 and if so what do you think ?
 
Yeah got the amp, first thing I noticed was the bloody size and weight of the thing !!!

OK, typical Parasound tone to it, nice and detailed but always on the warmer side and no edginess at all.

Compared to the 855a it has more volume, where I used to listen to the dc-1/855a combo at -3, I watched the opera diva scene from 5th element and it was as loud if not louder at -11.

watched the same scene again at -3 and it was actually too loud, but, it was not harsh or edgy at all, even my wife who always tells me to "turn it down a bit" sat through it with a big grin on her face.

watch a bit of the robbie williams dvd "sing when your..." and it was definitely alot smoother when you have the volume pumped up, and better seperation and a greater sense of spaciousness.

However it did make me realise what a good amp the 855a was, I knew I liked it compared with the rotels I have had but moving up to the 2205 really just emphasises how good the smaller amp is.

If you can get a 2205 at a good price, go for it, it will make you smile every time you use it,
having said that, a 1205 would maybe be a better buy ??
And I can recommend the 855A but they are hard to come by.

BTW Rags the guys at Audio T did the 2205 for £1000 delivered, which is why I went for it, maybe email the ebay seller and ask what they can do it for. If you can get it for £1100 I would say go for it mate. In fact I would pay the £1300 now I have heard it.


now it is onto upgrading the DC-1 :)
 
Was it an AT ? Even if not thats a stunning price !!!! £1000 !!!!
 

The latest video from AVForums

Is 4K Blu-ray Worth It?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom