Parasound HCA-2200II

dcmartinpc

I think the 1500a would be the ticket between those 2. The HCA series are built much more like the Halo series than the New Classic series. I think you would prefer the sound of the 1500a. It is a great amp.


Don

PrazVT

Well it's kind of after the fact that I ask - I've had the 2250 for a few months now. This was my first amp, so obviously it was a big improvement from powering the speakers from the AVR

Whether it would worth getting a 1500A (or a Halo) at some point as further improvement is what I was trying to gauge.

steveinaz

Praz--I think the differences would be subtle in the extreme, FWIW. You would probably have to be looking in the $1800-$2500 range to move up, even then it won't be much gain.

dcmartinpc

I think you would notice the difference on a difficult speaker load, something with low impedance like the LSi series. I think with 8 ohm speakers the difference would be marginal. I didn't realize you had the 2250 already. I say stick with it, unless you want to sell it and get a 1500a and have some money in your pocket. The 2250 is still a nice amp.

Don

TroyD

The LSi is not a terribly difficult speaker load. I mean, I wouldn't hook them up to a boom box or an HTiB receiver...but other than that, they aren't much of a challenge.

BDT

Lietuvis91

so maybe I missed it, but dcmartinpc get his modded 3500 back? Any input on what changed after the mods, first impressions?

PrazVT

I think you would notice the difference on a difficult speaker load, something with low impedance like the LSi series. I think with 8 ohm speakers the difference would be marginal. I didn't realize you had the 2250 already. I say stick with it, unless you want to sell it and get a 1500a and have some money in your pocket. The 2250 is still a nice amp.

Don

No worries Don - just trying to learn Thanks for fielding my innane questions haha. Also, your comment regarding LSi speakers (and I guess 4ohm speakers in general) sounds quite logical.

The HCA-1000A for my CSi A6 is coming in today. I'm at least looking forward to seeing the improvement over the cheap Onkyo M-282 amp it's hooked up to currently.

Praz

dcmartinpc

TroyD wrote: »

The LSi is not a terribly difficult speaker load. I mean, I wouldn't hook them up to a boom box or an HTiB receiver...but other than that, they aren't much of a challenge.

BDT

True, but more difficult than most of Polk's speakers... I suppose I could have said "More difficult" speaker loads.

Don

dcmartinpc

Lietuvis91 wrote: »

so maybe I missed it, but dcmartinpc get his modded 3500 back? Any input on what changed after the mods, first impressions?

Not yet. It is sitting in line over at Big Sky Audio. He is very busy right now. I will be posting here VERY soon after receiving it back. I have decided to run it with my new SDA 1C's I have coming instead of in the home theater with the LSi9's. I figure a fully modded set of SDA 1C's with a fully modded Parasound HCA-3500 with be nothing short of magical :eek: Well, maybe a set of 1.2tl or 2.3tl SDA's would be a little more magical, but this is what I have for now The HCA-2200II can handle the home theater duty!

Don

Lietuvis91

cool, I'm looking forward to hearing about your impressions.

dorokusai

I'd run and have, LSi7 and LSi9 off non-4ohm rated Receivers and AVR's....no problems. There's a guy at Polk with a full LSi 5.1 setup running on a 8ohm Denon. I wouldn't suggest it to anyone but someone experienced but it can be done.

I'm half expecting a spam link to Big Sky Audio to end up in your signature at some point DC. Sheesh.

Lietuvis91

so my 1500a came in on saturday, but I didn't get those interconnect cables from audioadvisor and just this morning realized that they are on backorder :-(

so I call audio advisor, the guy asks me about the components of my 2 ch rig, talks me into stepping it up to the audioquest blue racer IIs cuz in his professional opinion those cables are a minimum to do my setup justice. So then I ask him about speaker wire( I use monoprice now), I get talked into picking up a pair or 6ft audioquest type 4s.... So now the bill is up to $170 for the 2 pairs of wires(never ends), but hopefully it'll be worth it to hear the sound difference, and this infrastructure will definitely be ready for a speaker upgrade. This is a bunch of petty good quality stuff, can't wait to get it!

Appreciate your guidance dcmartinpc , those guys at audio advisor were very helpful and seem to know their ****! I had never heard of them before this thread.

dcmartinpc

Yeah, they are good guys. Hadn't seen the blue racers prior to this. They look like nice cables, somewhat similar to the Outlaw Audio PCA's... keep up posted on how they sound.

Don

adb3da

Bump to an old thread. Looking for more feedback from HCA-2200ii owners. Any quirky issues with this amp now that it's getting up in years?

dorokusai

Not really, it's built like a tank. If you start getting hotter on one side, heat wise, you may be drifting out of bias but its not a repair monster like some Adcom amps.

James Zep

Hi everyone,

I?m a newbie here on Polk forum and actually I register because of a thread related to this power vs a Krell KAC 250a/3. I won?t introduce me too much but just simply say hello everyone and tell you how mucho I appreciate this community and how much I?m glad to be here.

So I?m having this dilemma: I have to choose between these two great amplifiers. I?ve been trough all the discussion and I can?t really decide. On one side I?ve got a Krell KRC3 as preamp so esthetically the KAV 250a/3 could be a great match even if sonically, following I?ve been reading, it might be a little bright or kind of too much ?in your face sound?. On the other hand this Parasound is pretty cool. Less reputation than Krell but this is a great model. And it looks like specs don?t really help (The Parasound is a true dual mono but it does not, for example, double down at 4ohm, though I know I don?t need that). Plus I don?t pay too much attention to specs.

What do you think?
Which one would you choose and why?

Thanks

tonyb

Doesn't matter which one we'd choose, it's your ears and wallet that matter.

Those are 2 different sounding amps, with one being more laid back and on the warm side of nuetral, and the other being more upfront and in your face, slightly brite, and gobbs of power.

What other gear are you looking to match up ? Speakers ? What kind of sound do you like ?

James Zep

Hi Tonyb,

As I told my preamp is a Krell KRC3. I got a bunch of speakers but I guess I would set this power amplifier with my JBL 4430.
Based on what you said I would rather prefer a more laid back and on the warm side of neutral sound but I don't think my KRC3 to be bright for example. Also even I might prefer a laid back combo, I love to feel great defined bass. I just don't want middle and treble to be harsh, even if I need them detailed.
Of course I want it all!

Thanks

tonyb

Just my .02 James, but with those speakers, Krell doesn't seem to be a match made in heaven. Those horns would serve you well with some tube gear in the mix. A tube pre amp and a more musical SS amp would be my preference. Or if you prefered all SS gear, seek out warmer sounding gear. Brite speakers and brite gear is going to result in harsh highs and upper mids.

Is this just for 2 channel listening ? What source you using for music ? I like B&k amps for their sound and musicality but there certainly are more brands out there. Belles is another, Pass Labs....depends on the ol' wallet my friend. I currently use a hybrid, a Butler 2250, tube/ss amp, gives me attributes of both worlds.

James Zep

Well… I’ve got different speakers and potentially the power I’ll buy will fit in any of my setup but my 4430 are my favorite. I don’t think they’re really bright, but indeed they’re kind of punchy and forward.
I use to have a Melos Sha 1 totally upgraded (tube gear as a preamp) but then I switched to the KRC3. I’ve been switching powers but always SS. Now I still need SS gear because I do want minimum 100 watts per channel.

It is only for 2 channel listening, but the 4430 don’t go below 30 Hz, I could use a subwoofer later on so the KAV’s third channel is not completely pointless.
Another data is that I’ve been using a Classe 30 as a preamp and it was a little bright. My Classe 5 was better but it is destined to another system.

My source is a Marantz DV-9500.

To conclude: I’m not going to change of pre right now so I guess for this setup the Parasound might be a better complement based on what you say and other comments.
I’ve also been looking older gear but I’m a bit afraid with old stuff, like a Bryston 4b, a SAE 2401 and even a Mac2300.

Thank you for your advices Tonyb.
Anymore?
Anyone else?

tonyb

That Melos is a sweet pre....a few here have had one or still do. I've I have this correct, your trying to warm up the sound by way of a SS amp ? Parasound will be warmer than the Krell for sure. Don't know how much warmth you'll accomplish with just an amp switch though, everything in the chain matters. Seems like more so just finding that right synergy for your ears.

Also look at McCormack amps, Moscode 401h, Bat, Butler, Belles, Marsh....for a more musical touch of warmth presentation. Good luck to you.

James Zep

The MC2300 is also quite tempting but I’m afraid it would need quite an upgrade and I don’t want to spend to much.
Cam this old but so great Macintosh gear be superior to the HCA 2200?
What do you think? I know it is a Mcintosh, I know we’re talking about 60 kg, etc… but still it is at least a thirty years old amps. So where is the truth?

James Zep

Hi,

I?ll add a simple question about the HCA 2200ii. Is this amp internally prepared to switch for a 220 volts AC line? I mean, is it easy to do or I should better buy an external transformer?

Thank you.