Parasound A23 + Parasound A31 or Parasound A51

FittyFieFo
FittyFieFo Posts: 482
edited January 2013 in Electronics
Good evening Polkies,

Just curious to see what other Polkies will have to say. I just upgraded my old old receiver and got a Dedicated Pre-amp (Marantz AV7005). My next step is going to be upgrading my speakers from RTI10 to RTIa9 and CSIa6 (to match).

I currently have an Emotiva XPA-5 (I know it's frowned upon here and I'm content with how my sound looks). People have been saying Parasound works and sounds pretty well with the RTI series.

Do you think I should get Parasound A23 for my FXIa6 and Parasound A31 for my fronts and center? OR - should I just say, "F it, let's just go for overkill and get the Parasound A51" ?

I would say I use 90% Home Theater and 10% Music.

Thanks in advance for the opinions/suggestions.
Samsung LN52A850 (52" 1080P LCD TV) | RTi A9's (Fronts) | Csi A6(Center) | FXi A6 (Rear Surrounds) | SVS PB12-NSD (Sub) | Oppo BDP-103 | Panamax M5300-PM

Pre-Amp: Marantz AV7005 | Amp: Emotiva XPA-5 | Speaker wires: Signal Cables | Interconnects: Signal Cables
Post edited by FittyFieFo on
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Comments

  • chumlie
    chumlie Posts: 8,658
    edited January 2013
    I would go 23 & 31.
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  • disneyjoe7
    disneyjoe7 Posts: 11,435
    edited January 2013
    If HT 90% and you could buy an A51 go with it why not?

    Speakers
    Carver Amazing Fronts
    CS400i Center
    RT800i's Rears
    Sub Paradigm Servo 15

    Electronics
    Conrad Johnson PV-5 pre-amp
    Parasound Halo A23
    Pioneer 84TXSi AVR
    Pioneer 79Avi DVD
    Sony CX400 CD changer
    Panasonic 42-PX60U Plasma
    WMC Win7 32bit HD DVR


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  • Lietuvis91
    Lietuvis91 Posts: 908
    edited January 2013
    For fxia6 you really don't need the power of the a51, but if money is not a concern, and you think you might go to a different (more power hungry) speaker in the future, then the a51 will be nice to have. That amp will drive the heck out of nearly any speaker.

    If money was no object, I'd personally go with the a51.
    Living Room 7.1 HT Rig:

    M70 | CS2 | M60 | Atrium5 - Surr. | SUB - Emotiva ULTRA12 + Tara Labs sub cable | Pioneer Elite VSX-52 | Parasound HCAs 1000A | Sony BDP-S790 | Belkin PureAV PF60 | MIT Exp2 Wires

    Bedroom 5.0 HT Rig (Music/Movies/Gaming) :

    LSi9 | LsiC | Lsi/fx | Marantz SR7002 | NAD T955 | Sony BDP-S360 | Belkin PureAV PF30 | AQ Blue Racer II ICs & AQ Type 4 wires | PS3
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  • leroyjr1
    leroyjr1 Posts: 8,785
    edited January 2013
    Since you have the funds I would skip the a9's and go straight to the LSIm series. Upgradinging speakers will yield the biggest improvement. Just my opinion.
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  • FittyFieFo
    FittyFieFo Posts: 482
    edited January 2013
    leroyjr1 wrote: »
    Since you have the funds I would skip the a9's and go straight to the LSIm series. Upgradinging speakers will yield the biggest improvement. Just my opinion.

    Aren't the LSIm series mainly used for music only?

    Depending on which route I go, I don't plan on upgrading my amp(s) for a very very long time. I'm not rich at all, just looking for a good investment that will last me.
    Samsung LN52A850 (52" 1080P LCD TV) | RTi A9's (Fronts) | Csi A6(Center) | FXi A6 (Rear Surrounds) | SVS PB12-NSD (Sub) | Oppo BDP-103 | Panamax M5300-PM

    Pre-Amp: Marantz AV7005 | Amp: Emotiva XPA-5 | Speaker wires: Signal Cables | Interconnects: Signal Cables
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  • leroyjr1
    leroyjr1 Posts: 8,785
    edited January 2013
    FittyFieFo wrote: »
    Aren't the LSIm series mainly used for music

    They sound great for both. I'm running them in my HT only setup and they sound so lifelike, very detailed. I'm not to far from you and I'm sure we could get together. There's a couple polkies in our area that showed interest in hearing them also.

    And don't just settle with Polk, there's also a lot of other very good HT speakers out there.
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  • FittyFieFo
    FittyFieFo Posts: 482
    edited January 2013
    That's be great to demo! I was actually in Milwaukee not too long ago when Kevin Hart (Comedian) was in town.

    I realize there are better speakers out there, but I don't want to get outta control and have my wife get pissed lol
    Samsung LN52A850 (52" 1080P LCD TV) | RTi A9's (Fronts) | Csi A6(Center) | FXi A6 (Rear Surrounds) | SVS PB12-NSD (Sub) | Oppo BDP-103 | Panamax M5300-PM

    Pre-Amp: Marantz AV7005 | Amp: Emotiva XPA-5 | Speaker wires: Signal Cables | Interconnects: Signal Cables
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  • leroyjr1
    leroyjr1 Posts: 8,785
    edited January 2013
    FittyFieFo wrote: »
    I was actually in Milwaukee not too long ago when Kevin Hart (Comedian) was in town.

    We could've been sitting next to each other and not even known it.:cheesygrin:
    The little guy is funny. Lol
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  • FittyFieFo
    FittyFieFo Posts: 482
    edited January 2013
    leroyjr1 wrote: »
    We could've been sitting next to each other and not even known it.:cheesygrin:
    The little guy is funny. Lol

    Lol, was at the 10 pm show. If you were there, BUM BUMP!!

    Anyways weren't you trying to sell your lsi set?
    Samsung LN52A850 (52" 1080P LCD TV) | RTi A9's (Fronts) | Csi A6(Center) | FXi A6 (Rear Surrounds) | SVS PB12-NSD (Sub) | Oppo BDP-103 | Panamax M5300-PM

    Pre-Amp: Marantz AV7005 | Amp: Emotiva XPA-5 | Speaker wires: Signal Cables | Interconnects: Signal Cables
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  • leroyjr1
    leroyjr1 Posts: 8,785
    edited January 2013
    FittyFieFo wrote: »
    Lol, was at the 10 pm show. If you were there, BUM BUMP!!

    Anyways weren't you trying to sell your lsi set?

    Yes I was trying to sell them. Not because I wasn't happy with them because I am but because I like trying new speakers. It's a fun little hobby for me. Not for sale anymore though. I'm going to shift my time to my 2 channel setup instead.
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  • Jason_k
    Jason_k Posts: 110
    edited January 2013
    I have the A31 for up front and plan on buying the A23(when its comes in black) for the rears. Thought about it for awhile and this setup seemed to give me the most flexibilty for now and possible upgrade in the future. Both options are great though!
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  • FittyFieFo
    FittyFieFo Posts: 482
    edited January 2013
    Jason_k wrote: »
    I have the A31 for up front and plan on buying the A23(when its comes in black) for the rears. Thought about it for awhile and this setup seemed to give me the most flexibilty for now and possible upgrade in the future. Both options are great though!

    Hmmm, that's another thing I'll take into consideration - the flexibility.

    The question becomes now if I want to upgrade my speakers "only" to RTIa9, or upgrade to better amps.
    Samsung LN52A850 (52" 1080P LCD TV) | RTi A9's (Fronts) | Csi A6(Center) | FXi A6 (Rear Surrounds) | SVS PB12-NSD (Sub) | Oppo BDP-103 | Panamax M5300-PM

    Pre-Amp: Marantz AV7005 | Amp: Emotiva XPA-5 | Speaker wires: Signal Cables | Interconnects: Signal Cables
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  • SugarmillMan
    SugarmillMan Posts: 175
    edited January 2013
    I have the Parasound A31 for my fronts and an NAD t975 for my four rears. I thought the NAD was a very nice sounding amplifier but when I listened to the Parasound, I soon realized it was on a whole different level. If I had a do over, I'd just go for the A51 and be done with it. No future amplifier upgrades needed.
    If you have the money, you will be glad you have it.
    Fronts:B&W 804 Diamonds, Center: B&W HTM2 Diamond, Surrounds: PolkAudio LSi F/X (4)
    Subwoofer: HSU VTK3-MK3
    Electronics: Onkyo TX-NR 3010 receiver, Parasound Halo A31 amp, NAD T975 amp
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  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,491
    edited January 2013
    The A31 has some features on it that make it more appealing to me than an A51. The spacing for the input jacks and speaker outputs is much better on the A31 than on the A51, especially if using higher end speaker cables. Also has adjustable gain, which the A51 doesn't offer.

    The A23 surprised me when I first got one a few years ago. I used it to power a pair of RTi12's and was very impressed with its ability to control those big speakers.
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  • jumpindick
    jumpindick Posts: 428
    edited January 2013
    I have A21 hooked up to RTi A9. If I have money, I would go for A51 and done with it. I drive CSiA6 and FXiA6 with the AVR I have.
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  • Tankman
    Tankman Posts: 419
    edited January 2013
    Emlyn wrote: »
    The A31 has some features on it that make it more appealing to me than an A51. The spacing for the input jacks and speaker outputs is much better on the A31 than on the A51, especially if using higher end speaker cables. Also has adjustable gain, which the A51 doesn't offer.

    The A23 surprised me when I first got one a few years ago. I used it to power a pair of RTi12's and was very impressed with its ability to control those big speakers.
    Did you like the A23 for music?I really like the built of that amp.
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  • Monster Jam
    Monster Jam Posts: 919
    edited January 2013
    I own Adcom and Sunfire, but I've always wanted a Parasound. And dirty little secret - I've wanted to compare the Emotiva to any of the seemingly "respectable" brands to see if there is a perceptible difference. If there is, what is it, and how pronounced is it?

    You are considering going from Emo to Parasound and I would be very interested in hearing your unbiased results.

    I would be very reluctant to make the moves you are considering, but then I am risk averse.
    Do you hear that buzzing noise? :confused:
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  • schwarcw
    schwarcw Posts: 7,338
    edited January 2013
    Tankman wrote: »
    Did you like the A23 for music?I really like the built of that amp.

    I liked the A23 for music. I had one and thought it was very smooth.
    Carl

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  • FittyFieFo
    FittyFieFo Posts: 482
    edited January 2013
    Monster Jam wrote: »
    I own Adcom and Sunfire, but I've always wanted a Parasound. And dirty little secret - I've wanted to compare the Emotiva to any of the seemingly "respectable" brands to see if there is a perceptible difference. If there is, what is it, and how pronounced is it?

    You are considering going from Emo to Parasound and I would be very interested in hearing your unbiased results.

    I would be very reluctant to make the moves you are considering, but then I am risk averse.

    I probably won't get the Parasound A31 or A51 until summer. I found a good deal on RTIa9 (Cherry) that I may pull the trigger on this upcoming Tuesday.

    Once and if I do get the Parasound - I'll let you know how it compares with the Emotiva. From what I heard, it's a more warmer sound and more detailed.
    Samsung LN52A850 (52" 1080P LCD TV) | RTi A9's (Fronts) | Csi A6(Center) | FXi A6 (Rear Surrounds) | SVS PB12-NSD (Sub) | Oppo BDP-103 | Panamax M5300-PM

    Pre-Amp: Marantz AV7005 | Amp: Emotiva XPA-5 | Speaker wires: Signal Cables | Interconnects: Signal Cables
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  • Tankman
    Tankman Posts: 419
    edited January 2013
    @schwarcw..Thanks just what I was thinking about that amp.I like"smooth"
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