Parasound 1205 purchase .

quicksilvergts

Hello all,
I hope everybody had a fantastic Thanksgiving with family/friends AND
scored some great deals. I did (i think lol).

I did "ah #%$#, did I just buy this?" Thanksgiving day. I thought I put a lower bid than actual lol. Anyways I won a 1205 (still pretty excited). My next upgrades was supposed to be cables, now I have a new amp lmao

The seller is very cool with great communication, and explains the problem(s)
with it, I have been in contact with him. Some of you might have seen it on the Bay. He is Original owner with all original stuff including box. Just one day the decibels dropped with distortion on all channels.

I have spoke with my local tech old guy but man you knows his stuff and hordes some very nice tube/SS amplifier's along with a lot of great vintage speakers,turntables etc.. Plus he has awesome audio/video test bench.
He said should not be a problem. Maybe a week and under $100. He has worked on the 1200II mine(just bias and serviced) 806 and a 2205.

So, I am in a pickle.
1. Not enough electricity for both or would I ? Lol most likely not unless run a 20a.
2. Would it be similar results to the 1200-
140w all channels driven vs 205w?
Quality detailed, dynamic etc...
3. Similar volume levels? I listen to movies/music @ -15 or lower and @ -10ish if jamming out(sometimes).
4. What thoughts/recommendations you all have?

I will give the 1205 a go
once fully functional. Even maybe with the 1200II Simultaneously lol.

Would be driving what's in my Sig(if it is visible)
Polk RT16 x2
Polk CS350
Polk Fxi3 x2

My AVR is Pioneer SC1222

Sincerely,
Richard.
Thanks all for ANY advice.

tonyb

Get it fixed and sell it. You won't hear much difference if any at all between the 2 amps. Keep the 1200. use the money from the other amp for better cables or upgrading the RT16's.
Now is the time to upgrade speakers with Polks sale at half off.

quicksilvergts

I thought about that very thing. And since the Pioneer 1222 is pretty stout to run surrounds. Ultimately I want the Rtia7/Csia6
I might just do that. Thanks !!!!
Now I just saw the 2003 model for sale.
Damnit, that or the 2205 I would be set for a LONG time. Sheesh this audio stuff.

I talked to Doug @ Douglas connection( great guy to deal with) for cables since the 4TC I like are a bit difficult to find. As I am unsure what really to purchase because I do not want a ah #$%# should have stayed with my current cable lol. Still new to the audio(let alone the cable category).

Just curious though. Would the cs350/ Fxi3 benefit from this kind of power/current ?

Cheers!!!

quicksilvergts

Uh oh. While supplies last. Only cherry too, wanted black but.....
Stellar deal. Wife will highly likely
kill me. Lol.
Still might have to do it, then sell amp to offset the purchase lol

bugsnt

Would you mind sharing what your tech did for the Para 1200 II?

I just bought one and I'm contemplating having it serviced.

Thanks.

tonyb

4tc isn't difficult to find. Google up the Cable company for used audio cable or new....by the foot in bulk. I think the 4tc goes for around 12 bucks a foot in bulk.

Or....ending on EBay in an hour.....7ft pair for 80 bucks

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271686504905

quicksilvergts

I did the bulk quote (The gen 2 stuff) but was looking for the 1 gen. And I bid on the one you linked it went to 163 plus shipping lol.
I still might get the gen 2 but I think now since the amp purchase. Funds are limited lol.until I sell it. There is still one more set on the Bay I will bid on tomorrow.

EndersShadow

tonyb wrote: »

4tc isn't difficult to find. Google up the Cable company for used audio cable or new....by the foot in bulk. I think the 4tc goes for around 12 bucks a foot in bulk.

Or....ending on EBay in an hour.....7ft pair for 80 bucks

http://www.ebay.com/itm/271686504905

True, but counterfit Kimber stuff is out there aplenty since all thats "unique" about them is the color and the braid, both of which can be very closely duplicated by fakes. Even more so if it is without the company termination (which can also be faked).

Hence ebay may not be the best place to find it, unless they can tell you where they bought it from and you can verify its legit.

Now the Cable Company is legit and a great source for Kimber. Dont really know of a place to find it cheap, and suggest paying for the terminated ones.

From what I've read its a PITA to terminate yourself.

quicksilvergts

bugsnt wrote: »

Would you mind sharing what your tech did for the Para 1200 II?
I just bought one and I'm contemplating having it serviced.

Thanks.

He set bias, cleaned/checked contacts and relays repaired my left channel level knob. it worked but when I turned it the volume got wonky lol. I had to turn it quickly to "max" in order for it to be set at max.

All in all. Was very pleased with it after spending $55 + 15(for diagnosis) to get it serviced.

Cheers.

quicksilvergts

quicksilvergts

well, it arrived(Parasound double boxed lol).
hopefully it is a easy fix, I will still test myself when I get home in a half hour lol.
it looks untouched inside, those are my fingerprints, very dusty in their too. other than that it looks very nice to say the least. Might go through and blow it out lightly and make sure all molex connectors and everything are secure. with it plugged in of course (J/K).



Enders- I agree, I have seen some that caught my eye that were "fishy".
Some were stranded bare wire and some were solid. to be honest the Kimber 4TC are the only real "higher end" cables I have used so I am up for other brands too. I just don't know till I hear them and I live in small town where there is no audio shop that sells stuff like that. Now my money is.... I just bought a amp and Christmas is coming. The family will not give me money or Paypal gifts lol.

Tony- thanks for looking out bud!!

I am open to any and suggestions recommendations. the few still here I take your advice serious and do not over look.
douglas is on my short list also.

one more thing. At this 140W you think my CS350 and Fxi3 would benefit from it?
just curious.

THANKS ALL!!
CHEERS!!

EndersShadow

They will benefit from it. Heck I'm running my LSi setup off a 125x5 Carver amp.

Doug is my favorite suggestion. He can help you DIY his cables too so they are less since your doing the labor.

Signal Cable is another good brand.

BlueJeansCable is a third.


Dougs stuff is CLOSE to my Kimber 8VS and Kimber Hero ICs. After those two it's Signal and Blue Jeans.

Cost goes up as you move up of course lol.

I'd talk to Doug he will steer you true.

quicksilvergts

Doug is a great guy to deal with. If not kimber then it be Doug's cables.

Well, I listened to 3 channels 1/2/3/until the wife got home and started asking questions then I shut it down. I did not feel like explaining.

All 1/2/3 channels work perfectly fine, no distortion or low Db's. The only thing was when I first started turning up volume it sounded a bit crunchy lol then at about -35 it all cleared out and sounded actually really good. I listened to it for about an hour, high & low volumes with Zero problems.

The best way I can describe the result is...
I do notice less "headroom" then the 1200II by about 5-7 Db prolly more(expected). Sounded a little brighter but not harsh by any means. easy to tone down with the "X-curve" on the MCACC. Bass lacked a little bit but nothing the PB12 can't handle. Did seem a bit "airy" I think that would be the word lol. Unfortunately I did not try the Fxi3 in the mix. Later I will.

I think if I ran the calibration again maybe would have gotten better results. Overall I was thoroughly impressed.

EndersShadow

Yeah, you cant really compare them UNLESS you re-do the calibration between using each amp.

But your right the 1205 will provide less wattage, but "how" big a deal that is depends on listening habits.

I'm running 5 LSi's off a 125x5 Carver amp and haven't got em to trip yet. I bought a B&K 375wpc 200.5 anyway like you, but the Carver was fine with the system too.

msg

nice guts photos! I don't know why it is, but I always enjoy pulling covers to see what these things look like inside. usually give the once over, like you, and air dust 'em.

is the 1205 just sitting on top of your sub temporarily?

quicksilvergts

Thanks!!
Yeah it was, just to hook it up to check.

Well the verdict is in, channels 1/2/5 have bad
speaker relays.

My Tech was super busy and couldn't get it on the bench till maybe Wednesday. But was kind enough to show me exactly what to check for. He said bring it in and I'll show you how to check relays, caps etc.. and he gave me a can of deoxitt too. Also he quoted me $75(labor) to install relays If necessary. Great guy none the less. I pretty much got schooled lol. Which is great!!

So I went back to work and I was not super busy lol. I set up my own little test bench.
Amp was fine at startup. So started tapping the relays with a metal screwdriver and immediately
had problems (distortion,signal loss, low volume even). After that, I tested the level control knobs. 4 had a lot of static so I cleaned them and voila fixed !!
(yep, got paid to work on my own stuff lol)

Made a phone call to Bob at Parasound to get 3 relays then decided to get all 5 since they were only $12 each instead of $15 (woohoo).
He was very nice and informative if I decided to do myself (which I think I might) seemed simple enough. Especially when I looked more closely.

So hopefully next week sometime it will be fully functional.then I will decide to keep it and sell my 1200II (yeah right lol) or sell both and just finish the whole damn amp mulling. Get the 2205 or Rti10/Rtia7/Csi5/Csia6 mains and center .

* J/K on the metal screwdriver lol

quicksilvergts

Well.
Darn it anyways for a fun filled Friday night/weekend. Relays have not showed up but my Evergreens and a some kimber showed up to the party lol. I ordered last Friday. They must be super busy for the holidays and possibly coming from someplace other than San Francisco, not sure.

Cheers!!

kevhed72

Any chance you live around ATL....curious due you said you have a tech who works on Parasounds and probably other stuff...

quicksilvergts

No, sorry.
Bullhead City, Arizona

quicksilvergts

I got anxious, so I decided to start removing channels. Also to clean the gain controls better they were REALLY bad, after I cleaned them once crackly came back. Surprisly the toroidal transformer screws were slightly loose and some ground lugs as well.

When I took channel five out I noticed this nasty stuff run down the side of the caps. I got nervous lol BUT is was like at factory somebody accidentally spilled stuff(see pictures). Other than that all seemed fine, I might clean the boards up a little today around the solder joints.
It looks like a lot have a residue around them.

I got the gajbs clean and smooth definitely not a one squirter deal lol. Fun fact I found out though. When I started to test it again I had the IC going from my phone. Do NOT use cheap IC
The unit kept gojbg into overload at 60% gain.
Went got another better IC and back in business!! It might have been the phone output but never had a problem Pryor.
Here are some pics of channel 5.

quicksilvergts

Gonna let my buddy use the 1200II on his Rti8's lol. Just to give him a taste until I decide what to do lol

bugsnt

Will the new beast fit into a rack?
That thing is deep.

EndersShadow

bugsnt wrote: »

Will the new beast fit into a rack?
That thing is deep.

Yup, that amp was on my short list but due to its width and depth just a "bit" too large for my setup....

I really like Parasound but wish they woulda made those rackmounts removeable. For those of us with under 19" of width its a dealbreaker

Its a AWESOME amp though.

quicksilvergts

It is deep no doubt. Funny thing is my wife did not even notice it was a different amplifier.

Finally the relays arrived today. I will be installing them in about an hour. I have to go to Radio shack for some solder, I left mine at home.

The new relays are completely different (besides the pin placement).

Cheers!!

quicksilvergts

Success!!!
Got it done by 3:00 then went Christmas Shopping for my wife lol. will run it full tilt tomorrow to make sure all is well. Took me longer because I Wanted to test every one after reinstalling it. Might be a 1205a or a 1200 for sale soon(prolly the 1205 lol).

Cheers

EndersShadow

quicksilvergts wrote: »

be a 1205a or a 1200 for sale soon(prolly the 1205 lol).

@daboyz‌ That 1205 is calling your name...

msg

nbrowser wrote: »

EndersShadow wrote: »

I really like Parasound but wish they woulda made those rackmounts removeable. For those of us with under 19" of width its a dealbreaker
Its a AWESOME amp though.

Yeah I find the "ears" annoying also. The shop I work for does a lot of work for an honest metal machine shop, I talked with one of their guys about possibly lopping the ears off my 1200II, said they could do it very nicely, gonna get an actual quote and what kinda plan they'd come up with.

I third this and have considered the same thing. was thinking along the lines of what Skip recommends, and even though somewhat handy with tools, not sure I'm that good at cutting aluminum for something that needs to look good, and so was also considering trying to find a nice metal shop.

DSkip wrote: »

http://www.buyrotorazer.com/
It's everything you'd ever need!

Skip, you have experience with this equipment?!?

bugsnt

DSkip wrote: »

http://www.buyrotorazer.com/

It's everything you'd ever need!

I'm afraid I don't have the hands of a brain surgeon.. I would most likely mess it up BIG TIME.

EndersShadow

Yeah, my concern is the SECOND you do a mod like that to a piece of gear, any re-sale value drops as then it becomes "what else" did you do to it internally.

For me unless I am keeping a piece FOREVER I wouldn't do that. I'd get a rack that accomadates it, or a diff piece of gear (B&K 200.5 instead of a 1205/2205/2205AT, etc).

The other thing is that those pieces are older and will need a recap at some point (not that my B&K is that much newer), and the 5250 is a NICE piece of gear as well but a bit more.