NAD 2200 thoughts??? Ditch the Parasound?

CH46E

I'm looking at possibly selling my Parasound 2250 v2 and purchasing a pair of NAD 2200 amps. Not for bridging but to be able to switch between the srs 2 and the rta12b.

Just wondering if anyone is running one and what they think about its sound quality. Would "warm" descibe it? How does it do on fast attack and bass?

From what ive seen they have plenty of power. Much more than the rated.

Here is a video I saw of a test of one for power output. You might find it interesting.

https://youtu.be/CA582cvAfjA

Any info you may have would be greatly appreciated.

FestYboy

Would be interesting to see how the parasound does on the dyno, but after looking up the output specs, there's a clue in the 4 ohm and 2 ohm output...

*Edit for autocorrect error

CH46E

FestYboy wrote: »

Would be interesting to see how the parasound dies on the dyno, but after looking up the output specs, there's a clue in the 4 ohm and 2 ohm output...

For sure. If it was not so heavy id offer to ship it to him for a video.

And what do you mean by the clues in the specs? Specs for the Parasound or NAD?

Should most amps be able to double power output with halving the resistance?

IIRC the Parasound can pull 45 amps a channel. I find that very hard to comprehend as even at very high volumes my system draw ( max ive seen) is about 8 amps.

FestYboy

CH46E wrote: »

And what do you mean by the clues in the specs? Specs for the Parasound or NAD?

Should most amps be able to double power output with halving the resistance?

IIRC the Parasound can pull 45 amps a channel. I find that very hard to comprehend as even at very high volumes my system draw ( max ive seen) is about 8 amps.

Speaking of the parasound.

Yes, as the load halves, output should double.

Don't be confused by the amp output... Watts is the number to pay attention to. Watts is the combination of volts and amps. In order to achieve 45 amps, the voltage needs to be just over 1/5th of power supply input voltage in order to stay under the 8a fuse rating...

heiney9

Why not wait and sell the Parasound AFTER you compare to the NAD? That's the way I've always done it. No guarantee the new piece is better than the old piece. I wait until I'm sure the outgoing piece is no longer preferred.

Watts aren't all that. Don't get caught in the watts race as an exclusive means of determining how good something is. I've seen 60 wpc amps destroy 300 wpc amps. Design and implementation is far more desired over the watt rating.

H9

pitdogg2

it is all in the current delivery

Viking64

motorstereo

No experience with the 2200 but I still have it's "sister amp" seen in the dyno test. If the 2200's are anything like their sister amp you're going to be pleased with it's performance on your Polks.

FestYboy

Electrically, watts are just the combination of volts and amps. Knowing two of the three in any combination, one can derive the third given the proper formula.

Having a 60 watt amp beat a 200 watt amp is very much akin to the L88 being only rated at 425 hp when in reality it was much higher, or the H.O. 327 being rated at 300 hp (@4000 rpm)... That number may be true, but it's capable of 7000+rpm...

The dyno creates a level playing field.

CH46E

heiney9 wrote: »

Why not wait and sell the Parasound AFTER you compare to the NAD? That's the way I've always done it. No guarantee the new piece is better than the old piece. I wait until I'm sure the outgoing piece is no longer preferred.

Watts aren't all that. Don't get caught in the watts race as an exclusive means of determining how good something is. I've seen 60 wpc amps destroy 300 wpc amps. Design and implementation is far more desired over the watt rating.

H9

Budget and house rule. Have to get rid of some to get more.

Id love to do some side by sides.

CH46E

FestYboy wrote: »

Electrically, watts are just the combination of volts and amps. Knowing two of the three in any combination, one can derive the third given the proper formula.

Having a 60 watt amp beat a 200 watt amp is very much akin to the L88 being only rated at 425 hp when in reality it was much higher, or the H.O. 327 being rated at 300 hp (@4000 rpm)... That number may be true, but it's capable of 7000+rpm...

The dyno creates a level playing field.

One part i dont get is if i have the amp on a dedicated 10 awg wire with a 30 amp fuse in the breaker box how could the amplifier possibly pull 45 amps? I have not tripped any breakers or fuses.

Like i said before the most current draw ive seen as messured through my Belkin PF60 is 8 amps. And that was in 7 channel stereo with and a NAD 906 powering my subwoofer. It was freeking loud.

FestYboy

We do the math: a typical limit on a 15A circuit is 1800w at 120v with an 8ohm load. Now you want to draw 45A. The watts must stay the same. So the voltage must drop to maintain continuity. Now you get 40v. The transformer is what allows this to happen.

In your instance, the input current draw limit is known (8A) at a given voltage (120V), from that we can derive it's potential wattage. Then we use that number and the known output current (45A) and we can see the potential output voltage limit (there will be losses within the circuit on both sides so the numbers are strictly theoretical here but you'll get the point).

120V @ 8A is 960w
960w @ 45A is 21.3V

Edit. First sentence came off snarky.

CH46E

I did not think it was snarky. Lol. I appriciated the info!

LoStrings

CH46E wrote: »

I'm looking at possibly selling my Parasound 2250 v2 and purchasing a pair of NAD 2200 amps. Not for bridging but to be able to switch between the srs 2 and the rta12b.

Just wondering if anyone is running one and what they think about its sound quality. Would "warm" descibe it? How does it do on fast attack and bass?

From what ive seen they have plenty of power. Much more than the rated.

Here is a video I saw of a test of one for power output. You might find it interesting.

https://youtu.be/CA582cvAfjA

Any info you may have would be greatly appreciated.

I am not familiar with the Parasound, but I can tell you my experience with the NAD 2200's. I purchased a NAD 1155 preamp, and two NAD 2200's new, and I have enjoyed outstanding performance and trouble free listening for many years. I have used these amps in many configurations with not even a glitch. Currently I have them set up mono, powering a set of Altec Lansing Model 19's. I rotate these amps with some tube amps I have, and I couldn't be happier. The thing I notice about the NAD's is how clean and powerful the sound is. I have four other solid state amps that I rotate in and out, but these NAD's keep shining. These are really fantastic amps for little money...I would not hesitate to recommend these to anyone.

heiney9

FestYboy wrote: »

Electrically, watts are just the combination of volts and amps. Knowing two of the three in any combination, one can derive the third given the proper formula.

Having a 60 watt amp beat a 200 watt amp is very much akin to the L88 being only rated at 425 hp when in reality it was much higher, or the H.O. 327 being rated at 300 hp (@4000 rpm)... That number may be true, but it's capable of 7000+rpm...

The dyno creates a level playing field.

Car HP and audio power are not the same at all. And don't even get me started on dyno's as they are all different and they DO NOT level the playing field.

Unfortunately an audio signal doesn't fit neatly into your 3 formula's. Audio is dynamic by nature and the Ohm's law formula are for static inputs with all other environmental elements and conditions being equal, and they are never equal when it comes to an audio signal. Unless of course you listen to test tones as your music.

I have seen a 30 wpc amp destroy a 200 wpc amp in both sound quality and distortion free output. The 200 wpc amp played a bit "louder", but sounded worse at that "louder" output

I have seen a 60 wpc amp destroy a 300 wpc amp in the same.

Watts aren't really all that important unless your ultimate end goal is spl. All within reason of course.

H9

heiney9

Personally both are good, solid mid-fi pieces and it's probably more of a lateral move than a move up. Sometimes it's fun just to have something different too.

H9

CH46E

I can never leave well enough alone. Always tinkering and looking for something else. Its like a disease.

My name is Christopher and Im and Audioholic.

heiney9

Yeah, I hear ya!

FestYboy

heiney9 wrote: »

FestYboy wrote: »

Electrically, watts are just the combination of volts and amps. Knowing two of the three in any combination, one can derive the third given the proper formula.

Having a 60 watt amp beat a 200 watt amp is very much akin to the L88 being only rated at 425 hp when in reality it was much higher, or the H.O. 327 being rated at 300 hp (@4000 rpm)... That number may be true, but it's capable of 7000+rpm...

The dyno creates a level playing field.

Car HP and audio power are not the same at all. And don't even get me started on dyno's as they are all different and they DO NOT level the playing field.

Unfortunately an audio signal doesn't fit neatly into your 3 formula's. Audio is dynamic by nature and the Ohm's law formula are for static inputs with all other environmental elements and conditions being equal, and they are never equal when it comes to an audio signal. Unless of course you listen to test tones as your music.

I have seen a 30 wpc amp destroy a 200 wpc amp in both sound quality and distortion free output. The 200 wpc amp played a bit "louder", but sounded worse at that "louder" output

I have seen a 60 wpc amp destroy a 300 wpc amp in the same.

Watts aren't really all that important unless your ultimate end goal is spl. All within reason of course.

H9

Was using something a bit more universally tangible as an analogy... And watts is watts is watts... It's just a measurement of power/energy. Joules can be treated likewise. The ohms law math works with both static and dynamic signals: at any given point in time, you can derive the measurement needed if given the other 2.

And I have to disagree with your dyno statement to a point: when all units are compared on the same dyno, the playing field is level.