Review of Parasound HCA 1500 Amplifier

cfrizz · May 2004

WOW Hello Polks!!! I think they are very happy having their very own power supply. I put the Denon in direct mode, turned the volume of my sub all the way down and let her rip!

Right off the bat I noticed that the bass was back to full power It was so good that I could feel the vibrations of it through the floor, mind you the speakers are on stands!

The speakers are a bit brighter and have more punch to them and LOUD!:D It's also easier to tell when you have a poorly recorded cd playing. The newer cd's are loud and articulate, the older ones are softer and muddled.

I played Carly Simon's live on Cape Cod cd, I could've sworn I was there. I played some Michael Jackson to really give the bass a workout, I had to turn it down some since I didn't want my crazy neighbor to come kill me.:rolleyes::D. I put in The Sound Of Music (Frederica Von Stade version) and played the Processional. I thought I was in the church! Right now I'm listening to Jim Croce I can hear when he slides to change chords!

Well I think my 14yr old Polks are finally operating to their full potential. I don't think I'm going to be in any hurry to get the LSI 15's. Thanks to this board, I have learned an important lesson here. Good floorstanders deserve their own power supply to make them shine! THANKS

Cathy

F1nut · May 2004

Nice to hear that you've found a new level in this crazy hobby of ours.

amulford · May 2004

Ain't it cool when you discover a whole next level? What is the 1500 putting out? Do you miss the sub?

cfrizz · May 2004

"What is the 1500 putting out?"

I don't know what you mean by this question.

"Do you miss the sub?"

Only a little. I have a very musical sub which helps to articulate the bass. However, whereas I used to keep the volume at 10:00 position I now only have to keep it at 8:00.

Yes it is very cool discovering a whole new level, I'm having a blast! I think my amp is insulted though. It barely gets warm!:D
It's like saying: "Is this the best you can do?"
:cool:

F1nut · May 2004

How many watts per channel is his question.

tonyv1 · May 2004

Parasound HCA-1500A:
205 W at 8 ohms
315 W at 4 ohms

Glad to hear. I owned it for 2.5 years on my 2 channel rig driving Maggies. Upgraded to an Anthem AMP2 hybrid amp (tube input / solid state output). Matches my tube preamp an Anthem PRE 2L Special Edition.

hoosier21 · May 2004

Cathy

RTA 8T's, on stands?

cfrizz · May 2004

Yup. The stands raise them about 7 inches off of the floor. I bought them years ago to help them sound better than when they were on linoleum tiles. They would be resting on carpet now, but since I have them I use them.:D

cfrizz · May 2004

Thank you Sean. I will put all of this new found knowledge to good use when I help my brother set up his system!

steveinaz · May 2004

What a difference seperates make huh? I too have the HCA-1500A and love it. I think I would have to triple what I paid to do a worthwhile upgrade.

Enjoy!

pjdami · May 2004

I put in The Sound Of Music (Frederica Von Stade version) and played the Processional. I thought I was in the church! Right now I'm listening to Jim Croce I can hear when he slides to change chords!

Cathy,

Congrats! So wonderful that you can hear these audible changes. Sounds like by reading your review that you have a good sense as to "what to listen to" for changes and can tell a distinct difference. That is what it is all about.... and yes a dedicated amp can have a profound effect on the mains just as you have observed.

Enjoy and the LSi 15 can wait until you are ready (if ever huh?...LOL).

Paul

cfrizz · May 2004

Thanks Paul. Yeah I have a pretty good ear, and coming from a musical family, I have learned what to listen for. I'm just amazed, I never knew how under driven my speakers were even when I had Rotel separates driving them.

Yes, I will wait quite some time before upgrading my speakers, I will concentrate on getting some surround speakers and getting another Rotel CD player.

What I really appreciate about this board is that the knowledge that you so freely share has just helped me to make small little improvements that have made massive improvements in my modest little system. You have given me names and information about other quality products that I never heard of, that have expanded my knowledge base and given me more options to go in and saved me a bundle of money to boot!

You fellas are tops!!!

Cathy

Originally posted by pjdami
Cathy,

Congrats! So wonderful that you can hear these audible changes. Sounds like by reading your review that you have a good sense as to "what to listen to" for changes and can tell a distinct difference. That is what it is all about.... and yes a dedicated amp can have a profound effect on the mains just as you have observed.

Enjoy and the LSi 15 can wait until you are ready (if ever huh?...LOL).

Paul

steveinaz · May 2004

The most modest of systems can be tweaked into serious levels with the right purchases and making well chosen compromises. Start with good quality cables and good cable management. You don't need to spend a hundred bucks on an interconnect, just something of better quality. Anyone who feels they need $100 IC's has a shortcoming somewhere in their system.

pjdami · May 2004

Anyone who feels they need $100 IC's has a shortcoming somewhere in their system.

I respect your opinion and experience Steve (and I used to be the same way) but now I have no problem spending up to $150 to $200 on some good new or used interconnects. Well, I do have a problem having to pay that much but I have chosen to do so because it made a difference for me. Do the $50 interconnects sound bad? No but the more expensive ones sound better (to me at least). Better placement and localization of instruments, more or less treble (depending on what your are after), overall tonal quality, etc. Obviously, this is listener, room, and equipment dependent but the higher the resolution one goes with gear the cables will just follow in order to show off what the gear can do. Just my opinion (but we have others here who feel somewhat the same;) )

HBombToo · May 2004

Originally posted by cfrizz

What I really appreciate about this board is that the knowledge that you so freely share has just helped me to make small little improvements that have made massive improvements in my modest little system.

Cathy

Cathy there is nothing modest about the 8T... it is a very articulate speaker. more Power is always good

HBomb

steveinaz · May 2004

Pjdami, you're correct, I should have worded that statement differently.

What I was trying to convey is that money is best spent on good base equipment first, then wade into the fray of high-end cables when your economic situation permits. Also, with some good research I think some very nice cables can be found that will do justice to finest of systems without breaking the bank...

cfrizz · May 2004

Originally posted by HBombToo
Cathy there is nothing modest about the 8T... it is a very articulate speaker. more Power is always good

HBomb

You're quite right Henry. As they are informing me of that fact VERY LOUDLY right now!

cfrizz · May 2004

Originally posted by HBombToo
Cathy there is nothing modest about the 8T... it is a very articulate speaker. more Power is always good

HBomb

You're quite right Henry. As they are informing me of that fact VERY LOUDLY right now!

reeltrouble1 · May 2004

Great to hear how you are now connecting with the music. I am still amazed at how a tone can actually cause sensations to run through a person.

Those that don't get it just don't get it.:cool:

Review of Parasound HCA 1500 Amplifier

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