Parasound A21+
joecoulson
Posts: 4,943
in Electronics
Good people of PF
Anyone had experience with this “+” version of the A21?
Thoughts?
Anyone had experience with this “+” version of the A21?
Thoughts?
Comments
-
I heard that the Benchmark AHB2 is better.
-
Lol. Thank You Drew for your input. However I asked if anyone had “experience” with this amp, not opinions...
-
I'm going to reach out to my contact at Parasound to see if he can share any first hand listening impressions on the A21 vs the A21+ or about the A21+ in general.
-
Thank You señor
-
Oh, that’s right. We know someone who knows someone!
-
Yes! Phil Jackson at Parasound is a class act, great guy.
-
Guts:
Rear panel:
-
Stunning
-
That is an impressive build.
-
Sold!
-
And they said I was easy!
-
If you have a chance to listen at a dealer see if they have a Parasound Zone Master 2350 on hand to compare. I had multiple listening sessions comparing tha A21+, A23+ & the ZM 2350. All were driving the incredible & I mean incredible KEF Reference 3 & Reference 5 speakers.
I own the KEF R3 monitors so I am very familiar with the KEF signature.
When all was said & done the ZM 2350 was the one I went home with.
It is a class D but with Parasounds analog stage. There in lies it's magic. Even the guys at Parasound will tell you that the ZM 2350 is a real sleeper in their line.
From what I understand the new A21+ & A23+ bring a lot more to the table than their predisesters.
As usual when it comes to all things in audio everyone's mileage will vary."2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up. -
Thanks for your feedback.
The part I’m interested in is the pure Class A- A/B as It gives me the best of both worlds.
Coming from Class D, I am familiar with that power. But I also have a P6 pre. So that’s only going to add to the synergy -
FWIW, The Binding Posts on the later Halo Series are the best I've had experienced. Large Spade connectors slip into a 'slot' on the bottom edge of the Posts. The Spades are held in place by the Posts with no lateral movement, they lock in SOLID.
-
Just buy the JC5 and be done. I still regret not buying the HCA 3500 here when I had a chance. That for me is the one that got away.
-
I have an A21 driving my 1C’s ....
Love it !
I also have used it with my Salks, and its fantastic there as well .
I’m sure the + version is even better , but not sure you’d hear the difference - it’s basically the same amp internally with 50 more watts.
Output current remains the same at 60 amperes.
Filter caps go from 100,000 to 108,000 , although their website says 88 to 108 - but the 88 is the earlier A21’s - the later ones had 100.
Bk
PS Audio S300 , WiiM Ultra , Yamaha wxc-50 , Salk SuperCharged Songtowers , Kimber Kable 4TC, Sony 48” - BEDROOM
B&K EX-442 ( it will go in my casket when I die ... ) , PS Audio 4.6 preamp ( old school , but it still jams on ... ) , Eversolo DMP-A6 , Boston Acoustic voyager 7’s - POOL
Parasound A21, Eversolo DMP-A8 , Kimber Kable 4vs , Ascend Acoustics ELX Ribbon Towers , Sony XBR-A8F 65” OLED - DEN , MAIN system
Onkyo TX-nr609 , Polk atrium 7 , Boston acoustic sound ware (4) , Boston acoustic sub , B&W center , Sony 65” TV - PATIO -
Looking forward to it.
-
@pitdogg2,
I remembered seeing this HCA-3500 on US Audio Mart a few days ago, and here it is below. When I saw the listing, I looked at the details because I had never seen one. How does the price on this one compare to the one you let slip through your hands?
All of these Parasound amps are impressive, and I am sure Joe will like his new one.
https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649652705-parasound-hca-3500-amplifier-the-holy-grail-2-x-350-wpc-8-into-ohms-john-curl-design/
"Sometimes you have to look to the past to understand where you are going in the future"Anger is just anger. It isn’t good. It isn’t bad. It just is. What you do with it is what matters.
You can use it to build or to destroy. You just have to make the choice. Jim Butcher
Harry / Marietta GA -
I used to see those HCA-3500s often being sold for around $1K to $1.5K more than ten years ago. The two power cord thing is pretty cool.
They are old enough now they may need some fine tuning inside. -
Yep Emlyn is in the park. The US audio mart is a bit high unless its been recapped.
IIRC it was Doros and he wanted less than 1500.00. They are actually basically a first generation JC amp. -
So the eagle has landed.
Plugged in and started the break in process.
I do like what I am hearing. Especially at lower levels.
-
!!! Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them. -
I will leave my review for after break in
As far as how the thing looks and the tech, outstanding!
Built like a tank and very clean finishes.
Here are some outside shots:
The inside is just as beautiful, popped the top (as most of you know I am prone to do) and took some guts pix
And one last one for reference. That transformer is massive. Taller than it is wide.
-
What gauge is that wire, I'm assuming it's the output wire, is it 10 gauge?
-
Not sure
-
These?
Those are running from the input/pre board to the main board. Looks more like 14ga to me.
-
The camera must add 10 lbs then, they looked thicker in the picture. Nice amp.
-
I've thought about asking Parasound for a JC5 to review, but I don't want a herniated disc from trying to put it on top of my rack.
-
I've thought about asking Parasound for a JC5 to review, but I don't want a herniated disc from trying to put it on top of my rack.
Leave it on the floor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN2JlLKMqVA
