Adcom vs Parasound (From the guy who brought you Parasound vs Outlaw)

SolidSqual
SolidSqual Posts: 5,218
edited September 2006 in Electronics
Ok what do would you buy? A Parasound Halo A23 for $529 or an Adcom GFA-5503 for $700? I'm purchasing one of these new amps primarily to increase my pleasure with stereo music, but adding some extra power to my center channel wouldn't hurt in HT application. By the way, these amps will be going in my bedroom system, not my theater system below. By bedroom system consists of two RTi8s and a Csi5. I want to make my 8s sing! Any suggestions? One last thing, these will be fed by the second zone of my Yammie HTR-5890 until I can afford to buy an pre amp from either one of the companies depending on who I choose. Thanks guys.
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  • halo
    halo Posts: 5,616
    edited September 2006
    Parasound.
    Audio: Polk S15 * Polk S35 * Polk S10 * SVS SB-1000 Pro
    HT: Samsung QN90B * Marantz NR1510 * Panasonic DMP-BDT220 * Roku Ultra LT * APC H10
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,577
    edited September 2006
    Parasound.
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • george daniel
    george daniel Posts: 12,096
    edited September 2006
    Parasound
    JC approves....he told me so. (F-1 nut)
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  • disneyjoe7
    disneyjoe7 Posts: 11,435
    edited September 2006
    Parasound

    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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  • dkg999
    dkg999 Posts: 5,647
    edited September 2006
    Quit posting questions and start spending money on the Parasound :confused:
    DKG999
    HT System: LSi9, LSiCx2, LSiFX, LSi7, SVS 20-39 PC+, B&K 507.s2 AVR, B&K Ref 125.2, Tripplite LCR-2400, Cambridge 650BD, Signal Cable PC/SC, BJC IC, Samsung 55" LED

    Music System: Magnepan 1.6QR, SVS SB12+, ARC pre, Parasound HCA1500 vertically bi-amped, Jolida CDP, Pro-Ject RM5.1SE TT, Pro-Ject TubeBox SE phono pre, SBT, PS Audio DLIII DAC
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  • aaharvel
    aaharvel Posts: 4,489
    edited September 2006
    Parasound
    H/K Signature 2.1+235
    Jungson MagicBoat II
    Revel Performa M-20
    Velodyne cht-10 sub
    Rega P1 Turntable

    "People working at Polk Audio must sit around the office and just laugh their balls off reading many of these comments." -Lush
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  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,536
    edited September 2006
    Parasound.
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,217
    edited September 2006
    Adcom..........had to have one dissenter in the bunch :p . Really either one would do an admirable job go for the Parasound since it's less coin. Is the A23 a 3 channel amp? I don't think so; not really comparing apples to apples here. Do you need 3 channels if not, then why not consider an Adcom 5500?

    I do have a very novel idea....listen for yourself and decide. You can only be happy with what YOUR ears hear not what we as a collective group tell you.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • faster100
    faster100 Posts: 6,124
    edited September 2006
    Parasound, now get to ordering :D
    MY HT RIG:
    Sherwood p-965
    Sherwood sd871 dvd
    Rotel 1075 amp x5
    LSI15 mains
    LsiC center
    LSIfx surround backs
    Lsi7 side surrounds
    SVS pb12/plus2

    2 Channel Rig:

    nad 1020 Pre-amp
    Rotel 1080 stereo amp
    Polk sda 2B
    kenwood grunt Tuner
    realistic lab 450 TT
    Signal cable IC
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  • Sherardp
    Sherardp Posts: 8,038
    edited September 2006
    Rti8s in the bedroom? I seriously gotta step my game up. I have a nice 60 inch Sony XBR in the bedroom, hooked up to a Sony Dream system HTiB setup. Well maybe an upgrade to consider later on.
    Shoot the jumper.....................BALLIN.............!!!!!

    Home Theater Pics in the Showcase :cool:

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=73580
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  • SolidSqual
    SolidSqual Posts: 5,218
    edited September 2006
    Sheradp I bought the 8s for my brother, then he decided he liked Klipsh better!!!!!! I took the 8s back in a second. I can't believe I"m saying this, but I think I like the 8s better than the 10s. The soundstage of the 8s is so expansive that I feel as though I'm using a surround sound system.
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,986
    edited September 2006
    Parasound, the poor mans Krell.

    Adcom is fine also, but not as refined, imo.
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,217
    edited September 2006
    RuSsMaN wrote:
    Parasound, the poor mans Krell.

    Come on RuSs everyone knows Aragon is the poor man Krell :D;) .

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • polkatese
    polkatese Posts: 6,767
    edited September 2006
    paraparapara...sound!
    I am sorry, I have no opinion on the matter. I am sure you do. So, don't mind me, I just want to talk audio and pie.
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  • SolidSqual
    SolidSqual Posts: 5,218
    edited September 2006
    Thanks for the info guys. Poor man's krell? I feel like I'm getting poorer buying this junk!
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  • SolidSqual
    SolidSqual Posts: 5,218
    edited September 2006
    I'm going with the PArasound !!!!!!!!! Thanks all.
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  • RuSsMaN
    RuSsMaN Posts: 17,986
    edited September 2006
    That line (parasound is the poor mans krell) is Mark's (dorokusai), I've just paid for the rights to use it, and it's true.

    Bang for buck, not a 6 pack budget - but for the entry level champagner's out there.

    Cheers,
    Russ
    Check your lips at the door woman. Shake your hips like battleships. Yeah, all the white girls trip when I sing at Sunday service.
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  • Roy Munson
    Roy Munson Posts: 886
    edited September 2006
    Recently I've had several amps in my 2 channel system..I ran a Carver, Adcom , and a Parasound Halo A23. The Parasound won because in my system it was smoother than either the Carver [which was my second choice] or the Adcom [555 and 545II which came in last]. The Parasound Halos are a sweet sounding amp and I agree with who ever said that it was more refined than the Adcoms. Having said that..it's important to note that the Adcoms I auditioned were not mosfet amps [the Halos are] and I think [but I'm not 100% positive] that the model you mentioned might be and for my money mosfet amps sound better! YMMV

    My $0.02
    2 Channel:
    Amp/Parasound Halo A23
    Pre/Carver C-1
    Tuner/Carver TX-11a
    CDP/Jolida JD 100A
    Turntable/AR XB-Shure V15 III
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  • ESavinon
    ESavinon Posts: 3,066
    edited September 2006
    Parasound.
    SRT For Life; SDA Forever!

    The SRT SEISMIC System:
    Four main satellite speakers, six powered subs, two dedicated for LFE channel, two center speakers for over/under screen placement and three Control Centers. Amaze your friends, terrorize your neighbors, seize the audio bragging rights for your state. Go ahead, buy it; you only go around once.
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  • Sherardp
    Sherardp Posts: 8,038
    edited September 2006
    I wish I was in a position where I could play around with different amps. It was hard enough getting my Sony 7100 es out here in the military exchange. Talk amps and youre talk something even more rare. Outlaw has made life easier by shipping direct, are there any other manufacturers that do this as Outlaw Audio has?
    Shoot the jumper.....................BALLIN.............!!!!!

    Home Theater Pics in the Showcase :cool:

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=73580
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  • VR3
    VR3 Posts: 28,798
    edited September 2006
    Shipping Direct?

    SV Sound
    Odyssey Audio
    Tyler Acoustics
    HSU Research
    Outlaw Audio
    AV123 (Onix, Emotiva)
    ACI
    Signal Cable

    Im sure theres more.
    - Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
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  • venomclan
    venomclan Posts: 2,467
    edited September 2006
    Krell.

    Parasound
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