Parasound Halo A23 vs HCA1500A

izafar

Hi,

I have a chance to get either of these at around $600 and would be driving a pair of LSi15 with it. Based on posts so far on this forum I have learnt that HCA1500A is more powerful where as Halo A23 is more refined. Has any one tried both of these with LSi15 and suggest which one is preferred?

I am using Arcam CD73T as source with Dared SL2000A Tube preamp.

thanks.

steveinaz

I have an HCA-1500A, haven't heard the Halo series, but don't know how much more refined an HCA could get...I'd give the nod to extra power, not because I have one, but because any difference in resolution would be minute in comparison to the extra power gained.

izafar

Thanks for update, I am also leaning for extra power.

Beside power, one more difference between the two is that Halo has balanced inputs also, I am not sure how useful they are, as I believe internally Halo is not designed in balanced mode, and it does convert balanced input to unbalanced before amplifying.

steveinaz

Trust me when I say the HCA-1500A is an over-achiever---in the extreme. That's why I've had mine for nearly 5 years now....I have no desire to upgrade or change it out.

cmy330go

What exactly are your listening habits? From the source equipment you have listed I would assume that you are using this strictly for music. If that is the case I would definitely lean towards the Halo. I currently have an A23 that I use in my home theater system, that used to be in my 2ch rig along with the matching Halo P3 preamp.

While in my 2ch rig I had the opportunity to listen to a couple other parasound amps (can't recall model #'s), Both of which were larger than my A23. During comparison I switched between LSi9s and LSi15s. As expected the extra power of the Parasound amps was only noticeable at volumes much higher than I would ever listen. However the added refinement of the Halo was noticeable at any volume above a whisper. Everything seemed to flow smoother. It was almost as if when listening to the standard parasound, instruments would seem just slightly out of time with each other. I'm not really sure how else to explain it.

The A23 also reveled the subtle details (micro dynamics?) in recordings better than the classic series. The ones that stick in my mind are Mary Chapin Carpenter's Come On Come On album, and Dire Straits' Brother in Arms. Both albums have a number of tracks with great vocal and/or instrumental passages. In either case the A23 revealed more of the details, such as Mary's breathing as she sang, or the movement of Mark Knopfler's fingers on the strings of the guitar.

The last thing I'll say is the Halo amp offered a slightly warmer sound. After extended listening the Parasound classic would become just slightly fatiguing.

So in my opinion unless you are listening at insane levels or are using this amp for reference level home theater use, I would snag a Halo. Especially if you can get them for the same price.

Just another 2 cents worth, maybe 3.:)

izafar

thanks cmy330go. I will use this primarily for music and I listen to wide variety of music. I live in an Apt, therefore cranking up the volume has never been, nor going to be an option for me.

I was bidding on A23 on ebay and didn't win it. interestingly I got a second chance offer just 10 min before the bidding has ended. The email looks legit from format point of view and has all links pointing to ebay, but at the same time it smells bad also. It is asking me to contact the seller directly at an email address which is not the email address mentioned in the from address field. This looks like a new type of scam.

cmy330go

izafar wrote:

thanks cmy330go. I will use this primarily for music and I listen to wide variety of music. I live in an Apt, therefore cranking up the volume has never been, nor going to be an option for me.

I was bidding on A23 on ebay and didn't win it. interestingly I got a second chance offer just 10 min before the bidding has ended. The email looks legit from format point of view and has all links pointing to ebay, but at the same time it smells bad also. It is asking me to contact the seller directly at an email address which is not the email address mentioned in the from address field. This looks like a new type of scam.

What kind of feedback does the seller have? Did he give a reason for offering a 2nd chance so quickly? If you go to your My eBay page and see the second chance offer listed there it should be legit. There are some people that will try to trick you with a direct e-mail but if it came through ebay's site you shouldn't have any trouble.

Proceed with caution.:cool:

Gaara

I've been getting the second chance offer scam for quite some time. If you bid on anything big ticket you will generally get selected for it, my item was a Integra Research RDC 7.1 for around $2000. After the first one I bid on I got four or five second chance offers, ranging from well typed very professional to very bad, one even had a threat that they would get my ebay account suspended if I did not accept.

The best way to tell is like cmy330go suggested, check your ebay account. None of the second chance offers I received had second chance offers on My Ebay, but one went as far as to send a message via ebay.

Another way to tell is the heading of the email, most of mine said "Message from Ebayer", only one or two actually said second chance, which is when you fall back to checking My Ebay.

If all looks legit still then just contact the seller through ebay and ask if they sent you a second chance, this will tell you pretty quick if it is legit or not.

Jared

billbillw

The seller cannot send a 2nd chance offer (at least not an Ebay sanctioned offer) until the bidding has ended. The offer must have been a scam.

Early B.

I've owned the 1500, but haven't heard the Halo. If the Halo is more refined and the amp will be used mostly for music, go for the Halo. But for $600, there are lots of other options that are just as good, even for one-half of your budget on the used market.

izafar

Yeah, I used cmy330go's suggestion and found no second chance offers listed in My Ebay messages, I have reported the mail to ebay fraud unit.

Coming back to my original issue Halo A23 vs HCA1500A, looks like it is only the HCA1500A, which is currently available. Should I grab it from LSi15s or looks somewhere else for an Amp in $600 range?

steveinaz

look's like you'll have to "muddle thru" with an HCA :rolleyes:

I have yet to see any review (or in my personal experience) that wasn't showering praise on the HCA-1500A. It's powerful, grain-free, and has deep well controlled bass. There isn't much this side of a grand that can compete, IMO; if there was, I would have bought it.

FWIW, I may change other components in my system, but these pieces are anchored:

Parasound HCA-1500A
MF A3CR Pre
Benchmark DAC1

disneyjoe7

Interesting question due to the fact I'm looking to update my A23 amps also, HCA3500 amp vs. my A23 amp bridged. About the same watts but may power my RTi150 speakers, but what about the mid / high sound. The A23 is really sweet sound.

cfrizz

I have always believed that the Halo series was created to appeal to the people who wanted the equipment to look pretty as well as sound good.

All the talk of refinement is in the ear of the beholder. And I would say that ear fatigue is due more to speakers rather than the amplifier.

My 1500 would play all day long, just barely get warm & made my speakers shine for 12hrs+!

disneyjoe7

Well my A23 amps get really HOT, and they sometimes will shut down.... So what should I do?

steveinaz

Steve
You've got to give it 8" minimum clearance up top, and leave the back of the rack open.

I had the same issue with my HCA until I followed Parasounds recommendation. Now I have no problems. My system played yesterday for about 16hrs straight, low level (meaning pure class A output)--no problem.

Does the Halo series come with the same 10yr warranty as the HCA?

steveinaz

cfrizz wrote:

All the talk of refinement is in the ear of the beholder. And I would say that ear fatigue is due more to speakers rather than the amplifier.

Exactly. If you find an HCA fatiguing to listen to, I'd start questioning the speakers or source. I've never read any reference to the HCA-1500 being fatiguing, I have read the phrase "tube-like" sound associated with it.

There's tons of reviews of the HCA-1500A out there, get your research on....

izafar

Thanks for suggestions. I am going after the HCA1500A. Will report my findings once I get it.

dkg999

I had a chance to replace my 2 HCA-1500's that power my Magnepan 1.6's with a slightly used set of Halo amps, I believe they were the 250w ones next up from the A23. They were more detailed, however the upper mid and high end was doing something funky compared to the 1500 and 1.6 combination. Not as solid of bass either. This is not to say they are bad amps, they just didn't mesh with the Maggies. Now I have heard the Halo JC1's with Maggies, and whooboy, it sounds fine!

cmy330go

cfrizz wrote:

I have always believed that the Halo series was created to appeal to the people who wanted the equipment to look pretty as well as sound good.

All the talk of refinement is in the ear of the beholder. And I would say that ear fatigue is due more to speakers rather than the amplifier.

My 1500 would play all day long, just barely get warm & made my speakers shine for 12hrs+!

steveinaz wrote:

Exactly. If you find an HCA fatiguing to listen to, I'd start questioning the speakers or source. I've never read any reference to the HCA-1500 being fatiguing, I have read the phrase "tube-like" sound associated with it.

There's tons of reviews of the HCA-1500A out there, get your research on....

In response to the above.

cmy330go wrote:

The last thing I'll say is the Halo amp offered a slightly warmer sound. After extended listening the Parasound classic would become just slightly fatiguing.

Don't get me wrong the 1500 is in no way a bad amp. I'm just saying that the Halo offered a more refined presentation, and it wasn't just it's "pretty" looks.

I also feel that I can say with confidence that the "slight" bit of fatigue I was experiencing was not due to source or speakers or the room for that matter. Especially since I don't think any of the associated equipment could be described as harsh or bright.

I doubt too that Parasound would create a more expensive line with "pretty" looks and no sonic improvements. If that were the case I seriously doubt John Curl would be willing to put his name on it. Just doesn't seem logical. I don't deny that there are some companies that would rely on looks to fool their consumers, but I don't see Parasound being that type of company.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I honestly believe that the majority of people here could pick out the sonic improvements that the Halo line has to offer.

Dave

Mike Reeter

disneyjoe7 wrote:

Well my A23 amps get really HOT, and they sometimes will shut down.... So what should I do?

I'd say that running ANY amp. strickly in a "bridged" mode will cause heat and stress on it.

The 3500 looks to be a beast,would think it would be a better match for your 150's

disneyjoe7

My A23 give me some troubles, but if I listening to them normal they are ok. Not too hot, sweet mids, sweet highs, only have trouble if I PUSH them I know a HCA3500 would be ok when I PUSHED them. But is this an upgrade or not if I like the mids, highs from the Halo A23 amps?

BTW my 2 channel is also my HT so TV is working over these amp also. The amps are used a lot a day 8-10hrs a day, so the amps are 98% working great. My RTi150's are large push bass for a large open room. They are not 2 channels speakers really sweet, but my wife gives it an ok. She can life with it.

cmy330go

disneyjoe7 wrote:

My A23 give me some troubles, but if I listening to them normal they are ok. Not too hot, sweet mids, sweet highs, only have trouble if I PUSH them I know a HCA3500 would be ok when I PUSHED them. But is this an upgrade or not if I like the mids, highs from the Halo A23 amps?

BTW my 2 channel is also my HT so TV is working over these amp also. The amps are used a lot a day 8-10hrs a day, so the amps are 98% working great. My RTi150's are large push bass for a large open room. They are not 2 channels speakers really sweet, but my wife gives it an ok. She can life with it.

Drinking before noon????:D

disneyjoe7

Drinking OH YA