Got a great deal on a Parasound AMP

dekuda
dekuda Posts: 756
edited March 2010 in Electronics
Well, I was checking Craigslist and I found a great local deal on a Parasound HCA-1500 amp that was not working. When I went to inspect it I saw two 6.3 amps blown inside not known to the seller. All the caps and the rest of the components look great.The amp is in perfect condition cosmeticaly and has been in storage for 5 years so it probably only haves afew years use on it. I blew out all the dust and was able to find the exact fuses for it. Have had it pugged in for a the past two nights with no load and so far so good. The true test will be when I hook them up to my RTi12's hopefully this weekend. If it works I will be truely excited. :D Has anybody owned this amp? Does this amp get warm and would it possibly need a fan of some sort for cooling.Any feed back would help!
Thanks,
Dave
HT System
Parasound Halo A51 Amp, Marantz AV 8003 Pre, Arcam FMJ CD36 cd player, Marantz 7007 BD/SACD player,Acoustic Zen Matrix IC's, Analysis Plus Crystal Copper Oval IC's, Acoustic Zen Satori speaker cables, B&W 703's Fronts, Center Martin Logan Motif hybrid, Surrounds DefTech BPX, 2 X DefTech Supercube Reference Subs, DSpeaker Antimode 8033 EQ.
Post edited by dekuda on
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  • danger boy
    danger boy Posts: 15,722
    edited March 2010
    congrats.. looks like a good condition amp.. at least from the outside.. hope it works out well..
    PolkFest 2012, who's going>?
    Vancouver, Canada Sept 30th, 2012 - Madonna concert :cheesygrin:
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  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,298
    edited March 2010
    Nice find, but can you hook it up to some cheap speakers first?

    I learned the hard way about hooking a strange amp up to my RT3000P's and then hearing the equivalent to a stick of dynamite blowing up when it shorted out.

    Thank God I only blew one tweeter in the process!

    I think your amp should be fine but just in case....OK
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.
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  • dekuda
    dekuda Posts: 756
    edited March 2010
    tony millard wrote: »
    Nice find, but can you hook it up to some cheap speakers first?

    I learned the hard way about hooking a strange amp up to my RT3000P's and then hearing the equivalent to a stick of dynamite blowing up when it shorted out.

    Thank God I only blew one tweeter in the process!

    I think your amp should be fine but just in case....OK

    Thanks for the advice. I have a old pair of infinitys in the garage that I can use.Eventhough this amp will have more power than what they need it should be a good test
    HT System
    Parasound Halo A51 Amp, Marantz AV 8003 Pre, Arcam FMJ CD36 cd player, Marantz 7007 BD/SACD player,Acoustic Zen Matrix IC's, Analysis Plus Crystal Copper Oval IC's, Acoustic Zen Satori speaker cables, B&W 703's Fronts, Center Martin Logan Motif hybrid, Surrounds DefTech BPX, 2 X DefTech Supercube Reference Subs, DSpeaker Antimode 8033 EQ.
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  • billbillw
    billbillw Posts: 7,050
    edited March 2010
    Do you have an electrical multimeter? If so, check the output speaker terminals for DC output. Set meter to DC volts (lowest range). You should see essentially 0mv of DC when the multimeter is hooked to the + and - of the speaker outputs. That is usually a sign of a healthy amp. If there is anything more than about 5 millivolts, then there could be a problem. Check each side of the amp separately. Only check after the amp is warmed up for a couple minutes.

    When I first got my HCA-2200ii, it was the same thing, expect it was the rail fuses on the back side of the amp that needed replacing. Of course, that amp was supposed to be in fine working shape when I purchased it. The seller didn't even know the fuses were blown. Probably shorted the speaker terminals when he unhooked the amp.
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  • cfrizz
    cfrizz Posts: 13,415
    edited March 2010
    Great score! The 1500A was my first really powerful amp which made my RTA-8Ts shine. Ever since then, I will never go below 200wpc for an amp.

    It is now in my brothers system driving his LSI 7 beautifully.

    Congrats & enjoy.
    Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Classé 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2
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  • reberly
    reberly Posts: 173
    edited March 2010
    I also bought a 1500A used, to drive my Lsi15s and it sounds great. It does get hot but I had mine on a shelf so i never worried about the heat too much.
    Onkyo TX-SR805
    Polk LSi15 , LSiC, LSiFX
    Parasound Halo A52
    Panasonic 42'' Plasma
    Oppo BDP-83
    Sonos
    Panamax 4300
    Audioquest cables
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  • dudeinaroom
    dudeinaroom Posts: 3,609
    edited March 2010
    Good score! I've got a HCA-1000A and love it.(Thanks snow)
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  • dekuda
    dekuda Posts: 756
    edited March 2010
    billbillw wrote: »
    Do you have an electrical multimeter? If so, check the output speaker terminals for DC output. Set meter to DC volts (lowest range). You should see essentially 0mv of DC when the multimeter is hooked to the + and - of the speaker outputs. That is usually a sign of a healthy amp. If there is anything more than about 5 millivolts, then there could be a problem. Check each side of the amp separately. Only check after the amp is warmed up for a couple minutes.

    When I first got my HCA-2200ii, it was the same thing, expect it was the rail fuses on the back side of the amp that needed replacing. Of course, that amp was supposed to be in fine working shape when I purchased it. The seller didn't even know the fuses were blown. Probably shorted the speaker terminals when he unhooked the amp.

    Thanks for the info on testing this. I have a Fluke meter and I tested the right channel and it haves 0 volts dc across the negative and positive terminals. The left channel haves .001 volts dc.That is 1 mv correct? My meter only haves manual and auto range and at both ranges it reads the same. What do you think? would it be safe to hook them up to my RTi12's. By the way, I paid $200.00 for the amp. Thought that was a good deal especially when I saw those two fuses blown and this amp looks like it has been in storage for years and the outside looks new. A box of 5 fuses cost me $13.00. If that fixes it it will be a total investment of $213.00. Not bad if it works.What do you guys think? Is it safe to hook it up?:confused:
    HT System
    Parasound Halo A51 Amp, Marantz AV 8003 Pre, Arcam FMJ CD36 cd player, Marantz 7007 BD/SACD player,Acoustic Zen Matrix IC's, Analysis Plus Crystal Copper Oval IC's, Acoustic Zen Satori speaker cables, B&W 703's Fronts, Center Martin Logan Motif hybrid, Surrounds DefTech BPX, 2 X DefTech Supercube Reference Subs, DSpeaker Antimode 8033 EQ.
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  • billbillw
    billbillw Posts: 7,050
    edited March 2010
    Yeah, 1 mV shouldn't be a problem. I'd go ahead and try speakers with the amp. Good luck.
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