I tested the Parasound Halo A 21+ with my Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 "As We See It"). He tried the Classe amplifier which is a class D like the NAD and found the other 2 amps to be better match with the F228Be so I decided to go with the new Parasound. http://rogueaudio.com/Products_Atlas_Magnum.htm There's no where I can go to listen to all the different amp options with a specific speaker model. (With a class-AB output stage, one-third power results in the maximum dissipation in the output devices.) I purchased a Marantz receiver to drive my purchased Revels and it sounded wonderful. I use the a21 for stereo music and surround. maybe even listen. The combo sounds excellent! I wish Hi-Fi News still had their old reports and reviews in a different subsection of the website as archives. (These figures include the series impedance of 6' of loudspeaker cable.) The less powerful Bryston 2b3 is on sale for $3865.50 which still more than $400 than the A21+. • The capacity of the transformer has been increased, from 1.2kVA to 1.3kVA. It's difficult to audition amps. Does it mean unprocessed like a demo CD that you might find at a band's merch table? See my Parasound Halo P3 preamplifier review for comments on how the A23s work in a vertical bi-amp with the P3 and differences between the RCA and XLR inputs. "Doing so has proved that extremely high performance-per-dollar is still possible today when a company leverages decades of experience, and is spearheaded by a legend." How much does my sound "suffer" by using a $2000 Marantz integrated amp/receiver or an Emotiva amp? I have not had an integrated amp or AVR in house in a very long time. The Benchmark HPA4 preamp, the sister to the LA4, is fantastic on every level and I am so grateful for the review which led to my satisfied purchase! The final change that really brought my system to meet my and wife’s expectations was a Synergistic Research Atmosphere X USB cable which connects my MacBook Pro to the TEAC. Their stuff used to look low-rent with the separate endcaps and folded metal faceplate, but adding the gold strip gives a purpose to the endcaps and a nice sense of detail to the face. This is helpful for those of us who employ "gain staging" to minimize overall system output noise and who wish to match the settings on the two channels. At the end of this time, the side-mounted heatsinks were very hot, at 162.8°F (72.7°C). The shape of the traces in figs.4 and 5 suggested that I examine how the percentage of THD+noise changed with frequency at 20V, which is equivalent to 50W into 8 ohms, 100W into 4 ohms, and 200W into 2 ohms. The components I needed to choose for my first system were never in doubt: a turntable or record changer, an integrated amplifier, and a speaker. If you say so. The less powerful Bryston 2b3 is on sale for $3865.50 which still more than $400 than the A21+. When the amplifier drove an equal mix of 19 and 20kHz tones at 50W into 8 ohms (fig.9), the second-order difference product at 1kHz lay at a very low –86dB (0.005%), and higher-order intermodulation products were even lower in level. and will be running all of this through Thiel CS2 speakers. Regarding tube life, many tube amp users seem to enjoy tube "rolling", so they may well end up changing tubes before they actually need replacing. heck, forget that conditional: I am greatly impressed with the Emotiva XPA-5.". This is a natural for my short-list, with this amp joining the AHB2, the Rogue ST-100 and the Belles 150a Reference 2, among others. Dunno. If the use of monoblocks resolves the reported mismatches, the $6K price of AHB2 monoblocks remain a good value given their transparency and power rating for driving such speakers. Last edited: Jan 20, 2019. How does it compare with the Parasound 21+. • Internal audio connections were upgraded to gold on gold. I cannot quantify "better" but I would not settle for the Emotiva even at a fraction of the AHB2 or the Parasound. https://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=PAC2250V2. Positive Feedback January 2019. I haven't done the same review (Outlaw 100-watter vs the A51's 250) ... You'll be spending all that time on the .coms and ebay reading great works of literature or stereophile or sleeping to … Parasound Halo, ZoneMaster, Z Custom, and NewClassic are four distinct product families. Greater overall capacity with the monos, obviously. The unbalanced input impedance was 46k ohms at low and middle frequencies, 37k ohms at the top of the audioband. Question, let's say you have the Revel f228be and laying around the house you also have the NAD M22, Parasound A21 and the Parasound A21+. Parasound was founded in 1981 by Richard Schram, and the company has been offering audio products under their own name as well as for OEM sales since then. Home. Power hungry. Login / Register. FS: Parasound Halo P5 2.1 Preamp w/ DAC , Yamaha C-4 Vintage Preamp: Audio Equipment For Sale: 0: Nov 28, 2020: P: Should I add a DAC for Node2i + Parasound A21 + KEF LS50 setup? The response into an 8 ohm resistive load (fig.1, blue and red traces) was flat to almost 20kHz, which correlates with the A 21+'s superb reproduction of a 10kHz squarewave (fig.2). Audio Science Review July 2020. If this amp is 10% "better," that number is not worth testing the waters of diminishing returns. The maximum power into 2 ohms with one channel driven was 900W (23.5dBW), while in bridged-mono mode into 8 ohms—the recommended minimum load in this mode—the amplifier clipped at 1100W (30.4dBW). - Parasound A21+ Allright fellas, with your help, I've narrowed it down to either the Vincent sp-331, or the Parasound a21. The cosmetic changes are subtle but positive, as is the improved auto turn-on circuit. Benchmark AHB2 - differences between stereo amp and two monos. I preconditioned the amplifier by operating it at one-third the specified power into 8 ohms for an hour. I can order them online and return the one's I don't like, but that gets tedious. These will be due to magnetic interference from the massive toroidal power transformer and were a little higher in the left channel (blue trace) than the right (red). I wonder if Benchmark found that there is a limit to the power supply design or if they found there was a cost limitation in building a more powerful supply section? Selected the A21+ based on Kal’s review of the F228Be’s. The price is nearly identical, about $400 more on the Bryston. Bridged/mono power rating is 750W into either 8Ω or 4Ω. I'm sure this is a wonderful amplifier, and I know there are significant differences in speakers' quality, but I never see A/B tests among amps (like Revel does with their speakers). Greater overall capacity with the monos, obviously. I mention this not to take away from the Parasound, but to help people mystified or susceptible to the charms of high priced audio equipment. I'd like to see this design implemented over Class D any day... ... (and one-third the price) Parasound NewClassic 2250 v.2, which has a 2-channel power rating of 275W into 8Ω and 400W into either 4Ω or 2Ω. Quality product but one can do better. - Anthem MCA225 Gen2 "", https://www.stereophile.com/content/rogue-audio-stereo-100-power-amplifier, http://www.rogueaudio.com/Products_100.htm. I connected the AC cable and clicked on the rear panel power switch; after a few seconds, a blue halo (!) • Signal/Noise is up from 112dB to 115dB. The Parasound's output impedance was a very low 0.077 ohm at 20Hz and 1kHz, increasingly slightly to 0.1 ohm at 20kHz. I am running on a pair of Focal Aria 926 but plan on upgrading to a set of Paradigm Persona 3f's as soon as finances allow. Because the Marantz was overheating, I purchased the Emotiva and couldn't tell the difference between the 3 amplifiers; all wonderful. I also read elsewhere that if the amp sees tough loads with large voltage swings, there will be issues with amp coping (perhaps the reason Herb's review of the amp with the RAAL headspeakers was unenjoyable? I listen from about 10' away, so I can live with that. Interesting. you listed it as one of the upgrades made in your article, but did not notice it in person. M22 is very good, but sometimes I feel like the Revels have a little more potential, at least based on what I've read in reviews. I don't push the recommended range on my set and I am in 55W and 58W of class A bias on my samples (assuming 8Ohm load). to buy a pair without audition, I would mate the A21+ with the f228Be. Parasound Halo A21+ Two Channel Amplifier. Additionally, Parasound's A21 just won a… Parasound’s A21 dispensed truly sumptuous sound," notes England's Hi-Fi News magazine for November 2011. Another amp which could also be considered ......... AudioControl Avalon G4 ($2,200), favorably reviewed by TJN for S&V magazine ....... 2, 3 or 4 channels, 600 WPC 8 Ohms, 2 channels :-) ........ ... (for $999 each) and still have money left over? Today, even in stereo, that trinity would be regarded as rather traditional—or, if you prefer, purist. I'd like to see this design implemented over Class D any day... ... (and one-third the price) Parasound NewClassic 2250 v.2, which has a 2-channel power rating of 275W into 8Ω and 400W into either 4Ω or 2Ω. and thank you for the comparisons of the Halo A21+ with the Benchmark AHB2, as I am in the market for a power amp directly in this price segment. If you're trying to be non-sexist or non gender-specific, "they" or "their" will work fine, as in: "Someone has left their phone in the break room. You personally. M22 is very good, but sometimes I feel like the Revels have a little more potential, at least based on what I've read in reviews. Fig.1 was taken with the balanced inputs; the response with the unbalanced input was identical, though in bridged-mono mode, the output at 20kHz was down by a still-trivial 0.25dB, due to the doubling of the amplifier's output impedance in this mode. Well, it would have to be hypothetically because, although I have used most of these these components before (not the A21), I have not used any two of them at the same time or A/B. It's difficult to audition amps. I no longer have the Revel Performa F228Be but I bought a pair of the Revel Performa3 F206 speakers for surround channels, primarily. Overall Rating: 5/5 Stars - Ken Stein and Steve Dellasala Luister (Netherlands), November 2003 The bass could be more impactful with A 21+ ....... Also, with tubes, you have to change them after certain hours of playing music :-) ....... ... combination such as a Rogue Atlas Magnum II tube amp and a Parasound Halo A23+ solid-state amp, and still be just under the $4K budget limit stated by tlathbury. Because the Marantz was overheating, I purchased the Emotiva and couldn't tell the difference between the 3 amplifiers; all wonderful. It would be good to have an empirical test of your most reasonable hypothesis. Listening to the A 21+ I hadn't noticed any change. I actually purchased my A21+ from them. Fig.8 Parasound A21+, spectrum of 50Hz sinewave, DC–1kHz, at 100W into 8 ohms (left channel blue, right red, linear frequency scale). Quality product but one can do better. Hi KR , the link provided for Revel Performa3 F206 in the associated equipment listing, is actually for Revel Performa F228Be :-) ....... Nope. No discrepancy. I found this out during a visit to Ultra Fidelis in Milwaukee this last week. The performance-related improvements—power output, S/N ratio, THD, and channel separation—are not huge, but they are appreciated; the increase in weight not so much. Digital has exploded the range of source options and loudspeaker options. Thank you! That was a good move, because that was when I came across the Parasound A21. With the e38 directly connected to the A 21+, there was no audible noise from the system unless my ear was practically touching the tweeter of one of the Revel Ultima Studio2 loudspeakers. Side note - while there's no problem finding reviews on Parasound amps, I looked long and hard and couldn't find even a hint of a real review on one of the Emotiva DR models - and they've been out for a while now. Good luck. Which one to you keep connected to the speakers, and why ? Hi-Fi News December 2018. . Everything about it screams "End-game tube amp, long-term keeper! Low-level spuriae at the 60Hz power-supply frequency and its odd harmonics were present in the Parasound's noise floor (fig.3). This review is written just to show my appreciation of Halo A21, which has served my demands. They have performed the modification in the past for customers as well. = 27 kg)--especially if you … Fig.6 Parasound A21+, THD+N (%) vs frequency at 20V into: 8 ohms (left channel blue, right red), 4 ohms (left cyan, right magenta) 2 ohms (left gray). I mention this not to take away from the Parasound, but to help people mystified or susceptible to the charms of high priced audio equipment. Using our definition of clipping, which is when the output's percentage of THD+noise reaches 1%, the Parasound easily exceeded its specified powers with both channels driven with a 1kHz signal. Daily digest of Parasound Amplifier Reviews by Critics from around the web. Parasound Halo JC5 power amplifier . Similar power and price. Just curious what you mean by "the dynamics are demo-quality". He tried the Classe amplifier which is a class D like the NAD and found the other 2 amps to be better match with the F228Be so I decided to go with the new Parasound. Bryston 3B3 is high on my list, but considerably more expensive. I do not have any experience with demo CDs "that you might find at a band's merch table" but it is possible they are comparable. I will have to take a gander at my local dealer. you listed it as one of the upgrades made in your article, but did not notice it in person. Do two AHB2 amps drive such speakers significantly better than a single AHB2? They currently have the 3b3 on sale for $5215.50 while the A21+ is $2995. The second harmonic lies at –74dB in this graph and didn't rise in level with a 4 ohm load. DescriptionParasound’s new Halo A 23+ power amplifier is the new successor to the highly regarded A2.. But in the article you linked, this is a direct quote... " Still, for $899. Re-Printed review though. 3b3 is high on my list, but these are also very in! Correctly, but considerably more expensive do-it-all amp, long-term keeper, and NewClassic are four distinct product.! 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