Suggestions for Stereo Amplifier?

[sm88]

I'm currently selling my HCA-1205A to fund a more proper two channel amplifier for my Usher's, I've heard offerings from the less expensive brands but would want to upgrade and the Parasound really is a fine amplifier. The issues:

BE-718's are VERY low efficiency, my Parasound can handle them but i'd prefer more headroom (200w would be lovely)

And more so..

I find the Usher's to have a laid back midrange, so I would like to bring that forward a bit. Nothing that has an edgy top end, the tweeters are plenty detailed, they don't sound harsh and i'd like to keep them that way!

Any suggestions? $500-1000 range used. I know Emotiva's have a lot of power for the buck but i'd worry about the musicality, so i'm looking towards Anthem, McCormack, Bryston. Thanks!

[kcoc321]

Those Ushers are pretty sexy looking
(Pic for anyone else , besides me, that don;t know that speaker)


Not wanting to diswade you from 'stepping up' (I would NEVER want to do that..hehe), but are you running the Parasound Bi-amped? (Given that it is a 5 channel amp & the Ushers are capable) IF you were, then aren't you already getting equivalent of 280wpc @ 8ohm (140 per) ?? Just curious....Cuz that's Alot of Juice.....

On a side note, that Anthem that Farmer has is a sweet amp (I have not heard, only read) and he is selling it here on CP for $300 less than one I just saw on Audiogon...

I do really enjoy the sound of my B&K amplifiers..I do not YET have the Big boys, but I like the ST-1400II I have. Even if they are only 125/150wpc

Have fun with your search :D

[dbaldus]

Any interest in stepping up to the Parasound HCA-2200mkII?

Seems if you like the sound of the Parasound, maybe you just need a model with some more juice?

If you're interested, let's chat as I could potentially be persuaded to sell this off if I can pick up another amp local to me.

Let me know and we can try to get things moving - thanks!

[sm88]

I've considered the HCA-2200II. I actually had my hands on one for $300 locally earlier this year but couldn't make it up to where the guy was in time and he sold it to someone else :(. I do enjoy the Parasound, i'm just trying to come up with ways to pull that elusive midrange out to the forefront, it's more than likely room issues but a better amplifier certainly couldn't hurt.

I feel that Tube Pre's add coloration, but perhaps I can find one that will add the right 'flavor', so that is another consideration, but i'll have to buy a standalone DAC before that (likely a dacmagic). I'm in the Boston area btw if you are local.

I think the biamping thing is moot kcoc, as far as I know the tweeter doesn't really take up a lot of 'juice' so it wouldn't make such a difference. Then again, i'm no expert on the electronics side of it.

By the way, is the 2200 a MOSFET output? The 1205A is bipolar if I remember correctly, the 2200 might have a different sound altogether. Also, is it balanced?

[zingo]

I also agree with the suggestion of biamping with your current amp, unless you just don't like the sound. For anything low sensitivity, a Sunfire amp will always treat you right, and if the Ushers have a flat enough impedance curve, a nice tube amp would also work even though they are insensitive (not inefficient as all speakers are very inefficient electrically).

[zingo]

I feel that Tube Pre's add coloration, but perhaps I can find one that will add the right 'flavor'

I know that Manly and a few others make a 300B tube pre, and the 300B tube has been a great tube with mid-range in my system.

[reeltrouble1]

well, I see posts on Club Polk that Adcom products provide high fidelity.

Anthem made some hybrid amps, tube input sand output I think fet but cant exactly recall, maybe one of the other old-timers can recall, anyway, we bi-amped some SDA and listened to them all weekend at the 04 I think Polkfest, well, I should say, we had some other amps but once they went in they never came out that weekend, there are plenty to consider though, enjoy the hunt and the sweet anticipation.

RT1

[dbaldus]

I've considered the HCA-2200II. I actually had my hands on one for $300 locally earlier this year but couldn't make it up to where the guy was in time and he sold it to someone else :(. I do enjoy the Parasound, i'm just trying to come up with ways to pull that elusive midrange out to the forefront, it's more than likely room issues but a better amplifier certainly couldn't hurt.

I feel that Tube Pre's add coloration, but perhaps I can find one that will add the right 'flavor', so that is another consideration, but i'll have to buy a standalone DAC before that (likely a dacmagic). I'm in the Boston area btw if you are local.

I think the biamping thing is moot kcoc, as far as I know the tweeter doesn't really take up a lot of 'juice' so it wouldn't make such a difference. Then again, i'm no expert on the electronics side of it.

By the way, is the 2200 a MOSFET output? The 1205A is bipolar if I remember correctly, the 2200 might have a different sound altogether. Also, is it balanced?

Yeah, the 2200mkII is a MOSFET output and IS balanced. Here are some more specs:
http://www.parasound.com/vintage/hca2200.php

I really can't comment on the differences between the 1205A and the 2200mkII as I have not heard the 1205, but every time I talk to Parasound on the phone, they seem to think pretty highly of the 2200mkII (and, in fact, most of them have that exact amp in their home systems).

I've found it to be a very great, musical amp, but am in the phase of switching things in and out of my system right now to experiment with different sounds, so it may be time for the Parasound to go.

Let me know - thanks!

[steveinaz]

Since you are used to the Parasound...well...sound, what about the classic series amp at 250watts?

[dbaldus]

Also, if you're using that Elite for your pre, you should really get rid of it. The biggest difference I've ever had in my system (other than purchasing a pair of SDA's :)) was when I switched my SC-05 out for a Parasound PL/D 1100 pre-amp. The difference in sound clarity all across the spectrum, though particularly the bass, increased enormously!

Just something else for you to think about... ;)

[sm88]

I've owned Adcom, and took one apart to upgrade the binding posts, I wasn't impressed with the build quality. They are very inexpensive, which is a plus, but I found their highs to be harsh and a little grainy, which was alleviated completely once I got the Parasound. I'm familiar with the Anthem hybrids but if I remember correctly they are only around 120w. One of their solid states is a more likely contender, the MCA20, and there are 5-6 of them for sale right now so the timing might be right.

e: the Pioneer I picked up for $100 to act as a temporary DAC / Preamp, since it has optical and direct pre-out. It will likely be replaced with a dacmagic and ??? preamp

[steveinaz]

Isn't there an Anthem, 225watter in the FM right now?

You've got a real nice base system, ever consider a passive pre? That'll bring those shy mids up front a little, I would suspect...how many watts is the 1205?

[sm88]

1205A is 5 channel 140w/200w (8ohm/4ohm) I believe. Supposedly it is a conservative estimate and it actually puts out more, and i'd believe it as well, it's not clipping or anything i'd just like more headroom just in case. Most of what I have read suggests 200 is a good number for my speakers. I'm certainly considering the Anthem that's for sale right now

[steveinaz]

Those Ushers are the bees knees, very nice.

[madmax]

I know that Manly and a few others make a 300B tube pre, and the 300B tube has been a great tube with mid-range in my system.

I use the Manley 300B tube pre and it has a nice presentation. The 300B tube is very nice as it tends to bring out vocals without messing with everything else.

[billbillw]

Yeah, the 2200mkII is a MOSFET output and IS balanced. Here are some more specs:
http://www.parasound.com/vintage/hca2200.php

The HCA-2200ii is not MOSFET output. It uses J-FETs and MOSFETS in the pre and voltage driver sections, but the outputs are most definitely bi-polars.
(see attached schematic).

The output drivers are the 6 matched pairs per channel of 2SC3263/2SA1294

Also, it is not a truly balanced design. Is has extra circuits to allow for balanced input, but most agree that the single ended input sounds better (less circuits to go through) unless you have a really long cable run.
To the OP, I would say the HCA-2200ii will have a very similar sound to your previous Parasound, just more power.

BTW, $300 for an HCA-2200ii is a steal. I bet you are kicking yourself for not getting that.

[sm88]

The HCA-2200ii is not MOSFET output. It uses J-FETs and MOSFETS in the pre and voltage driver sections, but the outputs are most definitely bi-polars.

Also, it is not a truly balanced design. Is has extra circuits to allow for balanced input, but most agree that the single ended input sounds better (less circuits to go through) unless you have a really long cable run.
To the OP, I would say the HCA-2200ii will have a very similar sound to your previous Parasound, just more power.

BTW, $300 for an HCA-2200ii is a steal. I bet you are kicking yourself for not getting that.

Considering like the next week I saw one sell for $700 on the bay, yes. I kicked myself quite a bit. But I wasn't in the best of spirits at that time and too much was going on to really pursue the deal, so my time ran out on it.

And yes steveinaz. I bought them without hearing them based on all the hype and reviews, I was skeptical, but they are indeed the bee's knees. Currently filling my room with "The Yes Album"

e: Also, thanks for the info on the Parasound. Do you know if the Anthem products are fully balanced? When I switch to a seperate DAC / Pre i'd like to have balanced as an option

[dbaldus]

The HCA-2200ii is not MOSFET output. It uses J-FETs and MOSFETS in the pre and voltage driver sections, but the outputs are most definitely bi-polars.
(see attached schematic).

I apologize, I just read the description and saw "Hand picked Mosfets in high voltage driver stages" and thought that it meant MOSFETs were used.

Also, it is not a truly balanced design.

Again, I was just commenting on the "balanced inputs", which it definitely seems to have.

Regardless, it was not my intention to mislead the OP or anyone else here in the forum - I was just misinformed - so if I did mislead you, I apologize. Thanks for clearing this up, billbillw!

[billbillw]

Do you know if the Anthem products are fully balanced? When I switch to a seperate DAC / Pre i'd like to have balanced as an option

Fully balanced designs are rare and quite expensive. Think Blue Circle, Levinson, BAT, and other megabuck designs. Anthem? Nope.

Overall, I wouldn't worry about balanced designs too much. Unless the DAC and your Pre and both 'fully balanced' designs (not likely), then they will typically sound better with single ended connections. When you run balanced connections with equipment that are not fully balanced (ie: most consumer electronics) the signal has to be converted at each step. The conversions can degrade the sound, especially if they used cheap opamp solutions.

[sm88]

I see, thank you! Most of the gear I have been looking into has Balanced connections, and I was aware of the fully balanced issue, but didn't realize that the majority aren't. The intent would be to stick with RCA for the foreseeable future but to have the option, but obviously it isn't remotely necessary. After the amp switch i'll be preamp hunting I suppose, still looking for more suggestions of high powered amps that have a pronounced midrange, thanks everyone so far

[mjg]

SM88:

I was in the same situation, looking fo a new 2 chnl amp. I did a ton of research and found what I felt where the 2 best choices in my price range. The 2 amps were the Bryston 4B-st and the Parasound Halo A-21. I did not have the chance to listen to either as I live in the sticks and there are no high end audio dealers near me. I ended up buying the Bryston as both seemed very similar and the Bryston has a 20 year transferable warranty. So even a ten year old unit has a ten year warranty on it. Just my 2 cents. I am using a tube pre now, an Audio Mirror t-65 line stage that I am happy with.

Maurice

[markmarc]

Biamping and Biwiring isn't necessary, if needed get some decent jumpers.

If you're going to go with Bryston, I highly recommend a tube amp. Bryston gear across the board is very technical sounding, some even call it dry. Putting a tube pre in the loop will bring in some necessary warmth and musicality.

[reeltrouble1]

hey sm, well let me apologize in advance for the adcom set-up, I have been a very bad boy today.........

RT1ism-to know the bear you need to Polk the Bear. oh and balanced trumps unbalanced, true balanced that is and its worth it, there are balanced circuits with single ended outputs, kinda like pontiac and women......wider is better, balanced is beautiful.

markmarc is rather balanced as far this place......me, my mantra has been tubes rule,used to be in my title till the Lord of the Moderators Patrick the Pitifull erased it, I might pass on a bryston, how about an ayre for a sand amp?

That said I have heard some wonderful Parasound amps, they are noted for their bass boogie abilities.

[cnoat]

How much for the 1205?

[sm88]

I'd love to break into tubes but at ~85 db efficiency (and it is said to be a high estimate) i'm not sure that is doable, so a tube preamp will be ideal. Haven't heard of Ayre but i'll look into them. The Adcom dig is just based on one amplifier of theirs I used and took apart before getting the Parasound, it's not that it was bad; it was an upgrade over a receiver for sure. But I wouldn't own them again. Bass boogey isn't my goal right now, i'd just like a little more in the middle, these speakers already have lovely hips.

[reeltrouble1]

well, you can do Wolcotts *tough to find" though, ASL Hurricanes, Atma-Sphere, BAT mono blocks, McIntosh they have autoformers (contact Face for more info), and the big block Manley's for tube amp suggestions for your speaks, all rather high dollar, I do camp with those who might start with the tubed pre-amp, Mr Polk our Hero and Polkie Creator had a rig at his digs with a nice tubed pre, was it ARC??? damm my memory stinks, anyway, the tubed pre and some large Threshold mono sand amps along with a quality Marantz source on some stock LSI-9 bookies, now I am big speaker big power kind of guy, but those little 9's sang with that combo.

RT1

[fastz28]

ps audio 200cx just piced one up on ebay mint cond. $284 $95 to ship the beast 72 pounds
very clean and just as powerful as my carver 1.5t they must of under rated this amp and its got great reviews audiophile mag... they call it the poor mans krell

[tonyb]

Of the 3 you listed, I'd hit a McCormack, DNA 225 on up. I might be talked into selling my Butler 2250 hybrid for 1200 if your a nice boy.

[Dawgfish]

I'm using an Anthem Amp-2 solid state/tube hybrid and it's one sweet amp. Rolling the tubes only makes it sweeter and will allow you to tune it to the sound you like. I switch back and forth between Mullard 6922s and Amperex Holland 6922s with great results. It gives you that lush liquid midrange of tubes with the increased bass and quickness of solidstate. I love it. The only problem is they can be hard to find, but keep checking this board and Audiogon and one will eventually show up. Another great used amp(s) to look forward in your price range are the B&K Reference 2220s, EX 4420s, or ST-202 +'s. All of these are around 200 wpc in 8ohms and sound lovely IMHO. They all have a very warm sound with a full, rich midrange that is sounds like you may be looking for.