A52 - will i be content?

[TimRawson]

Well, bit the bullet and ordered a A52 from local Parasound dealer.

Went through a Rotel 1056. Great unit, but wasn't completely satisfied - wasn't best match for my taste and speakers.

Decided go separates and hoping i can be happy for a while (frustrating to drop a buncha $ and not be content).

So, picked up a Fosgate prepro. Said to be an upscale Outlaw, but said to have better quality components and not as drab appearring (could care less about the lcd). Don't know - probably best I could do to have relatively modern surround modes (tv watching area as well) for what I paid and not having to camp on eBay day after day.

Then came the amp selection... Was considering a used ATI 1505 (150x5) tank, a NAD S250, combination of used B&K's in the 200wpc range upfront, Anthem MCA50 (new) and the Parasound A52 (new).

While I would have liked to stick to around 1000 for 5 channels (new or used)... Figured I'd stretch and go for what I auditioned my speakers on, parasound halo (a23). Seemed to be very liquid and clean match then.

I had told myself that if spending closer 2K, should try to get 200wpc. Will I be satisfied (very subjective) with the A52 power rating (125x5)? One review claimed it put out 175x2 with just the 2 channels driven.

Anyone have experience or encoutners with the other amps I mentioned? I was intrigued by the ATI because much of the specs pointed it toward the 200wpc groups despite being rated at 150x5 and some good reviews (but no where to listen).

Hopefully I will be enthralled (I as I think I will be) with the A52 and not have already doomed myself by thinking about 200wpc.

[nicholtl]

Timster,

what kind of speakers are you running, and what are their specs?

[TimRawson]

NHT ST4 mains, SB3 as a center, crap temporary small rears (5.1 system)

8ohm - 86db efficiency. Said to have stable impedance. The st4's are basically the sb3 bookshelf speaker (xovered at 135 Hz though rather than full range) on top of a side mounted 8" woofer unpowered to become a mid size tower. Said to handle 200 wpc - had no problems with Aragon 4004MKII excepted maybe started clip/distort at top 2-3 ticks on volume.

I know the A51 would be better, but the A23 sounded good and rich.

[Chris D]

The A23 is perfectly matched to the A52. Just 2 channels instead of 5 channels. If you liked the sound of the A23 or A52, the A21 and A51 respectively will sound only better--guaranteed. It's the same design, just with more power and you'll get a more detailed sound.

[SpOoNmAn]

The A52 rocks :T

[cameronl]

The A52 is great - you will be very happy with it. Theres always better poweramps out there - but they all cost lots more money.

CaM

[nicholtl]

Yeah, there's always someone or something better around the corner, and that goes for anything in this world. Except for Wilson Alexandria X2's or Wavac's newest monoblocks. But the fact is the Halo amps shatter anything in their price bracket, and then many in the next bracket up. The combination you have with the Halo amps and your speakers should work beautifully. With stunning looks, performance, power, and a weight to match, you simply cannot go wrong with Parasound's flagship products, be it the A51, A52, A21, or A23. Congrats, enjoy, and goodnight.

[Peter Nielsen]

you simply cannot go wrong with Parasound's flagship products, be it the A51, A52, A21, or A23.

Don't forget the JC1 :wink:

[nicholtl]

*Slaps forehead*

[TimRawson]

Definetly anxious... Sitting here with a prepro and no amps at all. Haven't even been able to evaluate the prepro due to lack of real amp (tried a crap 'pro' amp, got rid of it because it was scaring me with it's harshness at anything above low volume).

Now i'm frickin pissed that the prepro i picked has bass management flaws... but may not matter because in direct/bypass and appropriate power, my mains sing and I don't miss the sub for music. DVD's, lfe has it's own soundtrack and hope the bass management doesn't screw that up - but as I say that, I think it will. Will find out. Could correct with outlaw's ICBM. (does adding that between prepro and amp degrade quality at all?) If only I could afford C1 or C2... someday.

is there another thread tallying what prepro's others may be using (for those like me where the C2/C1 is not accessable)?

[nicholtl]

Interesting that your Fosgate is said to be an upscale Outlaw, because most Outlaw owners are pretty darn satisfied with their performance. Well, if Outlaw is out of the picture, I think perhaps Rotel (although you didn't like their amps), or a used/B-stock Anthem, Adcom, B&K, Sherbourne, Sunfire, or Bryston might be worth looking into. You could also consider a flagship receiver to act as a preamp...but that's probably not as good an idea as a strict pre/pro.

[TimRawson]

Curious... what are the main differences between the classic line and the halo line (besides appearance of course) ?

[nicholtl]

Better parts, better build quality, better DSP's, better DAC's, better remote, more functions, auto calibration, more inputs, more power...

[David Meek]

Well, other than that...

[TimRawson]

Got the unit yesterday.... but couldn't hook unit late at night (poker night with coworkers) and kid's a sleepin.

Listen to some miles davis at low volume... amazing how full it sounds at low volume. Sounded very rich and smooth. Seems to have much better low end than any other unit I've had which makes the sound fuller.

Also listened to a few quick snippets this morning, need to readjust speakers again this unit has no problem pushing my speakers. Had crap temporary amp and the speakers were moved closer to corners to "add bass".... now need to move back out for better definition.

Very impressed and amazed. Effortless running of my speakers and the capability at all freq ranges seems much improved.

When I was listening last night, my first impression was finally, there it is. Sounds climb out so much easier when they need to, is that headroom and/or dynamics?...

BTW, Spoonman, I got my A52 from a shop you have most likely visited in Brecksville (I'm in Chagrin Falls).

[Chris D]

Well, other than that...

Uh.... Money?

[SpOoNmAn]

Got the unit yesterday.... but couldn't hook unit late at night (poker night with coworkers) and kid's a sleepin.

Listen to some miles davis at low volume... amazing how full it sounds at low volume. Sounded very rich and smooth. Seems to have much better low end than any other unit I've had which makes the sound fuller.

Also listened to a few quick snippets this morning, need to readjust speakers again this unit has no problem pushing my speakers. Had crap temporary amp and the speakers were moved closer to corners to "add bass".... now need to move back out for better definition.

Very impressed and amazed. Effortless running of my speakers and the capability at all freq ranges seems much improved.

When I was listening last night, my first impression was finally, there it is. Sounds climb out so much easier when they need to, is that headroom and/or dynamics?...

BTW, Spoonman, I got my A52 from a shop you have most likely visited in Brecksville (I'm in Chagrin Falls).

Tim, thats where I got mine, lol.

small world my friend :T

[Peter Nielsen]

Well, other than that...

I'd put it another way: The HALO line is a professional line. The CLASSIC line is a consumer line.

Just look at the new 5250 classic power amp. The power specs are close to the ones of the HALO A51. However, there is NO WAY that the 5250 could ever handle the same treatment as the A51 simply because of heat dissipation issues. Professional specs are ususally written so that the gear will perform continuously at the rated specs day after day, year after year. Consumer specs may be written so that the gear temporarily may perform within the specs but not continuously.

Amps in the HALO line are advertized with "continuous power in N ohms". I'm pretty sure that the official specs for the new CLASSIC line will omit the word "continuous" in its specs. (Unless there are hidden fans in the new 5250, there is no way it could produce the announced wattage continuously).

The HALO gear will probably last years even if loaded to the limits of the specs. The CLASSIC gear would probably not survive that kind of treatment for too long...

Peter

[nicholtl]

That may be true, but I say let's not knock it till we try it. =)

[Peter Nielsen]

That may be true, but I say let's not knock it till we try it. =)

Parasound already did. They chose to put it in the Classic series... :B

If you ask me, I think the HCA-2205 predecessor is a little bit too good to be in the Classic series since it is so very close to the A51 at half the price. Earlier this year I was actually looking for a new AVC-2500u to match the 2205. I was unable to find the AVC-2500u at a reasonable price, and decided to go with a C2+A51 combo instead, although I know I would have gotten more amp for a lot less money by going with the 2205. (I wanted a matching pair, but I simply couldn't justify spending $2000 on the obsoleted 2500u although I could have saved a lot on the 2205 that I found new for as little as $1500).

With the new Classics, Parasound is now widening the gap and making the Halos stand out a little bit more. A very good thing IMHO!

[TimRawson]

Yet another quick question (didn't want to fire up a new thread for light question).....

A23 claims 45 peak current per channel opposed to the A52's 30.... but the A52 bench tested 170x2 versus the A23's 140x2.... Would one suspect the 30 is with all 5 channels driven?.... or is that spec directly related to transistors per channel? Just a curiousity.

[Peter Nielsen]

Yet another quick question (didn't want to fire up a new thread for light question).....

A23 claims 45 peak current per channel opposed to the A52's 30.... but the A52 bench tested 170x2 versus the A23's 140x2.... Would one suspect the 30 is with all 5 channels driven?.... or is that spec directly related to transistors per channel? Just a curiousity.

It is per channel. The peak current capacity is depending on how much the power supply can deliver and/or the type and number of output transistors used per channel. It seems like the transistors Parasound is using are capable of 7.5A peak each. The A23 has 6 transistors/channel and the A52 has 4 transistors/channel.

Peak current is analogous to peak power. However, the power listed in manufacturers' specifications is usually either "music watts" or "continuous watts". The Halo series lists continuous watts. Because it is continuous watts, a higher rating is depending on is how well cooled the amp is. The A52 is physically bigger and obviously has bigger heat sinks inside, which means a higher continous wattage can be allowed although the peak wattage/current is lower...

Peter