A51 "Break In" Sound Changes and Time?

[jprafter]

Hi, new to Parasound and this forum. I just recieved my A51 over this past weekend and coupled it with my C2. I was wondering if anyone has noticed change in the sound produced over time, a "break in" period. If so, I would be interested in hearing what changes occcurred and after how many hours of listening. Also I saw some posts about the ground lift toggle switch and have read the manual about it. I still am not clear what this actually does. Any help with this would be appreciated.

Regards,

John

[SpOoNmAn]

Ive had mine for 2 weeks and havent heard much of a difference if any. The toggle switchs on the A52 I had and now the A51 didnt do anything in my system when toggled.

do you have a hum? my system is dead quiet. You wont hurt anything by flipping it back and forth.

[jprafter]

Thanks for the input on the toggle. I didn't want to mess with it until I understood what it did. I have no hum at all, dead silent, so I didn't try it.

[SpOoNmAn]

Thanks for the input on the toggle. I didn't want to mess with it until I understood what it did. I have no hum at all, dead silent, so I didn't try it.

I was curious so I had to try it, lol. I hear from others that do have loops that the switch is useless anyways.

[nicholtl]

If your system is dead quiet at listening position already, then don't bother with the switch. I remember when I first got my components, a C2, A51, and A21 over a year ago, and I don't recall any drastic changes in sound either. Perhaps, if anything, if I reach for the stars, then I could say the amps grew in depth and overall involvement (warmth, perhaps).

Either way, rest assured you can sit back, kick your feet up, pour a strong one, and enjoy your components as they are already sounding damn near their best. And if there is any break-in with these pups, well then that just adds to the flavor!

[Peter Nielsen]

I was wondering if anyone has noticed change in the sound produced over time, a "break in" period.

Some say that the break-in is typically 3-6 months. Nicholtl's comment about warmer sound is correct. One thing is sure, the unit needs a 3-6 hour warm-up in order to sound its best.

Also I saw some posts about the ground lift toggle switch and have read the manual about it. I still am not clear what this actually does. Any help with this would be appreciated.

In "NORMAL" mode, the grounding pin of the power cord is connected to the chassis. (Or to put it in other words: the potential between the chassis and ground is 0 volts).
In "LIFT" mode, the grounding pin is disconnected and the chassis of the A51 "floats" against the ground. There might be a potential of several volts between the chassis and ground.

Make sure that the Ground switch is in the NORMAL mode unless you have a very good reason not to. That way the chassis of all your components are interconnected. This may be very important if you happen to wear clothes that cause a buildup of static electricity and you touch the chassis. With the ground lifted, the static discharge may wreck havoc...

Peter

[Chris D]

I have noticed a sonic change over a break-in period, as I've had my Halos for a year or so. Hmmm... maybe a less "sterile" sound to them.

As for the ground lift, yes, I have a hum as well. by lifting the grounds on my A51 and A21, I've significantly cut that hum, and just haven't troubleshooted (troubleshot?) the rest of it, yet.

[Peter Nielsen]

As for the ground lift, yes, I have a hum as well. by lifting the grounds on my A51 and A21, I've significantly cut that hum, and just haven't troubleshooted (troubleshot?) the rest of it, yet.

Do you have any component with a cable/antenna input hooked up to the audio setup? If so, unplug the antenna connections. If the hum goes away, that's where your problem is... There are several good solutions available to the common antenna hum problem. The BAD solution is a ground lift (a cheater plug does the same bad thing - it lifts the ground! Bad, bad bad!)

In this cold southern weather I've managed to severly ZAP my Halo gear with static electricity - several times (due to wearing thick woolen socks on my feet). Fortunately I'm keeping everything grounded so nothing bad has happened. Every time I touch the Halo gear and feel that ZAPPP!, and see the spark between my finger and Halo, I feel for those that have lifted the ground... Potential disaster... (You can interpret "potential" as noun or adjective. Both interpretations stand true. Hehe :B)

FYI, "troubleshot" is the sole correct conjugation.

Peter

[jprafter]

Thanks for the responses. I'm still waiting on my A21. The A51 sounds great, just a bit more harsh then what I was used to. Was hoping to hear that it may warm up after some time. For now, the ground switch will remain in the normal position since I have no hum. Thanks again.

[mikepinkerton]

I thought I read somewhere that one of the nice things about the parasound amps was that they didn't need to warm up in order to sound their best, unlike other audiophile amps like the Theta Dreadnaught.

*shrug*
-Mike

[nicholtl]

God, that's such a cool name. DREADNAUGHT. Sounds like juggernaught. Best X-Men character ever.