Halo A51 with Paradigm

[SRX04]

Greetings to all,

I've got upgraditis in the purest sense....starting from scratch!! Well almost. I had a pair of klipsch horns which I recently upgraded to Paradigm studio 100's V3. (6 months old GREAT local deal on ebay). Currently I'm driving them using a HK AVR 7300 reciever (Their top of the line 110w X7).

Currently I'm using anti-cables for the paradigm's and am wondering what would be the next logical step. I listen to 60% music/ 40% movies. When listening to the paradigms with various types of music the woofers are barely moving even when i change the x-over freq's. I've heard that the paradigms really need alot of power so I'm considering a good multi-channel amp.

My very short list includes:

Anthem MCA 50
Parasound halo A51
Parasound new clasic 5250


From what brent has told me very little sonic difference between the 5250 and A51. But I do love the Halo look and class A amp for most listening. The paradigms tend to be bright so a 'warm' sounding amp seems in order. All suggestions are welcome. I'll most likely be making this purchase 'blind'...I have 4 kids under 8.... 8O 8O

Thanks!!!!!!!!

[iceman]

The A51 is about the best $4000 amp out there hands down. The Parasound equipment will sound more refined than Anthem including the Statement line. Between the 5250 and A51 there isnt a huge difference. The 5250 is an excellent value and I would say that if you can use the balanced connections, go with the A51. But looks do count for something.

[mikepinkerton]

I have studio 40s and loving them with my A51, but from everything I've read, Paradigms in general *don't* require a lot of power. They're very easy to drive.

-Mike

[SRX04]

I have studio 40s and loving them with my A51, but from everything I've read, Paradigms in general *don't* require a lot of power. They're very easy to drive.

-Mike

Any idea why my woofer cones are hardly moving even at very high levels with crossovers set appropriately??? MY HK amp has 125Watts in stereo mode.

I've read many posts stating the contrary on the 100's

Of course the 40's would be easier to drive VS the 100's 3 driver 2 1/2 way VS. 5 driver 3 way.

I forgot to add the Sunfire Cinema grand to the above list ......

Any comments??????????

[bhuskins]

Get the 5250...

Best deal in amps by far. Much better than the Anthem MCA series for sure.

Brent Huskins
Media Design
HTGuide Sponsor

[SRX04]

What about the nuforce Ref 9's?

Sounds compelling.

Brent, I know you don't like them (read the texas audio jam post).

Anyone else listen to them?

[bhuskins]

5 Ref 9s will cost you a LOT more than 1 5250.

Brent Huskins
Media Design
HTGuide Sponsor

[SRX04]

5 Ref 9s will cost you a LOT more than 1 5250.

Brent Huskins
Media Design
HTGuide Sponsor

True. But I'd start with 3 ref 9's and add maybe 8's within 6 months. I'll use my HK reciever until then. When I purchase the rears I'll also upgrade to a pre/pro.
I'm crunched for space not to mention the heat the linear amps give off :E

Funny, I haven't seen hardly ANY used nu force amps for sale either the 8's or 9's. I know the 9's just came out but the 8's have been around for awhile. Audiophites tend to upgrade quite often, some really quickly. Personally I think it's a testament (marker) to a products performance in the mid-range products. I know there's lots of reasons people change/upgrade but when I see lots of product for sale used????? Just a small tool........

e.g Parasound A51/A21 and 5250. Some out there not a lot.

Bel canto amps????? Check audiogon........

[bhuskins]

There's still the question of how they sound...

They had my interest at 1st...not any more.

Brent Huskins
Media Design
HTGuide Sponsor

[SRX04]

There's still the question of how they sound...

They had my interest at 1st...not any more.

Brent Huskins
Media Design
HTGuide Sponsor

So you think the 5250 sounds better than the nu force 9's?? . I know you didn't do an A/B...I believe the equipment you A/B'd was much more expensive then the nu force (for sure the 5250) ?????

[bhuskins]

Actually not all of the gear used to A/B the Ref 9s was more expensive and some was actually less expensive and still blew it away. I've heard all the excuses from Nuforce, but the facts still remain that it sucked when I heard it.

The 5250 is an excellent choice that works well with many different types of speakers and I can easily recommend it to anyone looking for a 5 channel amp under $4,000 MSRP.

Brent Huskins
Media Design
HTGuide Sponsor

[SRX04]

Purchased 3 Ref 9's 2 weeks ago. After the necessary break-in time started to critically listen.

Absolute nirvana. Wonderful detail and clarity. Bass was a bit shy at first but REALLY expanded after break-in. The paradigm's love what I'm feeding them now :T

These switching amps are the real deal. I expect them to dominate the market as more and more people realize all the advantages.

Thanks to everyone for your input

[Peter Nielsen]

These switching amps are the real deal. I expect them to dominate the market as more and more people realize all the advantages.

The technology is new. I'm worrying about longevity. How will a digital amp sound after, say, 5 years? How repairable are they? If it breaks after 5 years, is it worth fixing or should the amp be replaced with a new one? All this remains to be seen...

They will, however, quickly dominate the market. Not because they sound any better, but because of the many other advantages (light weight, no heat, low cost).

Peter

[SRX04]

The technology is new. I'm worrying about longevity. How will a digital amp sound after, say, 5 years? How repairable are they? If it breaks after 5 years, is it worth fixing or should the amp be replaced with a new one? All this remains to be seen...

They will, however, quickly dominate the market. Not because they sound any better, but because of the many other advantages (light weight, no heat, low cost).

Peter

Time will tell. As they say never buy a first year model :E
Oh well taking my chances. Heat greatly contributes to component failure since these produce very little?????????

[Peter Nielsen]

Heat greatly contributes to component failure since these produce very little?????????

With digital amps heat is no problem. However, component values may be much more critical than they are with an analogue amp. I'm simply worried what will happen to a digital amp in time when the capacitors get old (and the capacitance changes). Will it completely stop functioning (as sometimes happens in TV sets) or will it simply sound worse... or...

FWIW, I would not compare it to buying the "first year model of a car". There's MUCH more to it than that. The analogy gasoline car/electric car <=> analogue amp/digital amp is IMHO a better one. The technology is really that different... Each technology has its strength and weaknesses. Like electric cars, the digital amp technology is still evolving a lot, where gasoline cars and analogue amps are old proven technology...

Peter

[phansson]

My system is the studio 100 system on the paradigm web site. I am running 4 Parasound amps. two A21's running the front 3 speakers , cc 570 and two studio 100 v.3's and two A23's running the sides and rears. I have been nothing but happy with my speaker and amp combo. The two channel audio is incredible with this setup. Multi channel audio is even better. Very developing.

If you feel like pm'ing me with questions. If you are looking for a Parasound product I would try Brent Huskins on this forum. Way to easy to work with and his prices are spot on.

[SRX04]

My system is the studio 100 system on the paradigm web site. I am running 4 Parasound amps. two A21's running the front 3 speakers , cc 570 and two studio 100 v.3's and two A23's running the sides and rears. I have been nothing but happy with my speaker and amp combo. The two channel audio is incredible with this setup. Multi channel audio is even better. Very developing.

If you feel like pm'ing me with questions. If you are looking for a Parasound product I would try Brent Huskins on this forum. Way to easy to work with and his prices are spot on.

Thanks. I did consider parasound and was speaking with brent concerning them. If I had purchased parasound it would've been through him :T

Ultimately,however, I decided on the Nu Force ref 9's. I have 3 monoblocks powering the LCR, and until I upgrade, my HK AVR7300 powering the rears as well as pre/pro duty.

The Nuforce amps sound awesome. They have a 3 year warranty during which time you can upgrade to future products for 25% cost of MSRP... :E :T

Cutting edge all the way around!!!

[nfjason]

Actually not all of the gear used to A/B the Ref 9s was more expensive and some was actually less expensive and still blew it away. I've heard all the excuses from Nuforce, but the facts still remain that it sucked when I heard it

I hate to bring up this with "bhuskin" again. I thought we put this behind us in the very long htguide thread a while back. I would appreciate if you are expressing your opinion (I don't care if you thrashes it), be fair and mention "Prototype Ref 9". That's the amp that you heard before the launch and you know it. There are no excuses here.

Jason

[bhuskins]

I agree...there are no excuses for a company to send out "Prototype Ref 9's" for critical evaluation by a large group of enthusiasts.

What a load of crap! Why would you send out bad sounding amps?

I don't argue that production Ref 9's might sound better...but oddly enough, the manufacturer has yet to offer up a sample for review. Why is that?

Everything I've seen from NuForce (the company) would make it a challenge for me to want to do business with them anyway. They definitely don't understand the market when it comes to dealers.

Brent Huskins
Media Design
HTGuide Sponsor