Thanks. The A21 is a fine amp, there are many happy owners, and I enjoyed it for three years. Plus, this is a Parasound appreciation thread ! I didn't want my finding a different amp that was a better match for my speakers to sound like I was trashing the A21. Far from the truth. Maybe you're right about driving large vs small speakers, I am not sure. Before the NS-2000's, I was driving a speaker that had two 8" woofers, but the speaker was not that high quality so not a fair test. The NS-2000's are just finicky and can be tough to match with and get right. It is well chronicled, those that don't feed them correctly lament thin bass, veiled dynamics, etc. That goes for source material too, they are unforgiving to poor source. But when matched well, they reward highly. As far as the A21+ being "significantly better" I would say it's probably an incremental improvement of a product in the same line, sure it's probably better, but there may be a little marketing (as always) at play too.... but that goes without saying.
Dude, please stop trolling me, it's getting old.... if you have anything of value to add that's great, and a joke once in a while fine....... but it's just getting old.
The variable gain appeals to me....much as i love my Classe preamp,it has a lot of gain.I'm pretty sure the variable gain on the Parasound power amp would help to get the best out the volume control on any preamp.
Agreed- and I am liking the gain options on my preamp too- 3, 12 or 16 db. The feature that I never thought I needed now one I can't live without....
Yep...my volume steps can sometimes land a little louder or quieter than i want...depending on music of course.That variable gain ,when lowered would make my preamp volume steps smaller.
Did you buy the A21+ or something? I took a peek at your profile, didn't see any Parasound... you mulling one?
If he's keeping it going, then in the last month I am giving it rocket fuel for the future. Here I thought 2020 was going to be a cooling off year, enjoy what I have, avoid playing with new toys and upgrading..... but in the last month or two I've made five or six sizeable purchases. Having a blast though... love trying out new gear. Have also sold a number of pieces too, so doing my part keeping the hamster wheel going....
a21+ on the way. swayed by user and pro reviews, especially this thread and the stereophile review. @Kal Rubinson had high praise for it and I trust him.
I just had a Thu delivery pushed to Monday too...... however mine was not a Parasound it was a vintage Sansui amp from Japan UPS international. You gotta wait 5 more days.... agony....
wow, another hifi do score? nice! im ok with 5 days, my 2004 NAD power amp is breaking back into service better than expected.
LOL, yeah, these days if I don't buy anything for a couple of weeks, HiFiDo sends me a "Get Well Soon" card... ... and I know you're a patient guy, just giving you a hard time. Good to hear about the NAD.
OK I'm joining the A21 club !!! Just bought Parasound Halo A21 2 Channel Power Amplifier Open Box Full Warranty ... note it says "Call for Availability" since I just bought it! Woo Hoo !!!! It'll drive my Monitor Audio Silver 8 speakers (YES, bought mostly due to Kal's review, I love them!). I'm leaving my Marantz AVR in the house we're selling (that used to drive the Silver 8s) so ... I need a new amp, right? I'm going to use a Yamaha YSP-5600 'sound projector' for surround in my new setup. Haven't even taken that out of the box since I bought it years ago ... we'll see how it works (may need to get a surround pre/processor? don't know and really don't care that much at the moment). I can't go to Idaho house where it'll reside for a couple weeks, but couldn't wait (and I think the price/free delivery/no tax was pretty good). Hopefully they will put the thing in the garage until I can get there and lug it upstairs ... Yes, I know, the A21+ likely sounds somewhat better ... but I can't justify (read: get away with!) spending that extra $$$ ... so this seems like the next best thing. I'm EXCITED !!!
Yes, congrats! With those Silver 8's at 4 ohms and 90db, the A21 will be giving them what they probably weren't getting with your Marantz AVR. You'll have power to spare with the 250 watts in the A21....
Thanks !!! I don't listen really loud, and the A 23 would most likely have been more than enough oomph for my listening tastes/habits, but then I'd always wonder if the A 21 would have sounded better. I've read such things ... and also this will look much sexier on the bottom shelf of my rack. Thought about the A 23+ for a moment but then decided on the A 21. I think/hope there's enough ventilation space above it, I think so ... if not I can set up on a low platform. Daydreaming about possibly getting different speakers to try as well, like Lintons, for example. Different flavor than the Silver 8s but seem to be very musical, maybe slightly less 'focused' soundstage, etc.? The space is about 23' x 18' x 8' so should be supportive of using larger speakers like these ...
A21 runs hot (all big amps do) but not overly hot. I had a Denon x7200Wa AVR in the same cabinet as my A21 (and now P-500L), and keep a small fan pushing the hot air out. As much for clearance of hot air as much as them heating up the shelves above them! That's a good sized room. At least if you do want to crank it up, you have the extra juice. Plus don't even think twice, the A21 will sound better, it will handle your speakers better. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and comparisons over an AVR formerly driving the 8's.