When I was looking for a better, more powerful amp to replace my old quad 303, my dealer advised on parasound and I am very glad he did! Tried both the New Classic 2125 and the A23. I preferred the A23 in my set up. I might consider a second hand A21 in the future but I am in no hurry as the A23 gives me really no reason to look for anything else. Of course, because I have not yet heard an A21 in my system I don't really know if and what I'm missing out.
For interconnects I use Mogami 2497 (switching from wireworld oasis was an ear-opener, I use a passive preamp though) with my A23. I see you use Mogami w3103 speaker wire! Because I am so pleased with the mogami interconnects, I want to try out Mogami speaker wire as well. At the moment I am just using plain 14awg copper wire. What did you have before? How would you rate the Mogami speaker wire with your parasound amp ?
I've had a Parasound 2100 preamp for quite awhile and it's performed very well. I had a Halo A52 amp and that was a great amp as well. I've had good luck buying factory reconditioned from Audio Advisor over the years. Another place to buy Parasound gear from is Safe and Sound in Chicopee, MA. As far as I know they are an authorized Parasound dealer and have great prices with many B-stock items listed. A friend bought a B-stock 2100 there and had no issues dealing with Safe an Sound or with the 2100. https://www.safeandsoundhq.com/
I have been using a 2205A for over twenty years. During that time I experienced one breakdown which was quickly fixed by Parasound. The most difficult part of the repair process was boxing up the amp and taking it to UPS for shipment.
Safe and Sound are the guys I use - great service. I didn't know anything about outdoor audio, and they hooked me up. And yes, they are competitive with pricing.
I was using 3082 previously. I moved up to the 3103 due a new room and longer runs. While the 3103 noticeably increased the bass and overall power, it did muddy things up a little and sounds slightly rolled off. I had looked around at other reviews and it seems other had similar experiences. I’m considering trying out the Canare 4s11
I bought my P 7 preamp from Audio Advisor (factory refurbed, factory authorized reseller). I'd do the same in the future for sure ... or Safe and Sound if AA didn't have something when I got the itch!!!
If you run 2 sets of 4 ohm speakers then switch to 2/3 ohm. If you bridge into 1 set of 4 ohm speakers do the same. If you run 2 sets of 8 ohm speakers leave it on the 8-4 ohm setting. It's clearly laid out in the instructions of the 275v2. Not sure what you mean by "11"? They also say that bi-amping a pair of 275v2's is the optimal sound quality choice. I don't have a second unit yet. Enjoying the new amp. Don't think I really need much more power.
Transparent Musiclink IC's and Musicwave bi-wire speaker. Swapped to a Kimber set-up last weekend and switched back to the Transparents pretty quickly.
10ft per side on the Musicwave Bi-Wire. Had them for 15 years+. Got 3 sets of Musiclink IC's at a discount from my local shop that was closing it's doors. I also have some DIY Audioquest bulk X2 cable that I bi-wired and slapped bananas on. About 11AWG. Total cost under $100 and that sounds good and powerful. The Kimber speaker and IC's (PBJ) are excellent sounding and were my favorite with Adcom amps..but the Parasound sounds better with the Transparent stuff. Better bass control and extension.
Here are some notes I’ve made while getting my thoughts in order for an actual review of the Backert Labs Rhumba preamp and Parasound A21+ combo. I’ll be posting the full review as its own thread in the gear section in a few days, but I thought fans of Parasound or anyone looking to maybe purchase an A21+ might appreciate just having these listening notes available. Equipment used: Dynavector 20x2L cartridge > MoFi Ultradeck turntable > Parasound JC3 Jr phono pre > Backert Labs Rhumba 1.1 line amp (dual Genelex Gold Lion 12AU7) > Parasound A21+ > Harbeth Super HL5’s on custom Skylan stands. Powered by Shunyata, interconnected via Grover Huffman EX+ with speakers fed by Van Damme Hi-Fi 4mm double shotgun wire terminated with bare ends. This preamp/power amp pairing represents the long overdue replacements for the 70’s receivers I’ve been using.....well....since the 70’s. For a while now I’ve been alternating between a ‘76 Pioneer SX-950 and a 1978 Marantz 2285B (both rebuilt) depending on which part of the frequency range I was feeling the least inclined to have distorted that day and whether I was more in the mood for the somewhat smeared and vague-ish sound of the 2285B or the reasonably detailed, faster but comparatively raggedy top-end of the SX-950’s presentation. Actually, both receivers sound pretty great for what they are, but what they are is pretty dated and there’s just no getting around that. First, looking to improve PRaT, imaging, top-end clarity and overall realism I acquired a gently used Rhumba tube-based line preamp from a fellow forum member. I ran this wonderful piece of gear into the power section of the Pioneer receiver for a few weeks which allowed me to evaluate it versus the preamp of the Pioneer that I had been listening to almost exclusively for just shy of a year. Next, I removed the Pioneer completely and sub’d in the Parasound A21+ stereo power amp. The goal here was improved soundstage dimensionality, bass articulation and slam, improve top-end control and clarity and to have a power amp that could better allow the front-end of my system to shine all the way through to the speakers versus hitting the bottleneck of the 70’s receiver. Listening Notes (gear in parenthesis is the piece or are the pieces that I feel get the credit for the particular improvement) Front to rear soundstage - More effortlessly visible and quite a bit more expansive. The entire soundstage is far more three-dimensional. (Rhumba and A21+) Low-end weight, slam and authority - (Pink Floyd - The Wall) Kick drum / hi-hat / bass at intro to Pink Floyd’s The Happiest Days Of Our Lives (The Wall side 1, track 4) - at volume these drum/bass combo punches are now devastatingly powerful What for me had previously been a somewhat impactful intro to a favorite piece of music is now an astonishing, percussive event. Overall…. bass digs so much deeper with a transient focus (tightness) and clarity. The soundstage is no longer blurred by the lower frequencies. (A21+) Drums so well-defined and lifelike .... able to concentrate on every subtlety…. Feels like watching a drummer live with the visual cues supporting/augmenting the sound. Eliminated high treble hash on cymbal hits. Nicely defined and musical leading-edge crack followed by a natural shimmer and decay versus the two-dimensional swarm of sibilant distortion of the 70’s receivers. (Rhumba and A21+) Acoustic guitars and piano - Harmonic swirls and multiplying fairy notes...increased complexity and overall lushness. Like switching from a drier, small box mahogany OM-style acoustic to a rosewood dreadnought. (Rhumba and A21+) The thump of breath on a vocal mic increases the illusion of being in the studio standing in front of the singer. The placement of the tongue in the mouth, the subtlest change in where the singer’s breath is pulled from, deep in the diaphragm, back of the throat, top of the sinuses, are all vividly apparent. (Rhumba and A21+) Each note or chord played through a great vacuum tube guitar amp will have this perfect bit of initial compression as the tube sags under the input followed by a blooming release and then finally an increase in harmonic complexity and sustain. This is something more felt under the fingers by the guitarist rather than heard or perceived by the listener. I can actually hear that now and almost feel the sagging give of the power tubes as the amplifier is “played” as an instrument in its’ own right. (A21+) Random notes: Bass - authoritative weight, articulation and focus (A21+) Midrange - open, clear, natural, complex (Rhumba and A21+) Soundstage - spatial definition and clarity, increased breadth, height and, especially, depth. Upper midrange through treble - air, clarity, shimmer, swirl, realism. (Rhumba and A21+) Fatigue - practically non-existent. (Rhumba and A21+) S/N ratio was already pretty good with only a faint top end hiss coming from the Backert’s tube circuitry at idle when turned up to typical listening volume of around 75dB, but there is now a sense of inky silence between instruments and notes that helps place the individual musicians much more solidly in the image and define their instruments positioning in the soundstage. That’s the A21+ earning its pay.
I am anxiously trying to find a Parasound JC 3+ to audition and hoping it plays nice with my Yamaha equipment.
I have a Parasound JC3+ feeding an Accuphase C-2410 feeding a Parasound A21 which feeds Yamaha NS-2000 speakers --- and it sounds pretty good! One thing though - I am going XLR / balanced through that signal chain currently --- and good thing the C-2410 has a gain selection as the JC3+ will have you diving for the volume knob if you want to go balanced -- unless you are using very Low Output MC (like <= 0.2mv) or MM in the <= 3.0mv range. The JC3+ is a dynamic, lively, punchy and forward phono preamp --- I own a few phono pre's and the the JC3+ has the slam and delivery when you need it. There was a review done by someone called the Audiophileman (or something like that) that I thought was the most spot on, insightful and candid review of the JC3+. He liked it, but mentioned a few times how forward the JC3+ can be depending on your system --- especially on XLR / balanced feeds! One thing - and not that I don't "appreciate my A21" - but looking to replace that with an Accuphase amp (like a P-4200, A-65) -- or at least compare them! Who knows maybe the A21 will win out!! But an Accuphase pre with an Accuphase amp is something I have to try!
Very pleased with Parasound throughout my journey so far... I started a few years ago with separates from their NewClassic line (2100 pre/2125 amp). Those were good values sound and price-wise, and offered a lot of versatility. When it was time to upgrade and move up a bit, I stuck with Parasound and got an original Halo Integrated. I still use that one today; really love it. I remember at the time, I emailed the company with a few questions before buying, and was surprised to receive a response from the boss himself (Richard Schram). We chatted back and forth a bit...he could not have been nicer or more supportive....really great experience!
I have the P5 preamp paired with the A23 amp. I use AQ cables throughout my system, specifically AQ Diamondbacks between the pre and amp. I want to upgrade to the A21 but don't have the scratch currently. Parasound was highly recommended by a friend of mine, and he was spot on. Would not consider an upgrade, well, other than to McIntosh!
So as I was toying with getting an A21+ and using the HINT as preamp, I discussed with Parasound on the phone and they basically told me I may not hear too much improvement considering the price. The HINT is more than close enough amp wise, he suggested putting money elsewhere. I really appreciated his comments, even though he said we would love to sell you an A21+ What I did add was a SVS SB2000 sub, which has been an amazing addition to my overall system and the integration is so simple thanks to the Parasound bass mgmt system/crossover options.......Maybe next year I'll get a hankering for an A21+. I would not mind trying a JC3+ but I don't like the 64dB of gain for MC, I prefer variable gain options, 64 is around 6dB higher than I am now. Parasound is awesome
I've been considering getting a amp to run my Monitor Audio Silver 300 which are now hooked up to a Denon AVR 4310CI that does a good job but I think a separate amp would prove to be more beneficial to power my MA...has anybody here had any experience with a Parasound A21 running a pair of Monitor Audio????...your comments are appreciated....thanks.
Cesar, the A21 would be a great choice! I would also consider the A23 if that would be sufficient power when compared to the A21. The Monitor Audio Silver 300s look to be a fairly efficient speaker with a sensitivity rating of 90dB. Silver 300 | Floorstanding Speakers | Monitor Audio
Thanks Bill for your comment...I meant the A23 when asking for opinions (my bad ) as I think it would be more than enough to power the Silver...it's always good to hear from you my friend
