I really don’t know, but that won’t stop me from making possibly an asinine comment. there’s a school of thought that one should go with a solid-state preamp and then a tube power amp. Or vice versa. The solid-state preamp / tube power amp combination is that the low-level signals get amplified by the lowest noise components. Then the tube amplifier gives it that bit of tube magic. The vice versa school of thought is to use a tube preamp into a solid state power amp. I have done all kinds of combinations, but at the moment I am at this combination. My McIntosh C2300 tube preamp is very quiet, doesn’t have a lush sound, but has the touch of tube magic. My Parasound A 21 amplifier is pretty neutral, some say it leans a little bit toward the smooth side. That’s all fine, the combination sounds amazing to me. I am conjecturing that you are at the solid state preamp/tube power amp side of the spectrum. McIntosh solid-state amplifiers seem to be known for their touch of smoothness. Maybe not tube like but leaning in that direction. I previously used the Parasound P 7 preamp, it is solid state and very very clean but musical. One combination is that I used it to drive my 300B SET amplifiers and triangle Titus monitors. That was a wonderful combination. Now that I have the C2300, when I use that chain it’s all tube, but neither of the tube components leans especially toward the lush side. They are both in the clean/musical part of the spectrum. So even that is a really good combination. I guess the other thing I’m thinking is that the JC5 will be a bit cleaner sounding than the 152. Then you might find it’s a little too clean sounding, and want to go with some tubes in the preamp section. I know it doesn’t have a streamer, and it’s quite expensive, but the C2300 would be an amazing match with the JC5. I might find out how well of a match one of these days. I wanted the blue meters too. I used to have a C220, of course it didn’t have the blue meters, and I wanted to get a McIntosh amplifier with the blue meters. But all of them were way too expensive for me at the time. Now that I have the C2300 that gives me the blue meters. So I’m free to experiment with whatever amplifier I want. I really like the A 21 though, don’t have a real reason to replace it. But if I win the lottery, or the equivalent of it, I’ll probably/possibly get a JC5. NO, not a pair of JC1s …!
I fundamentally got all I could ever ask for from the A21+. The monoblocks have the same sound quality, but . . . wait for it . . . more of it. They are a bit more dynamic and a bit more detailed. The biggest difference is a sense of ease, but I have no idea how to express that. It's like pornography, you know it when you see/hear it. Is it worth it? Lord knows, and it will vary from person to person depending upon all kinds of variables. I imagine the difference would be clearest in big rooms. Am I the only one who worries that Parasound might mess a good thing up as changes come to the company? Or that the Parasound factory in Taiwan might someday be at risk?
Thanks! And no, you're not the only one. The 'new & shiny' Parasound no longer directly answering any technical questions/issues you might have is not a good sign.
At the end of the day no company is that stable and could change ,go away etc... Just enjoy while you can !
Great question...a hard one...she looks so comfy there... My JC5 sits on an ampstand and I can feel the heat rising from the center of my amp up through the grill openings of the top cover.... For your cat's well being and the life of you JC5 try to find a way to discourage that....maybe build a a wire cage with many holes to place over your JC5's top cover that would safely allow her to lay ontop of the cage ..,perhaps with an 8" or more clearance so that the heat can vent freely... A cage sort of akin to the protective cages over the output tubes of tube amps Hope this helps...best wishes!!
The A23+ manual states that you cannot use 4 ohm speakers to bridge. It does not state this for bi-amping so can I assume it's OK for bi-amping? We all know what assuming can do..... Can anyone confirm that there is no problem using 4 ohm speakers to bi-amp with the A23+? I can use a pair of my 8 ohm speakers, but want to try the 8 ohm Linn Keilidhs (Kay-lees) also. These speakers have exceptional tone. I would contact Parasound but they no longer support customer questions as I found out earlier.
Bi-amping as you’re doing seems like 4 ohms load on each channel, still running in stereo mode. So should be just fine.
The A21+ was installed in my system in early January. New speakers came in a few weeks before. New XLR cables were added in mid Feb. It seems as if something experienced "breaking in" within the last few days. My current system is the best I've ever heard. Everything sounds perfect; LPs, CDs and streams, but especially LPs. I have no idea what "broke in", but I am in awe of what I'm hearing. I have a good, well-thought-out system, but the new and improved sound is stupid good. The KEF Reference 1's, A21+ and Hegel P20 are dancing!
Congratulations hman.....this is what audio is all about....Enjoy !!! Dancing Eh? Is that allowed ? Best wishes
During this interview new CEO David Sheriff provides some good insight into where they are going moving forward….
Mr. Streamline. No more customer service interaction direct from Parasound it looks like. Pass it all off to the dealers. Its already begun as we know. Softball interviewer for sure. Basically a cheerleader.
Still greatly appreciating the sound of my a21+ although for the past few weeks I had been ready to yank it. Sound has been slightly brighter snd noticeably less refined, not good too often. thought it might be from not running it so often because working from home has been reduced. ran it for a few days straight, no improvement. started swapping out preamp tubes and rectifiers, no luck until this AM. pinpointed the issue to a new pair of sylvania 6SN7 gta tubes that must truly be NOS becsuse they arent burned in yet. Put the old pair back in and the sound is wonderous again. With the right system the a21+ can do it all and sound as good as anything.
The two senior people I had regular contact with are gone. I think there has been a purge of most if the long term die-hard and devoted, senior level employees. This despite, what David Sherriff promised to Richard Schramm when he bought the company. So far I am very unimpressed. He seems well on his way to destroying the things that made Parasound great and turning them into yet another box pusher, like most everyone else. One of the reasons Parasound was special is because most of the employees knew the product line and could help with most common issues. More advanced issues they put you in touch with the person who did know. I usually only contacted Parasound with issues that my dealer hadn't run across or was unsure of. Now Parasound refers you to the dealer. OK, what if the dealer doesn't know or hasn't run into the problem before. Who is the dealer supposed to go to? Next I will guess he will start value engineering the products. Simplifiying the level of expensive parts the use. I wonder if John Curl will now have the final say on that any more. It wouldn't surprise me if they move the manufacturing away from Taiwan. This guy seems like he is great at platitudes and knows all the "right" things to say. It took him little time to break one big promise to Richard Schramm. As they say: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me". I hope I am wrong, but this guy seems the classic case of someone buying a great company and feeling he knows better. He eliminates all the things that made the company special and runs them straight into the ground. I hope I am wrong, but I will say I am VERY glad I just purchased my dream / retirement just before Parasound changed ownership. This should be the last system I need and the old Parasound was known for reliability. So in a way it doesn't matter what the new company does. I do hope they succeed...but I just have a bad feeling about this. We seen this all before.
I remember phoning Parasound and the former owner Richard Schramm answered. I said that I had a problem with my Parasound preamp. He told me to send it back to Parasound. It ended up there was a cold solder joint on one of the ICs. It was first class customer service as far as I was concerned.
When deciding on my next amp the A21, I called Parasound and lo and behold Richard himself answered what an amazing conversation...with a couple more following... When I needed follow up info on my then new JC5, Richard himself replied to my email... So David Scheriff...you need to emulate Richard's availability to being involved with his clientele.... that you apparently released dismissed several senior Parasound family members.....bad bad bad behavior.... you don't have the product knowledge they do on Parasound products. They were the backbone of what truly is Parasound.... Not a very brilliant move... You flew an A10 warthog....but can you fly the Parasound company? Best wishes
Totally agree. He appears to be the stereotypical “entrepreneur “ who knows it all better than anyone. Just ask him. I am trying to decide if I have all the Parasound I want already or to buy something else soon before the real changes occur…….
@Jim0830 and @n’joymusic Is this the version of the JC5 you guys have? Parasound - JC 5 Power Amplifier
Great price on Music Direct....they also offer a 60 day satisfaction return. Good folk to work with!! Best wishes
Yes, thanks. I know them well! It’s the 73 pounds I am wondering about. But I’m sure it sounds fantastic. Hmmm….
