HenryH

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $249.00 from eBay

Summary:
Having owned and enjoyed a Parasound HCA-1500A for several years (I gave it to my youngest nephew for his HT system), I was happy to find its little brother on eBay at a very reasonable price. Using basically the same setup otherwise, I can compare the two amplifiers. Since both use basically the same design (by John Curl) they should sound identical when used within their limits. However they do not, to my ears at least. The 1500 is slightly sweeter and warmer in the upper mids and lower treble when copmpared to the 1000. A closer examionation of the specs for both amplifiers reveals a possible reason. Both use matched JFETs in the input stage and beta matched Bipolars in the output stages. However the 1500 uses a MOSFET driver stage while the 1000 does not. It's not that the 1000 is overly bright or shrill. It isn't. It's just that the 1500 is a bit more lush sounding. This shows particularly in female vocals. On Amanda McBroom's "Dreaming" CD, her lower registers are more "burnished" sounding via the 1500. Both amps have outstanding bass performance and control, clear, clean mids and highs and excellent soundstaging and dynamics. Associated equipment includes: Music Hall MMF5 turntable with Goldring 1012GX cartridge. Pioneer DV-563A SACD/CD/DVD-A player Creek OBH8 phono stage. Creek OBH12 passive preamp Magnepan MMG speakers Interconnects are StyraightWire Chorus and Rhapsody and speaker cables are Audioquest Type 4.

Strengths:
Bass control, clean mids, extended highs, first-rate imaging and soundstaging, great drive and dynamics

Weaknesses:
Could sound a bit bright if the associated equipment leans in that diorection, especially the speakers. If you are looking for "tube-like" this isn't it.

Similar Products Used:
Parasound HCA-1500A

Price Paid:  $400.00 from from friend

Summary:
This is overall a decent amp, especially on the used market. At low to moderate listening levels, the sound is relatively clean and dynamic. When approaching rated power levels, the sound is compressed, and very shrill sounding. Bass resolution and existance disappear! While auditioning on my KEF Model 4s, (4 ohm speakers) exhausting this amp was not very difficult. The musicallity of this amp at low to moderate listening levels is right on par or better for its retail pricepoint. Fairly even tonal balance and good soundstaging. Currently used to bi-amp my KEF 4 ohm center channel and doing well at that. I'm adding an extra star for this amp's clarity and forward projection of content on my center channel.

Strengths:
Value and overall sound

Weaknesses:
Don't even think of using this thing near its full power rating!

Similar Products Used:
Adcom GFA-555, Sunfire 300, Denon POA 6600 monoblocks

Price Paid:  $600.00 from audio t (UK)

Summary:
Absolutely fantastic. Picked up my B&W p5's and gave them a good shake. very powerfull and controlled. Also has a good smooth midband and sweet treble. On the whole a perfect cinema/music amp

Strengths:
powerfull bass, smooth midrange, detailed and smooth treble

Weaknesses:
none

Similar Products Used:
cyrus power

Price Paid:  $350.00 from Used

Summary:
Out of the box, it sounded harsh. I discovered that there was an annoying, constant noise produced. Get this : it is not the amp by itself, but its toroidal transformer which was inducing that noise in my active crossover (placed on top of the Parasound). The crossover must be at a distance of 6" minimum to attenuate this enerving noise ! Now, my Parasound HCA-1000A sounds good.

Strengths:
Price, good sound (I need more listenings to give an educated rating)

Weaknesses:
Badly build ! Messy inside, bad threads for screws, cheap supports, etc. Look very "utilitarian".

Similar Products Used:
Nad 214, Adcom GFA-545-II & GFA-535-II, Quad 405

Price Paid:  $275.00 from used

Summary:
Nice entry level amp. On the plus side it offers the ability to extract detail and image such that it raises the hair on the back of your neck. Bass performance is quite good for the price, which is the strength of all the Parasound amps, but at loud levels it looses oomph. The soundstage size is good at this price point as well. Never could get the amp to clip with 88dB speakers, which is impressive. My favorite quality of this amp is low level listening, which is mainly running in pure class A, which makes late night playing very intoxicating from the warm sweetness. On the negative side it has a very brittle, bright, grainy and down right harsh top end. Sibiliance on metal dome tweeters is a serious problem and doesn't make you want to listen to many "hot" female vocals. This amp also has great trouble in complex passages where the images smear together and there is also a total lack of depth/3D imaging. The soundstage is also pushed back a fair bit and the quite passages could be much quieter.

Strengths:
At the price it may be the best overall in terms of bass, imaging and detail extracted. Match with a good D/AC and cables to exemplify these traits. Low level sound is fabulous, as is had with most highly biased Class A amps...

Weaknesses:
Harsh and brittle topend, layed back midrange, almost cold sounding overall at loud levels and not as musical/involving as other amps, but at the price I'd take this over anyting I've heard under a grand. Great entry level amp, but once you get the bug and hear other amps this one goes on e-bay fast!

Similar Products Used:
Chiro, Adcom, Parasound, McIntosh, Rotel, NAD, B&K, Aragon, HK, Denon, few others way out of price range....