Price Paid:  $525.00 from Local audio outlet

Summary:
This product as with all parasound products leaves much room for improvment. Dont get me wrong its not a bad amp but if you need HCC (High Current) to drive speakers that are a bit hungry for power, this amp would be a VERY poor choice and sadly its one of the better sounding amps Parasound ever made and by the way the HALO series is the sames basic design with a couple more output devices and a nice silver finish for say O three times the price for the same sonic performence. They basicly brought out the (CLASSIC SERIES) as a lesser quality product then brought in HALO as the upper end product and being built off shore its prettie spendy. All in all back to the 1500a its a nice amp to have as a backup in case you Krell or Conrad Johnson goes on the fritz but for magnepan or martin logan this amp just wont keep up.

Strengths:
Fairly nice sound stage price paid was fair but not worth the $1000.00 MSRP

Weaknesses:
Poor performence in low ohm loads

Similar Products Used:
Carver Hafler Adcom

Price Paid:  $575.00 from Local audio shop

Summary:
This amp like all parasound products leave much room for improvment dont get me wrong its a fair amp to have as a spare but I found in the case of magnepan this amp just wont cut it. It shut down from lack of current or HCC to put it short. It does ok on speaker that dont demand much power but this amp falls very short in that aspect. As far as the sound goes it is much nicer sounding then the HCA2200 of the HCA1000 But as with all parasound amps it is a bit laid back in the upper midrange (SLOW) For the money paid it is a good spare to have in the closet.

Strengths:
Easy on the $$

Weaknesses:
Mostly the company who produces them. Snobs!

Similar Products Used:
HAFLER P7000 (MUCH BETTER) CARVER M-1.0t

Price Paid:  $500.00 from good guys

Summary:
Just to share with everyone who is enjoying the HCA 1500A. I use the RCA out of the amp to send line level signal to my M&K subwoofer and oohh boy, does it make it articulate, fast,deep, and powerful. This is the way to go if you have a subwoofer - IT GOES WOOOOOFFFFFF big time. Enjoy.

Price Paid:  $700.00 from good guys

Summary:
This amp is good for the money there isn't TONS wrong with it. It's sort of smooth in the midrange (but it "can" be harsh at loud volumes but its not that bad). There isnt' TONS of detail but its sufficient. The soundstaging isn't that great but really, i'm comparing it to much more expensive amps. The very fact that I find no problem compairing this amp with units costing thousands more is a big compliment to this amplifier because it truly sounds like it should be somewhere within the realm of what it considered "audiophile" quality. It's cheaper smaller brother is a reccomended component in stereophile so this unit is truly respectable. If i only had a few hundred to spend and I needed some respectable power because my speakers aren't super sensitive this would be my first choice. It can also be upgraded by ModHi-FI.com which will greatly improve It's level of quality. Perfect for cheap good sound as would be required in a multi amp home stereo system or a housewide audio system. If this amp makes up your dedicated stereo system then don't fret. For the majority of people out there this unit is good enough, in fact this unit creams virtually any reciever. For a nice cheap setup with good resolution, try a cheap passive unit like the creek as a preamp for this amplifier. Most preamps in this price range are HORRIBLE and should not be used (like for instance the PHP-850) which robbs this amplifier of detail. But then again that may be desireable if you are hooking it to a cheap cd player that probably sounds harsh and digital.

Strengths:
GREAT for the money

Weaknesses:
When all is said and done it's still an inexpensive amp so it will not be the "best" you can get by far.

Similar Products Used:
lots

Price Paid:  $795.00 from Authentic Home Theat

Summary:
Outstanding build quality and performance. Midrange presence is excellent, treble is airy and free of grain. High current power supply ensures tight, deep bass and over-the-top dynamics. Background noise is non-existant and power is more than plentiful. You'd have to spend 5 times the money to improve upon this amps capabilities. Associated equipment:

Parasound P/HP-850 Preamp
Cambridge Audio D500SE CD Player
Pinnacle CGT speakers (bi-wired)
Audioquest interconnects
Audioquest speaker wire

Strengths:
Bang for the buck. Build quality and performance. Available power and current capacity.

Weaknesses:
None...at ANY price.

Similar Products Used:
Carver, NAD, Adcom