txsmoke

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Price Paid:  $100.00 from Craigslist

Summary:
Picked this up cheap on Craigslist. Relays are flaky, but when it's working, it is great. Been in contact with Parasound on a couple of occassions and support is excellent. If you can pick this up, do so. Very flexible and gobs of power. Very musical. Using to to run my center and surrounds (5 channel). Would be 5 stars except for the relay issue.

Strengths:
Flexibility and power. Cheap on used market.

Weaknesses:
Heavy, heavy heavy. But needed for the power it outputs.

Similar Products Used:
dbx BX-3 and mkII. BX-2. NAD 2200.

Price Paid:  $400.00 from Audiogon

Summary:
This is a great step up from receivers and at $400, a painless way to get into separates. I upgraded my system step by step, so I was able to see the differences each component made to the sound. The power amp ran through the same cheap speakers and cheap cd changer I had always used. Immediate superior sound on a completely different level-- bass extension that simply wasn't there before, much more subtle, natural and easy to listen-to high end. As I've upgraded the rest of the system, the amp is hanging with the improved speakers, pre-amp and cd player. I'm quite happy, although I find the amp can be noisy. Although specs can't tell you everything, I love the design philosophy behind the amp-- direct coupled, which means no caps in the signal path, big nasty transformer that can pull 30 amps peak, runs class A for the first bunch of watts and becomes push-pull when pushed harder. It gives me confidence I can run tough loads with the amp. Hey, come to think of it, I now use Totem Rokks with the amp, and I believe those are 4 ohm speakers and not very sensitive. Guess the specs do add up after all!

Strengths:
Power, smooth sound, flexibility to bridge 4 of the 6 channels or run several zones of speaker pairs.

Weaknesses:
I get noise through the center and surround channels when I'm listening to 2-channel music. It could very well be another link in my system, especially since my speaker cables, power cables and interconnects have to sit side by side. The amp is large & heavy, which is great for a power amp, but real world considerations mean it needs space and a solid enclosure, and it gets pretty warm.

Similar Products Used:
none.

Price Paid:  $500.00 from Sound Vision- Memphis, TN

Summary:
This is an outstanding six channel amp for the money, particularly at demo/used prices. It has proven to be quite reliable with a very good sound. It is sweet, though a touch bright, for music. Very good imaging and decent soundstage depth. The bass is good but a trifle on the polite side. It helps to bridge channels, use very efficient speakers or supplement the output with a subwoofer. In my current set up the amp drives NHT VS-2's to more than sane sound levels. I have bridged the center channel to improve dialog intelligibility. I use a NHT SW-3Pi (250 watt) powered sub system for the LFE channel.
The construction is first rate though it is heavy. The fins on the heat sinks are on the sharp side and should be handled with care.
As mentioned the unit can be bridged and allows for looping through on four of the six channels. Two independent zones (one with two stereo pairs, one with one pair) can easily be supported. Also with the advent of 6.1 surround, six channels are once again a good investment.

Strengths:
Clean sound, versatile connection and output options, build quality

Weaknesses:
Sound is a bit lean and bright

Similar Products Used:
Carver AV-405X, Rotel RB-985 Mk. I

Price Paid:  $450.00 from pawn shop

Summary:
I'm borrowing this amp while my bud is away in college, and it's an excellent piece. Not the best amp I've ever heard, but you'll never regret buying it. If you can find it on clearence or used somewhere, buy it up because it's very competitivly priced for what it offers.

Strengths:
-Clear, defined sound, no hum.
-Plenty of power for most people.
-Bridgable, can be used as passthrough, 6 channel setup for future home theater standards. Can be setup with the flick of a switch.
-Very solid build.
-Excellent price.

Weaknesses:
Great build quality = heavy.

Similar Products Used:
none

Summary:
This amp delivers a clean and detailed sound with more power than 90% of listeners will ever reqiure.My amp drives Arcam's 8 Cd Player through to B&W 603 speakers, a combination which delivers a very natural, full sound.
Well worth the money and the 5 !