circuithead

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $740.00 from Ebay

Summary:
The bad you've heard is true. It runs kind of hot. It needs ventilation or a cooling fan. Also the binding posts kind of stink. I snapped one the other day. The posts are very close together and do not rotate. They are gold plated but the space is kind of small for thick wire. I am in the process of replacing them. That was a bit of a pain. This amp is all about its circuitry. It has a decent transformer, but the circuitry is what John Curl is about. In terms of price - not bad... Amps are expensive. The ATI 1505 is comaprable as is the Sherbourne and the Outlaw. any of those are going to sound good. Why do some amps costs thousnads of dollars? Because of the smooth hihg end. the Parasound does not have a smooth high end - but neither is it a Krell, Bryston or Mark Levison which all cost 4-6 times as much. This amp is solid if not overwhelming. It runs hot and has very poorly placed binding posts- if you need to run plugs go straight through the posts rather than through the side. It has a very good low end, decent mid and fair to poor high end. That's what you'd expect in this price range. Overall, better than any receiver you're going to get - may cause you to want to upgrade a couple years from now. Anyway I am pleased with this amp. Still can't figure how to work the 12V trigger that I'm trying to connect with my Lexicon DC-1 V.4.0 If you see this for under $700 than it is a good buy. What other 5 channel amp are you going to be able to get for that kind of bread?

Strengths:
Powerful Low end Price Quality product made in USA

Weaknesses:
High end but what do you expect?

Similar Products Used:
None - Used to have an old Kenwood receiver.

djxtasy

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $928.00 from Audio Advisor

Summary:
Purchased this b-stock model at Audio Advisor. Was very lucky, since I purchased their last parasound HCA 1205a b-stock model. I was very impressed with the overall cosmetic and the sound of the unit. This amp is rated at 140 watts X 5 channels, but this is more of a conservative value. The sound that this amp puts out is powerful, yet clean. This amp can definitely go up against many $2,000 - $3,000 amps and win!!! Not to many company I know is confident enough with their product to back it with a 10 year warranty. Keep in mind that this warranty is ONLY valid if you buy from an AUTHORIZED dealer. I have only three gripes with this unit. The first is that this unit tends to get hot, thus requiring an external cooling fan placement above the unit (I also have the Carver AV-705x, and with its deep heat sink, this unit always run cold). My second complaint is the placement of the rack handles. Traditionally rack handles have always been placed in front of units, I don't understand why parasound places theirs in the back. Lastly, the height of the unit is slightly larger in comparison to other HT amps, thus it may become a problem for some AV racks. Overall, this unit is an excellent amp and I wouldn't hesitate in buying another parasound amp.

Strengths:
Affordable Price, Strong Build, DC Trigger, Mute / delayed start up to prevent that dreaded "thump" sound, Overload sensing indicator, THX Certified, 10 Year Warranty. Excellent customer and tech support if ever needed.

Weaknesses:
Tends to get HOT, even at low volumes. (Will need to purchase a cooling fan). HEAVY!!! 12" deep (May not fit your AV rack). Rack handles placed in the back of the unit, instead of the front.

Similar Products Used:
Carver AV-705x.

Price Paid:  $900.00 from Sound Concept

Summary:
After the amp within my Marantz SR-8200 failed to meet the needs of my M&K speakers I began looking for outside amps to lessen the burden on the poor A/V receiver. Let's face it, driving 6 channels (at a nominal 4 ohms impedence each) at high volumes would be taxing for most receivers. Initially I ultilized two Audio Control amps to drive L/C/R and back channel. About 3 months ago I integrated the Parasound for the L/C/R and surrounds. The two Audio Control amps (each now bridged) drive my 6th and 7th channels respectively. My Marantz is now purely a pre-amp. I mention all this to show that I have tried several means of amplification with the same speakers in the same listening environment. The Parasound has so far performed flawslessly. It's operation is quiet and has no trouble handling the M&K's load even at sustained high volumes. It also seems to provide a warmer sound(but not rosy coloration) than the Marantz and Audio Control units. On a side note, if you're looking for a near bullet proof and affordable amp for multi-room applications look into Audio Control. They have no trouble maintaining stereo output into even a nominal 2 ohm load.

Strengths:
Clean, warm sound. Able to drive even difficult speaker loads.

Weaknesses:
19 inches is deep. It's something to mention ;-)

Price Paid:  $995.00 from Rabson's Audio

Summary:
I added the 1205A to my existing setup which consists of a Pioneer Elite VSX-39TX running as a pre/pro, along with a AMC 2100 stereo amp powering the rear center surrounds in a 7.1 channel set up. The 1205A exceeding my expectations for power, increased depth, clarity, and an increased sound stage. This amp has great lower end dynamics, and fair mid bass. I think it's presentation is pretty neutral as well. The unit was manufactured in 2002, and Parasound has added a toggle switch which when set to the " lift " position will help eliminate ground loop problems. I have no ground loop problems so I was unable to test this option out, however it is nice to see that Parasound has addressed it should you have the need. This is an attractive amp with stylish finish and great build quality. Hookup was a breeze, and the connection of the 12 volt DC trigger assembly was a snap. I bought a 12V AC to DC adaptor from Radio Shack, cut the end off, and connected to bare wires to the positive and ground connections on the rear of the 1205A while plugging the other end in to one of the switched outlets on my receiver. Overall a great unit for the price.

Strengths:
Price, sound quality, 12V DC Trigger, THX Ultra certification, 10 year warranty.

Weaknesses:
none

Price Paid:  $975.00 from uncles/reliable

Summary:
OK,If you are here,you want to know about this amp.First I should say I use the Denon 3802 as pre/pro,and Klipsch rf7,rc7,rs7,sunfire sub,Polk sub.I have been looking for 3 months,all over, for a $1500.00,or less amp.This amp was highly rated by almost everyone who tried it,so I thought its worth a try.Well, I can say it did NOT let me down,the first thing I noticed was much more power than the 3802.Also more everything,low's,highs,mids,much more dynamic,wide,the power is incredable for 140 watts,actual bench test at 157.777 watts.I was thinking I'll try it but I may need the 2205at,Wrong,this amp has all the power I need,and I do like to crank it up sometimes.One thing,High current amps are prone to ground problems from cable/sat,etc,when I first hooked it up,humming sound,I unhooked everything,left only 5 speakers hooked to amp,no more hum,then unhooked all from 3802,connected 3802 to amp ,no hum.When I started hooking up components all was good until the VCR,DSS,and the s video out of 3802 to tv,these all cause hum.I have not resolved ground problem,but it was not the 1205a,or 3802,and thats good news!Music is almost as good as live,movies are better than my local theater,I have heared 5k amps that made music/movies sound this good,but never a sub $1000.00 amp,so it is a giant killer for that reason.Check all the reviews,everywhere,you will see why this amp is such a deal!one more thing,I hooked up the 12v trigger via 12v converter plugged into rear of 3802,cut end,hooked two wires to amp,works perfect!

Strengths:
Build,sound,trigger very nice,

Weaknesses:
it ain't free,but its the most for the least with a warranty!

Similar Products Used:
Carver,adcom,no trigger,booo!