mpearce38 Posted February 16, 2013 Posted February 16, 2013 (edited) Beautiful case. I'm assuming given the real estate is pretty full that there's no way to get a tuner card in it? Item:Parasound Halo A52 Power amp Location:Melbourne,Victoria Price:$1700 (firm) $1500 Item Condition:9/10 Reason for selling: Because I don't know when to quit Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only Extra Info The Halo series from Parasound has some what of cult status, being designed by the legendary John Curl. This amp puts out 30 amps of current which gives it performance beyound it power rating. I dare you to find a better built, better featured and better sounding 5 channel amp for this price (hence I'm firm at $1700) This is a beautifully warm and organic sounding amplifier. I bought it because it was the only amp that satisfied me musically while still providing 5 channels for surround sound. I had to think long and hard before I offered it for sale. It is great for low impedance or hard to drive speakers like PMC, ATC and Dynaudio which I have it running now. I have original box but this Amp is big and heavy so suggest local pick-up unless your willing to cover cost of shipping. I'll post some HQ pics soon Edited February 21, 2013 by mpearce38
mpearce38 Posted February 17, 2013 Author Posted February 17, 2013 How does it compare to the Elektra amps? I have not demo'd any Elektra gear but it gets very good reviews so one you should definitely demo. With my own experience when I was looking for an amp I really wanted something that was musical as this is where 90% of my audio enjoyment comers from, but with so much music now in surround I wanted surround sound. I find that too often 5 or 7 channel amplifiers which are designed for HT are too cold and lack mid range definition and warmth which is bad for music. I had Yamaha then Denon which was a little better them Anthem which was more detailed then Denon but colder (ARC however is a revelation and keeps me using it as a processor) My speakers (Dynaudio) are know to be very transparaent and also hard to drive so I really needed an amp that had a nice musical sound and plenty of current. The Halo line was designed by John Curl, he has an Audio engineering back ground and worked on a lot of concert sound systems so I figured his designs would be biased towards music Also the amplifier is actually a derivative from a two channel unit specifically designed for music. I had also heard that Dynaudio had used the Halo gear to drive their speakers at CES that year. If it's good enough for them its good enough for me. I took the plunge and have been very very happy. it is beautifully musical with huge detail and warmth especially on vocals. I find this character great for movies too as voices are rich and detailed, watch anything with Morgan Freedman and you'll see why he is made to narrate so much :-). The amp is also built around a massive power supply and has heaps in reserve which is great when watching transformers and power speakers which need a lot of current. Google John Curl and you should get some insight into the mindset of the Halo Range If your in Melbourne I'd be happy to demo
lonewolf Posted February 17, 2013 Posted February 17, 2013 Sadly I am in sydney, I know I know, everything good is always in Melbourne ... I actually have a couple of Elektras, and hence was trying to figure out if this would be an upgrade or more of a sideways step i guess. Its a tough one, probably depends on speakers and the like too..
mpearce38 Posted February 17, 2013 Author Posted February 17, 2013 What model amps do you currently own I've heard the HD is better then the predecessors but both are light on bass? As I said I have never heard them and so much depends on speakers and source equipment and personal taste as I'm finding out. What speakers + Preamp are you are you running? might be able to offer some input feel free to pm me if you prefer I tried a Bryston 4B ST in my set-up and didn't hear any improvement The Bryson I felt lost a little of the magic and though very clean felt a little dry. I have decided to go for Bel Canto monoblocks if I sell the Parasound as it is the only upgrade I think I'll be happy with for at least if they don't sound as good the power saving will help me sleep at night :-) I've been playing with my system for 4 years now and the amp is the only component I've never felt was holding me back and the last remain bit of kit I haven't changed so thought I'd try something new for kicks.
lonewolf Posted February 18, 2013 Posted February 18, 2013 I think my Elektras are close to the original models. I believe they are around the 2004 mark era. not that much changed between them except for a bit more power till the HD version came out. My speakers are Equinox Audio Perigees and also Def Tech BP7001SC. My Preamps is a Cary Cinema 11a.
mpearce38 Posted February 18, 2013 Author Posted February 18, 2013 Nice Kit, Halo should be a great match for the Cinema 11a, i was looking at one before I purchased the Anthem and many people use the Cary / Parasound combination. I think you should see an improvement using the Parasound as you should have a little bit more power and probably a little more refined in the upper frequencies with a more rounded bass. Check out this thread for some opinions on Parasound hope it helps If you are interested let me know and I can work out a price including shipping I have the original box and packaging it is very heavy though so will need to go via courier Right now I'm watching invictus off free to air and enjoying Morgan Freedman with a south african accent LOL
lonewolf Posted February 18, 2013 Posted February 18, 2013 Hey dude Which thread did you want me to check out?
mpearce38 Posted February 18, 2013 Author Posted February 18, 2013 http://www.avsforum.com/t/1430465/marantz-sr6006-vs-parasound-a52-vs-emotiva-xpa-5
mpearce38 Posted February 18, 2013 Author Posted February 18, 2013 http://www.hometheatersound.com/equipment/parasound_a52.htm
mpearce38 Posted February 25, 2013 Author Posted February 25, 2013 (edited) Final Price drop $1380 if it doesn't sell at this price I give up. Edited February 25, 2013 by mpearce38 1
Skasey Posted February 26, 2013 Posted February 26, 2013 I'm really surprised that no-one has grabbed this, if it was an A51 I would have acted straight away, I am currently running a 250W stereo power amp and found a massive change over the 130W HT Receiver alone. What type of Dyns do you have, intereested to know so as to compare with my current floorstanders.
mpearce38 Posted February 26, 2013 Author Posted February 26, 2013 <blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="Skasey" data-cid="850752" data-time="1361876128"><p> I'm really surprised that no-one has grabbed this, if it was an A51 I would have acted straight away, I am currently running a 250W stereo power amp and found a massive change over the 130W HT Receiver alone. What type of Dyns do you have, intereested to know so as to compare with my current floorstanders.</p></blockquote>
mpearce38 Posted February 26, 2013 Author Posted February 26, 2013 (edited) I was running x32 and now running focus 140. This amp drove both of them very well. I've just loaned a pair of usher be718, wow these are a very impressive speaker not as taught in the bass as the 140 but overall I preferred the sound more forgiving and lush.. The a52 drove these to above average levels and I don't mind a bit of volume. Just watched transformers with the 718 which were also providing a phantom centre channel as well as left & right, I was only going to watch 1 scene but ended up watching the whole thing! Its as good as my room has sounded so far. If you have a mid to small room (mine is 4x5m) this amp / speaker combo rocks! Edited February 26, 2013 by mpearce38
mpearce38 Posted February 27, 2013 Author Posted February 27, 2013 (edited) now on ebay http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Parasound-Halo-A52-5-Channel-Poweramp-/281070193838?pt=AU_Electronics_Audio_Amplifiers&hash=item417116ccae&_uhb=1#ht_500wt_1204 Edited February 27, 2013 by mpearce38
cheesehead Posted February 27, 2013 Posted February 27, 2013 I was running x32 and now running focus 140. This amp drove both of them very well. I've just loaned a pair of usher be718, wow these are a very impressive speaker not as taught in the bass as the 140 but overall I preferred the sound more forgiving and lush.. The a52 drove these to above average levels and I don't mind a bit of volume. Just watched transformers with the 718 which were also providing a phantom centre channel as well as left & right, I was only going to watch 1 scene but ended up watching the whole thing! Its as good as my room has sounded so far. If you have a mid to small room (mine is 4x5m) this amp / speaker combo rocks! +1 Big fan of the 718s, I have a pair with the DMD tweeters and the matching centre. I'd love the amp actually but have just bought a house, long story but has really nice polished floors and cabling is a scary thought so thinking of going wireless rears maybe with the XEOs so just can't justify the amp.. GLWS Cheese
mpearce38 Posted February 27, 2013 Author Posted February 27, 2013 (edited) Hi Cheese, The DMD is what I'm listening to now and seriously thinking of getting a pair. I have to give them back on the weekend but may turn off the lights and pretend no one is home when my mate comes to pick them up I tend to relax a bit more with the 718 they are more forgiving with mediocre recordings without giving up any detail, remind me a lot of my grado headphones, with my dyns I'm always picking out the faults with the recording and it get distracting starting to feel like the dyns are too honest. The real question is whats a step up from the BE718. What amp are you running yours with? I think they sound awesome with the A52 but heard the more power you give these speakers the better they get. I have the A52 on ebay don't really want to sell it but I'm not using 3 of 5 channels so going to waste. figure I could always hang out for a A21 and also would like to demo class D. Edited February 27, 2013 by mpearce38
krebetman Posted February 27, 2013 Posted February 27, 2013 Hi Cheese, The DMD is what I'm listening to now and seriously thinking of getting a pair. I have to give them back on the weekend but may turn off the lights and pretend no one is home when my mate comes to pick them up I tend to relax a bit more with the 718 they are more forgiving with mediocre recordings without giving up any detail, remind me a lot of my grado headphones, with my dyns I'm always picking out the faults with the recording and it get distracting starting to feel like the dyns are too honest. The real question is whats a step up from the BE718. . Maybe the forthcoming mini-x? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
cheesehead Posted February 28, 2013 Posted February 28, 2013 Hi Cheese, The DMD is what I'm listening to now and seriously thinking of getting a pair. I have to give them back on the weekend but may turn off the lights and pretend no one is home when my mate comes to pick them up I tend to relax a bit more with the 718 they are more forgiving with mediocre recordings without giving up any detail, remind me a lot of my grado headphones, with my dyns I'm always picking out the faults with the recording and it get distracting starting to feel like the dyns are too honest. The real question is whats a step up from the BE718. What amp are you running yours with? I think they sound awesome with the A52 but heard the more power you give these speakers the better they get. I have the A52 on ebay don't really want to sell it but I'm not using 3 of 5 channels so going to waste. figure I could always hang out for a A21 and also would like to demo class D. I'm currently running the fronts with a HK 990 2 ch amp. (rated at 150w into 8 ohms) I've only had limited 2ch experience, this combination and also some time running them with Audiolab mono blocks and the NAD M51 as a dac/pre. I can't really compare the two fairly as the speakers were on the matching Usher stands with the 990 and on a timber av unit with the mono blocks, not ideal Use to run them with onk 875 receiver, not bad but with the 990 better overall control, improvements in imaging and soundstage, cleaner highs, lots of detail, lot more nuances with vocals and impressive bass response for their size. When integrated with a sub using the 990, about 40 hz crossover, speakers came even more into their own. As you say have also read that they are apparently excellent with class D, would love to have a crack with W4S sx1000s one day...
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