PS: Typical McGowan Sound? -- HCA-2 & Classic 250

To re-iterate one of my previous comments from another thread, the more a power cord helps a component out, the poorer the design of the power supply and filtration within the component itself.

As to the comments about "try it out at no risk for 30 days", i've got better things to do than rush out to buy / try EVERY product that Stereophile ( or any other mag for that matter ) raves about. Even the reviewer, who was basically responsible for placing the amp in Class A ranking, said that it was noticeably lean and forward sounding. Besides that, JA was pretty plain in stating what he found i.e. nothing impressive what-so-ever.

Combining the information provided by the two people responsible for this review, you end up with an amp that has an "anemic" warmth region with forward mids and a less than competent design ( as verified by the poor measurements in almost EVERY aspect ). This gives me all the info that i need to know. This amp does not sound good nor does it measure good. In effect, i would be wasting my time if i were to go out of my way to purchase this amp, install it into my system and listen to it for ANY amount of time. Call me biased, call me stupid, call me whatever, i really don't care.

As to whether i am any of the above, I must not be alone in my thoughts. I've seen more than a few of these units for sale. Evidently, the sonics must be just good enough to get past the 30 day free trial or the owners wouldn't be selling them so quickly after they bought them. If a product is truly as good as the hype, even the "flavour of the month club" members will hang onto it for more than a few issues of their favorite rag. These amps haven't been out for all that long and they are already populating the market in good quantity.

The funny thing is that, even though all of these comments were put into plain sight in the review, the amp was still placed in Class A. Evidently, reviewers & magazines don't mind telling you the truth up-front. That is, so long as they can lie to you at the end of the article or review to keep the manufacturer / advertiser happy. Sean
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A little qualifying is necessary regarding the number of units available for sale. On last check under the Audiogon classifieds- nine HCA-2s were listed with 8 being available (one sold). Five of those units listed were offered by dealers- the other three were through private hands. In two of the private cases, folks had to sell because they had the opportunity to purchase other units. All of this does not qualify for a failed amplifier design. The number of people who are satisfied with this amp is far greater than those who are not.

As far as Sean's comments about the power cord- most audio reviewers review their amps using any assortment of after market power cords. I am sure you do not use the stock cords that came with your equipment. Cables do make a difference. In the HCA-2's case, the power cord makes even more of a difference- however I have tested it using the standard power cord and have noted that the basic qualities of the amp (smoothness, grain-free sonics, extended treble, and tight bass) are still apparent. Now I am not one who is going to go about raving about any one equipment- but for the price- the HCA-2 is very hard to beat. Perhaps it may not be Stereophile "Class A"- but what does it matter? It is still a very fine amp and one that I along with many others can happily live with.

I can understand how you may question the poor test results in the measurements but like everything else- the choice is all yours. In general, PS Audio has a very solid reputation over the years- with excellent customer service and satisfaction. They are one of the few companies out there who actually listens to their clientele. In fact, there was much public input into the design of the HCA-2 amp as well as the forthcoming PCA-2 pre-amp. Their beta units are designed to bring in public feedback, and this kind of honesty has resulted in a higher level of quality control and assurance. If you have read other comments regarding the brightness of the amps and other supposed flaws, then it is obvious that you have not had the opportunity to personally hear it with your own ears. A good healthy debate is always welcome- JA's questioning of the rating is admirable but it takes nothing away from the fine performance of this amp.

I feel I am qualified to say this because I have burnt over 600 hours on this amp driving both ML Aerius's and Maggies 1.6 (two very hard speakers to drive) with astonishing results. I have played every type of music from 1812 to Bruckner, to Led Zeppelin at high volume and not once have this amp displayed any midbass weakness or glare. The sound was open, powerful and musical. I remembered playing this amp for six straight hours- feeding it nothing but bombastic orchestral music and never did it run out of steam, nor did I experience any listening fatigue. The amp upon touching it was barely warm- not even lukewarm! Can JA measure this? Can this be seen as a flaw? What irritates me the most is when people rely too much other opinions without making their assessments. Measurements in high-end audio is just that- measurements: numbers that are available and printed nicely on glossy brochures. Who is to say that a 24 bit DAC is better? Many older 20 bit DACs sounds more impressive. Who is to say SACD is the best new format? There are thousands of questions and comments in the world of audio. There are thousands more opinions. The beautiful thing about this hobby of ours is that we get to experiment with our own preferences. So just relax and enjoy the show. Remember- to read any review with a grain of salt. Your own (not others) ears should be the decisive judge- not JA, not Stereophile, not PS Audio, not Audio Review, not your friends, not me or other Audiogon inmates. If you find this amp is not for you then move on to something else.

In the end it is enjoying the music that matters most and for MY listening preferences, the HCA-2 amp makes music that much enjoyable.

Happy Listening

Zenaissance

Zenaissance, you are obviously a reasonable man, educated, open minded, and one who listens so he can find out if a certain piece of gear is going to please you. A reasonable person is hard to find these days. I found your posts to be very refreshing with out a hint of arrogance or the tired and boring ramble from those who like to hear themselves talk. I think it was Sam Tellig who said "ya gonna measure it or are ya gonna listen to it". I do not know this amp as well as you. As I stated in my post above, this is my Mothers amp. I set her system up for her. I was very surprised at how good this amp sounded. I know the Pass X 350 is an excellent amp in many peoples opinion. IMO, the HCA-2 sounded better in most areas. I have no reason to care if this amp is good, bad, great, or do I care a bit about how it measures. This was bought before this amp was reviewed. I own only tube gear. Bet it measures very bad also. Thank you for your thoughtful, informitive, sensible comments. Excellent posting!

"You can't trust the reviewers."

And you call me paranoid, Kevziek? Get real.

My response had nothing to do with my ownership and I could care less what you buy. My only point was why insinuate that the amp doesn't justify the hype when you haven't even heard it?

Your initial post is TRULY the typical audiophile response - can't possibly as good as many people say it is because Paul McGowans designs in the past have been, "An upfront, technicolor upper midrange & lower treble, some harmonic thinness, & a tight, but lean bass." Why be so cynical? It is a totally new design. None of the adjectives you use to describe McGowans past efforts remotely describes how my HCA-2 sounds in my sytem. (YMMV in your system)

Like you, I was initially skeptical of the HCA-2 and I doubted that I would keep it when I ordered it. But I decided to found out for myself rather than blather about a product I personally knew nothing about.

My point is, why try to cast aspersions on something you haven't even listened to. You would have a lot more credibility knocking something you have actually auditioned. But that is another typical audiophile response - sling *know-it-all* statements about something you haven't even heard.

Kevziek, I do find the following quote a bit strange in light of your rant in this thread about how poorly the HCA-2 measures:

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09-18-02: Author ?

"The accuracy thing bugs me. Nothing out there is accurate. Every amp presents a facsimile of the musical event, and none is true to it. Some of the SS people just want to push the "science" thing, but it's all for naught.

Again, measurements basically mean crap. I agree with Twl that this should have been discarded long ago. I remember all the older SS amps I had with 0.0001% distortion. They sounded like garbage.

The ultimate question is: which sounds more like real music being reproduced -- tubes or transistors? My experience tells me tubes, but I started this thread to see other's opinions, and I'm open to them. But let's not fool ourselves into thinking what we are listening to is accurate.....nothing is."

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Guess who's post that is? Yours.

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?aamps&1031724377&openusid&zzKevziek&4&5#Kevziek

So which is it Kevziek? Do measurements matter or in your own words do, "measurements basically mean crap"?

And again, based on your own words, should we even bother with measurements at all, "I agree with Twl that this (measurements) should have been discarded long ago."

Maybe I am wrong about your intentions in posting this thread to begin with and I appologize if I am. Only you know the truth and what your real motivations are.

Clearly, you are certainly entitled to your opinions, as contrary as they are to one another, but I think anyone reading this thread can now see why I felt like your initial post was a subtle attempt to bash the HCA-2.