I owned the Parasound A21 and I submit it's okay for the money. My problem was to my ears it was on the dark side of neutral and too many details were masked. The soundstage was relatively flat and limited front to back placement. I think better amps are more open and provide details that makes the music come alive.
Moving on from Parasound A21 (maybe?)
I'm currently using an A21 amp to power my Focal 1028 BE speakers and I don't quite feel the love anymore with my music. My system is modest, all solid state, and I'd like to keep it that way. I've been exploring stereo amps ($6K is the limit), but don't know how much of an improvement I can make. A
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Pass Labs X250.8 would be ideal if it wouldn't double as a space heater (operating temp is way too high), so I'm left dabbling with the unknown. The new Bryston 4B cubed has caught my eye, but it's too new to find any critical owner reviews. I'd greatly appreciate any ideas on a possible direction to take, if any, that would musically be a step up from my A21. Beyond my Focals, my system consists of: Simaudio Moon Neo 310LP phono preamp, Avid Diva II SP TT with SME 309 tonearm, AT-ART 9 MC cartridge, Bryston BCD-3 CD player, Parasound JC 2 BP preamp, and all of my ICs are Silver Resolution from Signal Cable (XLR wherever possible).
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sweetoldboy I've been down the Yellow Brick Road of power cords and outlets (Cardas grade copper), decent preamp (Parasound JC 2 BP), etc. The most dramatic positive change happened when I went from a Rega tonearm to SME. That was like a lightning strike. My TT is atop a 3" thick solid maple platform with Sorbothane feet which in turn is set atop a Solid Tech stand. That aspect of the system is "tuned" as far as I'll take it along with most everything else except the amp. This hobby is turning into buying/selling equipment instead of listening to music which is a path I didn't want to take. Until the spring thaw or a stock market crash, I'll probably be in search of the missing link amp. Then I'll call it a day. |
Hello professor, This is just my 2 cents. I know you are looking for different amp recommendations, but I have had some experience with Signal Cable ICs, just not the same ones you are currently using. TBH, they didn't stay with me long at all as they were not involving with very little detail. You may or may not want to look into some other ICs. Some of the best I have used were from Kubala Sosna and Purist Audio, but their "lower priced" models. For KS, the Fascinations; for Purist, the Aqueous Anniversary (don't know if this is made anymore). As always, YMMV, IMHO... Bill |
Hello professorsvsu, I own a Parasound Halo A-21 amplifier and I was going through an upgrade consideration, although for different reason, few months back. You can see this post going to my profile where you would get details about a list of Class A amplifiers that I shortlisted for the upgrade. I am using this amplifier for about 4 years and I didn’t experience any such issue (not revealing details consistently) with it. However I have noticed that if you remove the top hood of this amplifier it sounds much open, airy, more detailed and it runs a lot cooler too. I have cut a ply to the size of its hood and use that as a flexi-top-cover when I don’t listen to music. This is something you can try, doesn’t cost money, and see if you like the sound. I had replaced the 5 stock fuses that came with the amplifier and it also opened up the sound significantly. However the fuse upgrade was tricky because most of the details provided by aftermarket fuses came at the cost of making the sound bright. I had to change these fuses a couple of times to get a sound that was something I could live with. So I wouldn’t recommend this trick to anybody who like me doesn’t enjoy experimenting with audio tweaks. Hope this helps... Indranil |
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