2. amps-preamps
  3. 148006-93722

Power Amp advice

I am looking for advice on a power amp to drive my Magnepan 1.7i's.  My source is my Cambridge Network player which I use to stream Tidal.  My preamp is Tube unit: Transcend 6SN7 Line Stage by Aric Audio.  My current amp is a Parasound HCA2200.  The Parasound has lately developed an annoying hum.  I was thinking of getting it repaired, but thought that now might be a good time to upgrade that 30 year old piece.

I was looking for advice on a good match for the preamp/speaker combination.  My budget is around $2,000.  I don't mind buying used.  I was thinking to go with tubes, but I fear that any tube amp with enough oomph to properly drive those Maggies would be well outside of my budget.

Discussions here are always thoughtful, so I am looking forward to what you folks have to share.

Thanks,
Mark 
128x128markainsworth
mrdecibel
2,942 posts
 
Usually when an amp hums, it is because it forgot the words, lol. Anything change recently in your set up that can cause the hum ? Have you added any light dimmers, etc. Try a cheater plug, or try plugging the 2200 into a different electrical outlet. See if a different combination ( try a different set of tubes in Aric ) eliminates the hum. Do you have a source with its own volume control to bypass the Aric? If you have done all this and know it is the amp, read through these pages, as you will get several different opinions from several different people. Parasound A21, Odyssey Stratos, a Bryston, and the list will go on and on and on. But with time, they will all be here shortly, as you have requested. Enjoy ! MrD.
markainsworth's avatar
markainsworth OP
92 posts
 
Thanks, MrD.  There has been no change that I can think of, but I will move the beast around to see if changing outlets / circuit makes a difference.
My tendency is to just leave it on and one morning I woke to it singing. (sans words)

I have been on Hifi Shark looking at a couple of units:  A pair of Bryston 7B ST monoblocks and a Pass Labs 250.5 Both around $2,200 U.S.
rikkipuu's avatar
rikkipuu
244 posts
 
Personally I went from a beastly class D to a Pass XA60.8 for my 3.7i's.  The sound is sweet as long as I dont play LOUD.  My room is over 500 square feet.  Quality over quantity every time.
I found this at the review below, maybe you can save the Parasound.
http://www.audioreview.com/product/amplification/amplifiers/parasound/hca-2200ii.html
[May 17, 2007]greasemonkeyAudioPhile
STRENGTH:

The amp delivers a powerful and clear sound. It is only seconded only by my favorite amp the BA-5000 from Sansui. Great design carried out with quality components.

WEAKNESS:

The initial hum caused by a floating ground condition.

I picked up a HCA-2200 II from ebay a few years ago. I also had the same problem with a 60 cycle hum which came out of one channel only. I decided to explore the problem internally after trying the ungrounded plug adaptor trick which only minimized the hum slightly. What I found was that almost every screw either internally but especially externally in the case was loose. They were loose enough that you could turn them by hand. So, I checked each fastener and tightened down every loose one. That one thing eliminated the hum completely. I could only guess that the problem was from a floating ground condition. I can only surmise that the fasteners were not torqued down to a reasonable amount during assembly at the factory and over the years they continued to back out by themselves due to vibration.
Post removed 
markainsworth's avatar
markainsworth OP
92 posts
 
Thanks anzaanimalclinic. The folks at audioreview all said the amp hummed when they received it. Mine was absolutely silent for a year (I bought it used on e-bay for $400). I will give the cheater plug treatment a try even though that seems wrong to me. Maybe that emulates ’floating’ the signal ground.

BTW I have had the top off so all of the exterior screws are tight.


More to discover