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McCormack DNA 0.5 vs. Parasound HCA 2003

Hello, I've been using the DNA 0.5 for 6 years but recently bought some Vandersteen 3A Sigs and might be running into power problems. I like to listen at rather high volume levels but cannot because the system is too bright and the treble hurts my ears. I can trade about even up for a Parasound HCA 2003 which has 200wpc vs the 0.5's 100wpc. The preamp is a CJ Premier 14. Any thoughts? Thank you
irish_tim
irish_tim OP
55 posts
 
Thank you for your responses. The Vandy's were store demo models and I've owned them for 6 months so they should be broken in. I've turned the treble adjustment all of the way down and it makes no difference. They do not sound bright at low or moderate listening levels. Yes, the brightness is the only reason I think the amp may not have enough power, perhaps a goofy assumption but my audio dealer suggested that. I'll adjust the tilt and fire them straight ahead instead of the toe in I have now. I'm going to demo the Parasound but I believe McCormack amps are probably superior.
Sounds like you gentlemen would concur with that.
djohnson54
396 posts
 
Tim, I've not heard the Parasound but the McCormack is hard to beat in its price range. Another thought is that the Vandys are a more revealing speaker than most folks give them credit for. Your preamp is very good. I assume you were running the McCormack with it previously and liked the combination. Other variables are the cables that you are using and whether or not you are conditioning the power in any way. As your system becomes more revealing, these things start to matter.
soix
9,802 posts
 
This sounds very strange to me, especially since in my experience the 3A Sigs are not bright sounding speakers at all. What are you using for a front end and cables/interconnects? I'm almost wondering if there's something wrong with one of the components or the speakers. I'd try another amp just to see what happens and go from there, but something just doesn't seem right here.

Just out of curiosity, what speakers were you using before?
wig's avatar
wig
1,282 posts
 
I wouldn't say Vandies are bright. What cables are you using?
jebe1
75 posts
 
I haven't heard the 3A sigs in a while, but Richard Vandersteen has been continually modifying them without changing the model number. If your pair is less than one year old, it could have the same drivers as the 5A and would be more revealing than a pair of 3A sigs that are more than five years old.

What speaker cables, interconnects, and CD player are you using (or are you playing vinyl)?
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