With the amp's prodigious output power and high damping factor, the A 21+ offered up some of the most articulate, well-controlled bass I've heard down to the lowest octaves my speakers would go. Parasound has been one of those brands that, although have a huge following, somehow gets overlooked. Everywhere you look across the audioscape, entropy has a way of tearing apart all that is good. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Anyone in the market for a stereo power amp would be well advised to consider the Parasound A 21+, especially those who believe that they must spend more." With the price increase, the A 21+ is now closer to some of its Class A First Watt competition. In other words, a tiny reduction means a lot to our ears. "The Parasound Halo A 21 and A 51 are top rate amplifiers at a great I currently run HP to Parasound A21 which power the Dalquist Ca2 modules. Gratis verzending. One of the biggest gripes owners had with the A 21's chassis was the plastic end caps found on the faceplate. Well respected companies whose founders have poured their lives work into the development of the highest quality sound equipment price themselves out of the market, or sell out to investors, or simply lack the chops it takes to push themselves to the next level. Each of these stages features its own independent power supply and, in John Curl fashion, a strong emphasis on reducing higher-order harmonics has been made in the amp's circuit design, which Curl deems as the most detrimental type of distortion for sound quality an amplifier can have. I cannot go out on a limb regardless of my excitement and say the A21+ preformed as a legitimate top-tier amplifier that easily caries its price tag can, but I can say it makes the difference a game of inches. As a previous long-time owner of the original A 21, I feel confident in saying the A 21+ does in fact sound similar. As good as the A 1 series is, for those who want something better Parasound has … When I reached out to Parasound for some answers to all of this I was pleasantly surprised when the President and CEO Richard Schram personally took the time to answer. When you consider all that's included in the price, the A 21+ continues the high value proposition of its predecessor. Take care to set up the rear of the A21+ before sliding it in place. These qualities were consistent using a swath of different loudspeakers too; Clear evidence that the A21+ is exceptional at handling the loads of just about any loudspeaker without issue. Curl also took a hard look at the A 21's circuit design and made several modifications, all aimed at improving performance and increasing sound quality. Home Theater Review Feb 2020 "With its high-quality chassis, thoughtful circuit design, and excellent sound quality, the A 21+ offers an impressive value proposition. Its replacement, the Halo A 21+, is priced a little higher at $2,995. Parasound Halo Integrated review: if you’re after one do-it-all amp, there are few better alternatives. This 20% output increase and eleven-pound greater heft over the A21 is thanks in part to a larger power supply. While this may not seem like much, whether having a relaxing Jazz listening session, or living through a dynamic orchestra piece that drops to a violin solo in pianissimo, I believe this class A power is largely responsible for the extremely black background and inner resolving power of the A21+. Both balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA inputs are available, with each channel still featuring its own independent gain control and RCA signal loop outputs. It is worth a mention that when using a DAC such as the Bricasti M1 directly driving the A21+, there is a long-term benefit to proper gain adjustment.   Â, It is difficult to pick out a handful of standout tracks on the A21+. Specifically, the A 21+ offers more impressive dynamics, a more accurate stereo image, wider stereo separation, and I heard more impressive control over my speakers' drivers on a regular basis. This is not the case with Parasound. Due to its design, the amp is always drawing power when turned on and needs to dissipate a lot of it as heat, so I suggest you place the amp in a well-ventilated area. Parasound however, pulled it off exceptionally. The former tried and true, untouchable value and staple of their product line, the A21, had set the bar for value vs. performance in both the HiFi and Professional audio worlds. "Parasound has chosen to take a staple core product that has remained an exceptional value for over fifteen years, the Halo A21 amplifier, and re-spin it into the Halo A21+," reports Michael Zisserson at positive-feedback.com. Parasound JC2 preamp $4495 - Stereophile Class A rated. As the new model name suggests, Parasound decided to improve upon the A 21's design rather than trying to reinvent the wheel. While six watts may not seem like much, that's enough power to drive all but the most inefficient speakers to reasonably high SPLs for the majority of music or movies you'll likely listen to. Unboxing the brute that sits in Parasound's top-teir, "Halo" line took my six-foot-three 245 pound frame everything it had. The Pragmatists at Parasound chose to re-spin the A21 amplifier into the A21+. It is easy to understand that 0.2 is greater than 0.1, yet those numbers are so small how could they possibly be significant? The Halo A21+ (moving forward just the A21+) is dense. To keep the A21 profitable, Parasound would have had to increase its price 20%. In fact, these are the same speaker terminals found on the company's more expensive JC 5 amplifier, though only a single pair of terminals is included per channel, so those looking to bi-wire their speakers will need to consider a different amp. Bass performance from the A 21+ is as good as I've heard from any amplifier near its price point and even competes with many amps costing far more. On the A21+, the experience was simply the best I have heard it. Small, but quintessential details like soundstage depth, focus, and texture seem to have received a significant boost. Parasound Halo A 21+ Stereo Amplifier Reviewed. The Halo A21+, is a keeper. The New First Watt SIT-3 Stereo Power Amplifier by Nelson Pass! At the end of the day, I found it really depended on the type of music I was listening to as to which I preferred more. The A 21+ utilizes JFETs for the input stage, a MOSFET driver stage, and uses 16 beta-matched bipolar transistors for its output stage. I haven't done the same review (Outlaw 100-watter vs the A51's 250) on my new speakers, but I'm happy to report that I love my new speakers (Focal BE 1027) and they have wowed everyone who has heard them. Parasound classifies the amp's topology as high-bias Class A/AB. Review after review, award after award seems to naturally follow a company who has put value without compromise first as defined by the very products they make. It is because percentages are linear while Decibels, the number that represents how far below the music the distortion is in sound intensity, also representative of how we actually hear, are logarithmic. As always this is a double edged sword. Speaking of: The new binding posts that are shared with their flagship stereo amp, the JC5, are fantastic. In comparison to the Halo A21 (A21 as we will know it) that normally resides in my equipment rack, the new embossed Parasound logo is very rich feeling when side-by-side with the glowing red plastic "P" on the A21. Parasound's products can be found in countless professional sound applications in studios such as Pixar, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Fox, and Sony Pictures... to name a few. I connected the Halo A 23+’s 12V trigger using the mono interconnect included with Parasound’s NewClassic 200 Pre preamplifier, also in for review, and set the A 23+ to turn itself on when the 200 Pre sent a trigger signal. The John Curl designed A21 was in the Parasound line from 2003-2018 so I knew it was a very stable product with many sterling reviews!! Wielding 71 pounds is certainly an achievable task however maneuvering it with attention to the heat-sinks, rear panel, front panel, and the realization that gravity is doing all it can to assure you a crushed foot becomes daunting. The Audio Note (UK) Oto Phono SE Signature Integrated Amplifier – An Affordable Masterpiece! Unrelenting quality and a focus on establishing the proper supply chains with strong business relationships allow these professional products to exist not at the top of some mountain, pushed up and away from music lovers everywhere, but in an attainable from that is available to all. As the Maak een luisterafspraak. 14 dagen lang gratis retourneren. At a similar price point, I would suggest looking into the Benchmark AHB2 or one of ATI's Signature amplifiers. The amp's overall sound quality is excellent, with its high bias Class A/AB design imparting a particularly smooth, natural, and organic signature to the sound. Alleen bij ons 5 jaar garantie! Note: Price changes effective January 1, … Richard from Parasound was also kind enough to explain that over its fifteen plus year tenure the A21 never saw a price increase while the cost of components has significantly risen. (woofer/tweeter are gold plate bridged) From the Sub out I run into An Emotiva XPA-200 which then run to the Dalquist W2 woofer bases. The move to improve it was risky, since it is usually difficult to de-throne a king without a total re-design of the kingdom.   Â. It is worth reading cover to cover. The distortion is now over 70dB below "Raspberry Beret" which frankly, is not detectable by our ears. A front-end that tilts from neutral, or was never paired with an amp capable of reproducing its anomalies could cause false blame to be applied to the A21+ if issues are heard when added into a system. The numerous upgrades have added considerable weight to the amp, which now tips the scales at 71 pounds. Parasound Halo A21 $2495 An excellent Class AB stereo transistor amp, designed by the redoubtable John Curl, capable of 250Wpc into 8 ohms (400 into 4 ohms). Power Output – Stereo Mode (0.06% THD) 160 watts x 2, 8Ω both channels driven 240 watts x Around back, Parasound has upgraded to CHK Infinium five-way speaker terminals, which feature higher-quality gold plating. Refinement is where the A21+ puts real distance from the A21. It's unlikely you'll find a pair of speakers the A 21+ struggles to power. All components in BOLD are loaned; all components in standard face are owned by me. The amp is still offered in both black and silver finish options, and although at first glance the chassis appears unchanged, a few upgrades have occurred there as well. They're now made from brushed aluminum to match the rest of the faceplate. Banana plugs are still welcome. Haal uw bestelling bij één van de 3 For me, this glint is a far more significant representation that there was more to the re-spin than raw power. Then as adults, we shoot into a really fast and hard ramp up the infinite list of … When used in pro-audio applications, those setting up and balancing such systems already know what to do. The A 21 amplifier is loaded with usable …  The remainder of the rear panel is intuitive and well laid out. This would mean the distortion would fall in the <0.03% typical range at this volume level. Since the increase in power over the A21 is akin to adding another cup of water to what is already a sizable lake, I was very titillated by the reduction in distortion over the A21 that was stated to have <0.2% THD at full power. The chassis is well built, however I lacked the availability of a gorilla to perform any real tests of its durability. It is very satisfying to forget I was listening through an absolute powerhouse and when I desired a light touch for delicate music, it was there. Moves the sound through the system with ease, power and fluid control. Diomede - Floor standing 4-way, dual 10" custom loudspeakers, Vegatrons - Floor standing 3-way 10" custom loudspeakers, Metals - Floor standing 3-way 8" custom loudspeakers, Tenacious 3 - Floor Standing 3-way dual 5" custom loudspeakers, RHTB - Stand Mounted 2.5-way dual 5" custom loudspeakers, "Esperanto Paralanto" - STand mounted 6.5" 2-way custom loudspeaker, Bricasti M1 DAC , Parasound Halo P6 Preamp/phono/DAC, Parasound Halo A21+ amplifier, Parasound Halo A21 amplifier, and Marantz SR7000 Reciever.Â. Selected the A21+ based on Kal’s review of the F228Be’s. 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Power Output – Stereo Mode (0.1% THD) 300 watts x 2, 8 Ω both channels driven 500 watts x 2, 4 Ω both channels driven Power Output – Bridged Mode (0.1% THD) 1000 watts x 1, 8 Ω Bridged 4 Ω operation is not recommended Wij zijn officieel Parasound dealer. The Bricasti M1 DAC/Network Player runs directly to the amp via balanced connections, whereas the Rega P1 Turntable runs through a Sunfire Reference Signature preamp and into the unbalanced connections. Parasound did a thorough job in writing the manual for the A21+. The LED notification lights cannot be dimmed or turned off when the amp is operating. Additional Resources• Visit the Parsound website for additional information.• Parasound Halo P 5 2.1-Channel Preamplifier Reviewed at HomeTheaterReview.com.• Parasound Announces HINT 6 Integrated Amplifier at HomeTheaterReview.com. Introduction to the Parasound Halo A 31 Power Amplifier Parasound has been making their Halo line of products for quite a few years now, but they are not one to make updates for the sake of change. With its high-quality chassis, thoughtful circuit design, and excellent sound quality, the A 21+ offers an impressive value proposition. After 15 years of devoted service, Parasound has retired its beloved Halo A 21 amplifier. It's also bulky in size, measuring in at 17.6 inches by 7.75 inches by 20 inches. Aside from layout changes, additional shielding was used throughout the input stage, and the internal connectors are now gold plated. But what, exactly, do you get for that extra coin? Those who prefer bare wire or spades will be thankful for the insulation and wings that allow for easy tightening. This was an acceptable difference seeing as the A21 is a power house and the MB 100 was all about refinement. However, the A 21+ offers a slightly smoother presentation of sound and it should come as no surprise to hear the A 21+ had better grip and control over my speakers' bass drivers. You'll automatically be entered in the HTR Sweepstakes, and get the hottest audio deals directly in your inbox. He tried the Classe amplifier which is a class D like the NAD and found the other 2 amps to be better match with the F228Be so I decided to go with the new Parasound Parasound has chosen to take a staple core product that has remained an exceptional value for over fifteen years, the Halo A21 amplifier, and re-spin it into the Halo A21+. Parasound has nothing to hide here as these are real numbers supported by A21+'s capability of delivering 60 amperes of current per channel, the ability to deliver this power through the amplifier's full band-width, and a low <0.1% Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) when driving the full audio band (20Hz - 20kHz) at rated power. The Power has been increased by 25-30% (both models feature new, more expensive transformers, filter capacitance in both cases has also increased 20-30%, and they both feature other improvements too). I received the A21+ in the silver finish which masks the gold accents a bit on the front panel but makes the unit no less handsome. Richard explained that the basic architecture and topology of the A21+ is similar to the A21, but not identical. It never lost its integrity and provided an awe-striking feel as an entire orchestra steps out of the way of a single instrument carrying the power, range, and impact of a single chord it took the whole orchestra to build. Thank you, Parasound, for making the blue channel indicator lights as well as the back-lit power button tasteful in intensity so they are not distracting. Both are excellent amplifiers in their own right. Parasound does not provide information on their use which is understandable since almost all pieces of home audio equipment run at output voltages where this matters little. But what, exactly, do you get for that extra coin? A full list of specifications can be found on Parasound's website by clicking HERE. While the A 21+ was here, I was able to compare it to my First Watt J2. "U Can't Hold No Groove…," and "Overjoyed" were exceptional in all aspects which allowed Victor's message to come through his 4-string and into every little hair on the back of my neck. It is no secret the A21, and now A21+ was designed by the legendary amplifier guru John Curl. The amp's overall sound quality is … It does soo many things excellently sound wise and for a very reasonable price. From that point onward, the amp switches over to Class AB operation. Not detectable by our ears on Kal’s review of the rear panel should set... 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