So it seems like all things considered the general opinion is A51 is the better amp, even though its 18 years older in design? The MCA 525s input sensitivity is 1.5Vrms and voltage gain is 29dB, which is fairly typical for power amplifiers of its kind. The No. I tested the MCA 525 connected via XLR to the AVM 90 that I had in for evaluation at the time. Hope many more users of these amps will chime in and provide their thoughts. amps-preamps 154516-93863 McIntosh 255 vs Parasound Halo A51 vs Anthem MCA 525 Looking to replace my Yamaha MX-A5000 with one of the above 5 Channel Amplifiers. I don't care about footprint and I don't believe that the sound is better. It will be here sometime next week. Either is a good choice though. "Let our rigorous testing and reviews be your guidelines to A/V equipment not marketing slogans", Get our latest product reviews and AV stories emailed to you weekly. So, for the first 8 Watts of power, which exceeds the typical average power requirements for music, the output transistors are always on. More JTR? You are using an out of date browser. Add to cart. It is a slightly more capable amp it seems. Im going to go out on a limb and say there probably isnt much in existence that is a true upgrade to the Parasound A51. 5-channel power amplifier; 225 watts per channel continuous power into 8 ohms. But also that calculation of 95 decibels, is that with certain frequencies? The JBL Studio 590 floorstanding loudspeaker brings professional-quality sound to the home experience. Parasound has a great name but with my AVM-708k this should be a perfect match. The 2205 has almost twice as large of a Toroidal Transformer (2.0 versus 1.2) and almost triple the Filter Capacitance (150,000uf versus 60,000) as the XPA-5. Yup. Sounds lateral and a waste of money to me. The Parasound sounded more resolving with better details than the Rotel RMB-1585. Pro amps are often capable of 2 ohm, it's a bit unusual in consumer amps, tho. Available in 5, 3, and 2-channel configurations, these new MCA amplifiers feature more robust and efficient power and heavy-duty reliability. They really are nice, with no sign of wobble or flimsiness. Lots of other choices if youre thinking about buying one but if youve already got it and it functions well leave it to your kids when you die! "Let our rigorous testing and reviews be your guidelines to A/V equipment not marketing slogans", Get our latest product reviews and AV stories emailed to you weekly. So 180W of Anthem should be good. Do you find them fatiguing? I'm a lover of the tube hybrids from Anthem as they are just fun to listen to and enjoy..Parasound is all about brutality and power. Anthem MCA 225 (Gen 2) 2-Channel Power Amplifier. Its easy to fool yourself into thinking expensive amps do magical things with the sound in some mysterious way. I'll give you fifty bucks. The A51 has better damping factor, but the Anthem has better SNR. Anthem MCA 325 (Gen 2) 3-Channel Power Amplifier. The benefits that I perceive is a tad warmer sound and a slightly better mid and low end. Dead quiet, tons of headroom, superior driver control all make for a very tidy sound and it enabled me to start getting my AC infinity fans out of my rack. However, having separate Pre and Power usually leads to positive result. So yeah, no idea which is better! Hard to say, I can think of the following spec highlights for comparison, and you'll be the judge: Ah man Peng, major thanks for a detailed replied, that must of taken you a while to type up and research, I would buy you a drink if I could. The amps on your list are very good ones and you probably wouldn't go wrong with any of them, however, I would recommend looking at the Rotel RMB 1585, big brother to mine, 5 channel though, but a monster for a great price. .120 dB Vs A51's 112 dB IHF A-weighted (Note: no idea what IHF is, probably an old standard, so this may be be an apples to apples comparison). It may not display this or other websites correctly. I've got both and love them both. Its worth pausing here briefly to note the quality of the binding posts. I'd put the old Anthem amps (with the exception of the tubed input stage hybrid design) more on par with Rotel during the time period they were built than Parasound, meaning a slight notch below Parasound's HCA series in build and sound quality. The speakers I'm looking to power are 4 ohms with compression driver if that makes any difference, JTR to be exact. it speaks of thoughtful craftsmanship. I rode the volume dial up a few notches during the scene in Ready Player One and was at once deeply impressed by the clarity of the MCA 525 and AVM 90 combo, yet also terrified by the dynamic transients and raw power on tap. McIntosh 255 vs Parasound Halo A51 vs Anthem MCA 525, The world's largest high-end audio community. For evaluation I used the same demo material that Id listened to during my testing of the AVM 90 with my Hypex NCore-based amplifiers. There is, however, a but as 3,895 is a sizable wad of cash for a five-channel amplifier. Looking to replace my Yamaha MX-A5000 with one of the above 5 Channel Amplifiers. AVForums.com is owned and operated by M2N Limited, I don't want to introduce harshness to the mix at all. Again, the likes of P5 are real deals when it comes to high current, but they are electronic dinosaurs. Parasound Halo A51 5 Channel Power Amplifier. JavaScript is disabled. $6,595. Some say they don't build amps like they used to, but technology has improved exponentially over time too. The overall dimensions are (H x W x D) 169mm, 438mm, 460mm. This second generation of MCA multi-channel Class A/B power amplifiers builds on that reputation, although represents a complete ground-up redesign of the forgoing MCA series. I was thinking of the pro-style compression drivers with extreme sensitivity. Because of living overseas everything is at a premium so want as much information I can get before making a decision. Look at Anthems AVM60. The Emotiva XPA-11 Gen3 11-channel power amplifier brings plenty of American muscle to your system thanks to the company's modular design and SMPS technology. Nothing here anymore Toss Up, never heard a product from either company that did not sound excellent, sorry, but, well, OK if really pressed, Anthem, just because they make some excellent tube gear. Parasound on the other hand claims the A51 is capable of 60A 5 channels continuously. The Anthem Mca 225 has a power output of 225 watts per channel, while the Parasound A21 has a power output of 250 watts per channel. Great post, looking at the Emotiva, Anthem and ATI two-channel amps myself. The sensitivity does vary with frequency (and sensitivity measurements don't generally include lower bass), and lower frequencies could well demand a bit more power. I currently have and will use the Yamaha CX-A5100 Processor. Looking to replace my Yamaha MX-A5000 with one of the above 5 Channel Amplifiers. I was using a Parasound A52+ for my 5 base channels and recently went to NAD C298 for my LR channels (I also playback all 2CH music via analog path as described above) and I really like the NAD. I would, however, be remiss not to point out that, as astonishingly good as the Anthem sounded in my system, its sonic performance was indistinguishable from that of my Hypex NCore amps. I currently have the following system in my home theater: Near Philly. Feb 23, 2016. The new MCAs are intended to partner either of the superb new AVM processors: the AVM 70 or AVM 90. In addition, compression drivers aren't made for residential use. I'd try hooking the center channel output of the receiver to a different (known good) channel on your amplifier. Planning on using dual Captivator 2400s. Quick view Parasound Halo A52+ 5 Channel Power Amplifier. But that had no audible bearing on sound quality. Speakers? The new Anthem MCA amps all have identical amp boards for every channel. So. . Have an anthem MCA5 and have an issue with the centre channel right now where the dialogue for movie watching is choppy and cuts in and out when hooked up to my receiver but the same center speaker when hooked up to just the receiver never has that issue at all. it did lead me to question the value proposition of the MCA 525. It might be ok for folks who mostly watch movies, but I spend 90% listening to music, so sound quality is #1 priority for me. I currently have and will use the Yamaha CX-A5100 Processor. Parasound Model 2250 v.2 Two Channel Power Amplifier Review, Storm Audio PA 16 MK2 16-Channel Power Amplifier Review, Yamaha MX-A5200 11-Channel Power Amplifier Review, Emotiva XPA-11 Gen3 11-Channel Power Amplifier Review, Samsung launches its 2023 Q-Series soundbar range in the UK, XGIMI announces new MoGo 2 and MoGo 2 Pro portable projectors, Onkyo announces new flagship TX-RZ70 AV receiver, BenQ set for UK launch of its GP500 4K LED projector. I think the closest company to me that I really care about is VPI but I can never find it when I used to travel to that area. It seems a trivial thing to note, but I always find it reassuring when I see good quality binding posts; it speaks of thoughtful craftsmanship. . These make use of 8 high-current bipolar output transistors per channel! For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Along with monitoring the internal temperature, Anthems Advanced Load Monitoring technology will also monitor current and voltage to shut down affected channels under clipping conditions, thereby protecting both the amplifier and any speakers attached to it. This is a good thing in my book, as Im a big fan of the understated elegance of Anthems new design language. The A51 weighs more and is Class A / AB. As long as this amplifier isn't expected to perform to the level of a $2000 plus amp and you don't demand high volume from tough-to-drive speakers, this is a wonderful amp. JavaScript is disabled. If its available in a month or two Ill probably be interested. I voted for Anthem because its the cheaper of the 2 options. Of the three, go with the Parasound A51 to match with the Studios.. Having owned several Paradigm speakers and Parasound amps in different configurations, they are a near perfect match. Any input? 225 W . Really looking to compare something like the MCA-2 or MCA-20 to the HCA-1500a or HCA-2200ii. It is a beautiful, muscle car of an amplifier, with sports car engineering. The latest MCA Power Amplifiers are available in two (MCA 225), three (MCA 325) and five (MCA 525) channel configurations and are designed to be a perfect match for the AVM 70 and AVM 90 AV Processors both sonically and aesthetically. The Anthem MCA 525 Gen 2 tested here is the five-channel model in a new line-up that includes the three-channel MCA 325 Gen 2 and two-channel MCA 225 Gen 2. 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