Anthem MCA5-II (1 Viewer)

[DaleV]

Anyone here using this amp? Thoughts? How does it compare to the Parasound or Sherbourn 5/1500? I'm using one now but have not been able to hear one of the others. My dealer wants $1499 + tax with no discount for the Anthem. Unfortunately I have to go all the way to Houston to listen to one of the others. Any comments would be appreciated. Right now I am using this amp with Polk speakers but in the future would like to upgrade to Paradigm Studio 40's,Studio Center and Studio 20's for the rear.Thanks.

 

[Evan S]

Dale, I have the MCA5-II mated with Paradigm 40's in the front and 20's in the back. I'm presently without a pre/pro for another 10 days or so, so my experience with the amp hooked up directly to the CD player (my 10 year old model no less), is very limited.

This is what I'm going on based on my limited experience and word of mouth on the forums. I have heard people express that the Anthem/Paradigm combo is either stunning or bright depending on who you talk to. My one week hook up experience is that it depends on the recording but I did experience some instances where I would consider the music to be a tad on the forward side. With that being said, the amp definately hasn't burned in yet and when I did the audition, the speakers weren't fully broken in either, so take EVERYTHING I SAY with a grain of salt. I can post with much better experience back on this thread in two weeks time with a more representative sample.

With that being said, I have heard great things about the Parasound/Paradigm combo. Parasound amps tend to be slightly "warmer" which is a good combo with the Paradigm's metal dome tweeters. I have no experience with the Sherbourne amp, but have heard it's a tank...with 5 individual power supplies. Basically it's 5 monoblocks in one chassis.

Either way, that price your dealer is quoting you for the MCA-5 is out of this world ridiculous. One of the benefits to that amp is a performance/price ratio because you can find it at many dealers for close to a grand, especially now that Sonic Frontiers has come out with the MCA 50/30/20 line which improves performance and should knock the price of the previous line down some. I would definately shop around a bit more for a better deal on the 5.

I'll report back more in 10 days when I get my pre/amp and can really give the Anthem a run for it's money on NOW fully broken in speakers (which have recessed the highs significantly from my previous trials).

 

[DaleV]

Okay, its off to Houston I go. Now to find someone in Houston who sells the Sherbourn and Parasound models. Anyone here from the Houston,Baytown area have any ideas or prices on the Parasound HCA2205 or the Sherbourn 5/1500 and from whom to buy. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[John Tompkins]

You can get the parasound 2205 brand new for 1599.00 at superaudiovideo.com and I have seen the sherbourn on the net new from a dealer for 1399.00. Where escapes me right now.

The Anthem can be found on the net new for around 1100.00