Parasound HCA 2205a In the Rack (1 Viewer)

[Trevor Schell]

Hi!,
I had been auditioning the Parasound HCA 2205a (5ch X 220 watts) 5 channel amplifier. I now have decided to keep it as a permenent workhorse in my system.
I have it configured in such a way that the Parasound amp has two channels dedicated to driving each of my Paradigm Studio 100 speakers. So that is 2 channels at 220 watts each to drive each speaker.(Bi-amp configuration) A total of 4 channels and 880 watts to drive the pair. The last channel of the Parasound is now driving the center CC to keep my front soundstage tonally accurate. This configuration leaves the Denon 5800 to drive only the 4 ADP's for the rear surround feild in my E/X set-up which has sonically improved this area as the Denon does not have to stress its entire power supply...
This kind of power from the Parasound Bi-amped is exactly what the Studio 100's needed. The 170 watts X 2 of the Denon 5800 was not enough to bring out the potential of these speakers. The Parasound has brought these speakers out of their"SCHELL".
I would think the Bi-amping,High Current (60 amperes per channel )and power supply of the Parasound most likely make the difference.
The clarity is incredible. Imaging is excellent. Soundstage is massive. The mid bass really shines on these and has brought them to a new dynamic level.
Two channel music in Pure direct is astonishing.

This is one upgrade that has made a very significant difference to my system.
'Very pleased' is all I can say at the moment as I did not expect this sort of improvement.
Thanks,

Notice that my RACK is now 6 feet tall.
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Trevor
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[Edited last by Trevor Schell on July 29, 2001 at 06:57 AM]

 

[Chip E]

Nice addition Trevor.. That's one SWEET looking amp. Glad your keeping it! Enjoy it!
- Chip
Mit's 46807
B&K AVR-307
Dish 6000 receiver
Sony 9K dvd player
Sony M-333ES mega changer
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PSB Stratus Silveri main's
PSB Stratus C6i CC
Infinity QPS1 surround's (I ordered "Image 10S's yesterday!)
SVS 20-39PC
Pronto
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[John H]

Trevor,
Did you try driving your Studio 100's with 2 channels of the 2205 for comparison? Or did you start with passive biamplification?
I have experimented with passive biamplification when I used Def Tech BP2000's as mains. I used a 2205 to drive the mid/bass and an Anthem MC-3 (after checking voltage gain was compatable) to drive the tweeters. Thier internal amps drove the subwoofer sections. Basically they were tri amplified.
What type of rack are you using that will support 95 lbs on the top shelf?

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[Edited last by John H on July 26, 2001 at 06:45 AM]

 

[Jay Mitchosky]

Cool. I would offer two suggestions:

• Experiment with the 5800 continuing to run the center channel. That beast still has lots of reserves, particularly now that you've freed it from the running the mains (which when set Large tax the system even more). The surrounds are relatively inactive compared to the center and as such will impact CC performance relatively little. Meanwhile the vacant channel of the Parasound will free up some more power to the other sections driving the Studio 100s. I'm not sure if that spec of 5x220W is for all channels driven. The tonal character between Denon & Parasound is quite similar so you should still maintain consistency. And the very act of positioning (by necessity) the center channel at a level higher than the mains will change the tonal balance anyway.
• Relocate (easier said than done) the Parasound to a lower position on the rack. I can understand your desire to keep it at the top from a heat perspective. But an amp that big and heavy at the top of free 6' free standing rack could be dangerous.

Looking forward to checking out the new configuration when I'm in town next. And remember (knowing that you're a self-proclaimed "plug and play guy": you will need to rebalance your channel levels.
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--Jay
"No one can hear when you're screaming in digital."
My Home Theatre Pictures...
"You're no mesiah. You're, you're a movie of the week. You're a ... t-shirt, at best."
[Edited last by Jay Mitchosky on July 26, 2001 at 07:06 AM]

 

[John H]

I'm not sure if that spec of 5x220W is for all channels driven.

Manufactures Ratings:
Continuous Power Output - Each Channel: 220 watts RMS x 5, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 8 ohms, all channels driven; 300 watts RMS x 5, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 4 ohms, all channels driven
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[RobertW]

yes, details on the rack, please. it looks like a sanus, but with black support columns rather than chrome.
that's about my reaction when i fired up the 1500a with my studio 20's,although i'm giving them nowhere near the power you're sending to your 100's. put just the difference in detail, clarity, and openness was amazing. and i haven't even really turned them up yet. like you, i do all my music listening in direct mode, and it is incredible. it really is a sweet sounding amp.
jay, according to the home theater mag test of the 2205, with all five channels it began clipping at 160 watts output, and didn't reach 1% distortion til it was pumping out 275 watts/channel. and trevor's using two of those channels to run tweets only.
once i complete my speaker setup, the 2205 is the amp i want to add, either bi-amping my fronts with the 1500, or using both in a 6.1 setup.

 

[George Minich]

Trevor,
you may want to move the 2205 to the top shelf as this girl gets quite hot when running all 5 over a period of time. Actually, I was looking at the identical rack for my system. Welcome to the Club Parasound!
George

 

[james e m]

Trevor, nice picture your set up looks beautiful! I have a couple of questions. First off, you have a nice rack

, where did you get it from? Second I saw that you have both dual Paradigm Servo 15's and dual SVS 20-39's. Which one do you enjoy more? Just curious because I have been looking to buy the Servo 15 for awhile and just wondered how it stood up against the competition. Thanks...
james
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When in doubt...Rock it out.
[Edited last by james e m on July 26, 2001 at 07:58 AM]
[Edited last by james e m on July 26, 2001 at 07:59 AM]

 

[Jay Mitchosky]

220 watts RMS x 5, 20 Hz - 20 kHz, 8 ohms, all channels driven.

Awesome - I love when manufacturers properly spec their gear.
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--Jay
"No one can hear when you're screaming in digital."
My Home Theatre Pictures...
"You're no mesiah. You're, you're a movie of the week. You're a ... t-shirt, at best."

 

[Pete Jennings]

That rack appears to be a Vantage Point Solus. You can find details on it from the Vantage Point website @http://www.vantagepointcorp.com/ . I have one myself (with only one extra shelf addition) and absolutely love it!
Pete
[Edited last by Pete Jennings on July 26, 2001 at 08:18 PM]

 

[Trevor Schell]

Thanks guys,,
I love the racks too!.
They are the Altus ALAW409B (9" spacings)$259 CDN and the Altus ALAW506B (6.5" spacings)$219 CDN.
Each shelf is rated to hold 125LBS so weight wise I am OK.
These Racks are stacked onto each other and braced at the back.
The Tower is super Solid and would have to be tackled to knock it over. Since I don't drink that would never happen.

The Denon 5800 and the Parasound 2205 have to be located on the top due to the 9" spacing VS the 6.5" on the bottom.
My own creation and I really like it.
The Tower of Power is what I call it.
Jay,,I will be doing some switching back and forth with the center amplification to see which suits the CC best.
James ,,Go for the Servo-15 or the SVS Ultra.
They both compliment each other very well.
I plan to upgrade the SVS's to the Ultra's in near time.
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Trevor
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[Lewis Besze]

And
remember (knowing that you're a self-proclaimed "plug and play guy": you will need to
rebalance your channel levels.

While that's always a good idea,chances are,he won't need it,since running test tones requires very little power[5-10watts]depending on the speakers,and since he swapped the amps not the speakers,it might not need anything.Worth to check it out though.

 

[Jeremy Hegna]

Trevor...Very nice
I love your lines....tower of power, speakers out of thier schell, etc.
Is the rack manufacturer available on line, or must I drive over the border to pick one up?
I'm buying a Mits 65" display this weekend and in the midst of shopping, I realized I needed an audio rack...duh!
There's another thread that I started asking for suggestions, if you'd like to answer there.
Good Job,
It's tough trying to keep up with you
Jeremy

 

[JohanK]

Looks excellent Trev...always nice to see another happy Parasound owner. BTW, thanx for the nice pic as I live vicariously through you when it comes to HT.
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http://www.hometheaterforum.com/bbs/equipment/28687.html
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[Ryan Peddle]

Damn Trev, soon they are going to have to test your house for earthquake potential.
SO you found the amp to make a big difference eh?
How was the inprovement on music?...what do you listen to?
I am looking at getting a new 2 channel amp, mainly to improve my musical performance.
Again, and again, great setup....an it's still growing.
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Oops, I dropped my eardrums.
Could you pick them up for me?

 

[Pete Jennings]

Jeremy, in my post higher up, I called the racks the "Sanus" line from Vantage Point. Vantage Point uses the exact same components in two of their other model lines, the "Altus" and "Contours". You can buy them from AudioMax as the Contours model (I did), or from AudioAdvisor as the Solus, or see them at the Vantage Point hompage as the Altus. The advantage of ordering from AudioMax is that you can choose from several different type veneers/woods and different color tubes. I paid $379 delivered for a 4 shelf unit with 9" spacing. I can order additional shelves at any time as my needs change, and they are very easy to add (with the possible exception of pulling out your equipment to add the shelf and poles to the bottom!).
Vantage point also sells a cheaper line called the "Euro". The shelves are plain MDF with no veneer on them. Trust me, the veneer on the black Altus/Contours/Sanus lines looks absolutely awesome! It was well worth the added expense!
Good luck!
Pete
[Edited last by Pete Jennings on July 26, 2001 at 08:44 PM]

 

[DavidY]

Congrats on the nice amp, Trev. Thought that you were going to slow down on those HT purchases.

if you do decide to add a pair of SVS CS-Ultras to your SVS CS and Servo 15 subs. With all this power requirements, you might need a direct hookup with your hydro company.
Did you ever try out the Rotel 1095? What was the deciding factor between the two?
Dave
[Edited last by DavidY on July 26, 2001 at 10:36 PM]

 

[RobertW]

pete, i've been looking at getting a rack since i bought the parasound 1500a and am running out of space for my stuff. and after seeing trevor's rack, i went searching for vantage point, and it looks like they're the one. i found both the contour at audiomax, and the solus at audioadvisor. since you have dealt with audiomax, i wonder if you can provide me with some more info.
on their site, they don't have extra shelf kits listed for the contour, are you sure you can get them? and in all of the veneer finishes? what about the 6 or 9 inch poles? while the four shelf rack will fit my needs at the moment, an ideal setup would be a couple of six inch shelves added to it. and the add-on shelves must go on the bottom?
i would like to get the rosewood, as it would match the veneer on my paradigm studios, but if i can't get shelf kits to expand it in rosewood also, then i'll stick with the black ash.
thanks for helping.

 

[Michael Lee]

Go Trevor Go!!
None of us can keep up with the upgrade king. You are the man!
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[Edited last by Michael Lee on July 27, 2001 at 08:16 AM]

 

[RobertW]

oh, and from what i've seen, the altus racks, while stylistically similar to the solus, are powdercoated in a matte black finish. the euro stand has some kind of "thermal coating", i'm assuming some type of texturized urethane covering or something.