Sony DA5ES and Parasound HCA-855 (1 Viewer)

[Angelo_Petralba]

Hello All-
I am starting to test the waters of the Separates World and I just ordered my FIRST EVER 5 Channel Power Amp (Parasound 855). I will be mating this with my Sony DA5ES!
Can I get some Advice as far as what I am required to do.
1. Wiring?
2. Cables?
3. Power Supply?
4. Rack Space?
5. 12V Triggers?
6. Does each amp channel have their own GAIN?
7. Will this Blow-Up my Wharfedale Modus 1.6?
8. Will I (most likely) get/pick up some Humming Noise? How do I fix it if it happens?
Sorry for the Million Questions..Just a "VIRGIN" when it comes to separates for HT.
Thanks
Angelo
P.S. If this was CAR AUDIO I would know exactly what to do.

 

[Dzung Pham]

Most of your questions are answered in the manual. Each channel does have its own gain but you should generally set these all to max and control the relative gain with your Sony. The 12V trigger on the Parasound uses dual connector terminal (like speaker terminals), which is a bit non-standard. You may need to customize a cable depending on the trigger connector that is used on the Sony (most have 3.5mm jacks these days). It will not blow up your speakers if you have them properly hooked up. I have no hum on mine.

 

[Kevin Alexander]

Angelo, I have found the Sony's amps (DA5ES) to be quite capable w/ any and everything I thrown at it. I am yet to hook my Acurus A125X5 amp up to it to hear the difference. Actually, Ive been thinking about selling my DA5ES in anticipation of the new Sony preamp (TAE-10ES). I've been hearing good things about it. Anyway, let us know how the Parasound amp sounds.

 

[Angelo_Petralba]

Kevin,Dzung-
Thanks for the replies
The Sony does have decent amps to it and I can honestly say that it is capable of powering my Wharfedales but my concern is that the Speakers seems to sound a bit "Underpowered" when I listen to something LOUD like Techno or Electronica Music. As a matter of fact, when I watch movies (I like them LOUD), sometimes when a LOW freq note hits, the speakers will make a POPPING sound as if the AMP clipped or just NOT enough juice. I have the Xover set to 60HZ (small setting).
Anyway- this is just sorta like a TESTING the WATERS of the "separates" world PLUS if this turns out to be something exciting, then I will probably save up and get the Parasound 2205A and get a set of Divas 6.1 to boot.
Again Thanks for the inputs.
Angelo

 

[bruce townley]

Congrats. I bought an 855 about 30 days ago. To power the 12v you will need a wire with a mini-plug on one side and two-wire system on the other. Radio shack sells exactly what you need. You will need 5 rca interconnects. I bought some from catcables.com although you may not want to go that expensive ($200.00)
I agree that you will want to leave the gains at full
enjoy

 

[Paul Clarke]

Hello Angelo,

I got one of the 855's for my H/K receivers, 310 and 510. I've been very busy lately trialing each receiver with the amp to see what develops in terms of preferences. I DO have a HUM with the 510/855 duo but not the 310/855. Go figure. (It's probably related to the Main in/Pre-out channel coupling on the 510.)

Enjoy your new toy. Don't worry about the 1.6's. They'll be fine. Do yourself a favor though and run the numbers on the Sony by itself and then with the amp so you can both SEE AND HEAR the difference.

 

[Angelo_Petralba]

Paul-

I will most definitely take some numbers. I have had my RS meter for a while and i've never calibrated. It's hard to figure out the menus on my 5ES. I will one of these days.


Thanks
Angelo

 

[Angelo_Petralba]

Well- the Parasound 855 finally arrived this afternoon and I just got finished hooking it all up.
First Impressions
DEFINITELY a step-up to the DA5ES internal Amps. The amp seems to have a LOT MORE control over the speakers. What I mean by this is that it seems to sound a lot tighter and well put together. The MidBass got quite an improvement and the highs are definitely tamed. It does sound warmer (in a great way).
As far as transient response, it has Improved quite a bit, the snare sounds fuller and tighter, the congas are definitely audible and easy to locate. The vocals sounds VERY natural and full bodied.
I measured the SPL reading with my RS Analog SPL meter without calibration and using my previous settings (85 DB @ the -26 on the volume), it has increase to 89DB's so I figure I got a 3 DB increase overall at this volume level.
I used the test tones from Avia to calibrate.
One thing I did notice is that My Subwoofer (not connected to the amp) Level has ALSO increase 2-4 DB's and I did not even touch the Plate Amp. Somehow it sounds louder. The only way i can explain it is probably because the mains are playing louder now. I dont know for sure??:frowning:
Concerns
I did get a little bit of HISS (not HUMM thank god) but this is at EXTREMELY high volume level (-15) without any source playing. At my settings (-26) the Hiss is NOT AUDIBLE even if I am a foot away from the speaker.
Conclusion
For the amount of money I spent on this amp ($140.00 Shipped + my Xbox), It should be ILLEGAL! I have gained A LOT MORE ENJOYMENT out of my speakers (they really sing now)!
:star: :star: :star: :star: :star:
I am ALL SMILES at this time. Until my NEXT Upgrade
MY TEST CD's
Focal CD No.4 (All Tracks)
Focal CD No.1 (All Tracks)
The Sheffield Track and Drum Record.
Disclaimer
All info given here is SOLELY MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE and OPINION. I do NOT work for Sony, Parasound, Focal (JM LAB) and Sheffield Labs. Thank You.
Angelo

 

[Dan Joy]

Cool I hope to someday try an amp with my DA5ES to see a difference(although I am overjoyed now!).
Thanks

 

[Tom Archey]

I connected my Ubid Parasound 855 yesterday to my Sony strda555es receiver. Wow, what a difference. I had always been mildly disappointed with the performance of my center channel speaker (Klipsch klf-c7) relative to my mains (Klipsch Forte II's). With the Parasound connected, the center channel has been awkened!. It blends beautifully across the front. And, I always had my rear channels set at +10 db with the center set at +7 db. I had to recalibrate down to +3 db for the rears and a flat 0 db for the center.

I always liked the sound quality of my receiver and figured that any perceived lacking was due to speaker differences. Now I'm a convert to separates. A fantastic upgrade for a truly affordable price. My home theater is more powerful and detailed despite the fact that the Parasound is 85wpc and the Sony is rated at 120wpc. Heck, even my wife noticed the difference.

Also, cd's using any of the multichannel soundfields now sound significantly improved. Prior to the upgrade, I usually listened to music in 2-channel mode because the center and surrounds didn't have the oomph of the mains. Now the quality and character of the sound is improved across all 5 channels.

Can you tell that I'm pleased with the upgrade?

Back to the matter at hand. I bought Radio Shack gold interconnects and I have no hum. I'm using a Monster HTS2500 power conditioner.

--Tom

 

[Larry Vale]

Any spot on the web where I can get info on the new Sony ES preamp? TAE-10ES

Thanks

Larry