I meant last choice alternate as Halo A23. |
What is your SACD and preamp? First thought would be to recommend the Parasound A21. Don’t get the A23 unless you’re budget cannot afford the A21. The Parasound will use better internal components (capacitors, etc.) than the Emotiva. The Parasound will also have a slightly richer/warmer tone due to its high bias into Class A and the JFET/MOSFET input stage. The Anthem and Emotiva will be quicker/faster amps. This may or may not be what you are looking for. If you have a very fast/solid-state SACD and preamp, I would lean towards the Parasound because you need that waveform smoothing (the Anthem/Emotiva might come out to lean and bright sounding). If you have a very laid back tube amp, then the Emotiva might be a good choice as a more accurate/neutral amp. The Anthem 225 looks like an integrated (not a straight amp). Is this what you intended? |
Thank you for the information. I am not using a preamp,only an Oppo dvd player and amp. The Anthem is the MCA_225 Amp only, not integrated. I have ribbon drivers in my speakers and I like a smooth sound,not lean or fast but warm and detailed{ at least that's what I am hoping for] Thank you again. |
Yep, I would definitely go with the Parasound A21 if you can swing it. I have heard the Oppo player when it is connected directly to an Emotiva amp. It is nice, but it is kind of dry. You definitely need the Class A bias of the Parasound to help it "sing"! |
also look at various Odyssey Khartago and Stratos amps.. |
I have the A21 and had the Odyssey Stratos some 8 yrs ago. The Parasound was better. Naturally open and neutral sound, clearer with more power. The Stratos and two other preamps I had from Odyssey developed noise and hum issues, the Tempest ( a history of problems with that model) and the Candela. I agree with auxinput, the A21 is a very good amp. That is my personal experience with those two companies. |
I much preferred the Khartago Extreme to the A21. Didn't like the Parasound at all. You need to go listen. Many good amps at your price. |
Oh, just re-reading and saw your alternatives. My comments: Cambridge Azure 851 - Cambridge is known for being lightning fast and extremely transparent/resolution. I would not pair this directly with the Oppo, but it may be a good amp if I had a tube preamp or a multiple-circuit Class A preamp. Audio Research 150.2 - This is a Class T design from 2003 (which is a variation of Class D). It might be nice, but the older Class D type designs were not as good and the resultant frequency response was very dependent on the impedance curve of the speaker. This translates into un-even frequency response, possibly weak midbass/bass, rolled-off highs, etc. Also, it is not a Class A bias (obviously), so it is not going to be as sweet as Parasound. Parasound A23 - Like I said, if you have to get this because of your budget, then get it. The larger A21 does have twice as much power output, but you’re not buying it for the watts. You a buying a significantly larger power supply and more output transistors. This will mean more brute force to control the speaker -- even at low to mid volume levels. Also, the larger A21 will just be a more refined and smoother sound than the A23. |
@jl35 - what are your source and preamp? A significant factor of amp choice is system synergy with your components. Your Khartago might work better then the A21 in a specific situation. However, remember that the OP is going to drive the amp directly from the Oppo player (which is all solid-sate LM4562 op amps). True, they are FET op amps, but it is going to be very dry sounding coming out of the gate. If mancub1 goes in and listens to different amps that are connected to completely different source and preamp components, he will not hear exactly what he will get at home. Granted, listening to amps is a very important factor, but so it proper component matching. I always try to listen to what the OP is trying to accomplish and recommend things based on what he wants instead of what I think is the best amp or device. |
|
ARC CD5 and Rowland Capri |
|
Khartago Plus or Extreme can be had for price of A23 (benefits of mfg direct), no idea which he will prefer, just some options to check out in his price range |
I haven't heard the Cambridge 851 but I have an 840W which I sometimes use directly with either an Upgrade Company or a Modwright modded Oppo 83SE. The Modwright had the outboard tube power supply while the Upgrade Co is solid state. I have a pair of BG Corp Radia 520DX loudspeakers, which is a hybrid ribbon speaker. Either player sounds nicely detailed and smooth with the Cambridge amp. Obviously the Modwright is warmer and fuller sounding bordering on overripe sometimes but always musical. So, if the 851 isn't too different from the 840W, I'd say you should be quite pleased with it (or the 840W for that matter). I did have a pair of Emotiva XPA-1 gen 1 briefly and they are not in the same league as the 840W at all, being significantly less resolving, much less dimensional (2-D mid-fi), and loose in the bass. A couple of things to consider with this/these Cambridge amp(s): they require a 20A plug at the amp end and run very warm to almost hot.
|
What speakers are you driving with the (integrated)amp? I know you said ribon tweeters. I did mention integrated as I know you talked about amps driving directly from your oppo but have you thought about the flexibility of an integrated so your not tied to that oppo player for everything in the future or do you plan to add a pre amp later? I don't know much about the oppo players do they handle the volume control in the digital domain if so do they truncate the bits to vary the volume. If so you'd be better with an integrated amp and using the oppo directly out. Maybe someone else can chime in that knows more about the oppo players. |
Personally I'd be getting a good tube or hybrid Pre-Amp. The Oppo's I've heard direct to Power Amps sound like (to put it nicely) crap. Put half your budget into a good Pre. and half into a Power Amp and you will get a better result than all your budget into a Power Amp.
|
I've had good success with Belles Soloist 1 Integrated with ribbons... |
I'd have to agree with the crap comment. I tried an Oppo 95 direct to Halo A21, and it was not good. You need a pre amp to buffer between the two. An integrated amp would be a good option here as it would be comparatively cheaper than separates.
|
Thanks everyone.I am just buying one peice at a time,my budget is $2500 and I have been looking at the Parasound integrated amp also.But mainly I am interested in mostly any power nice amp within this range.I will be looking into pre/pros last.I am using the Emotive XPA 7 gen 2 and Marantz MM7055. I will be using the new amp to power a pair of Infinity Sigmas on fronts.I am using Infinity Kappa 9.1 for rear surround,Definitive BP2000 for back surround,Canton Vento 809dc for centers,Magnepan MMG for rear height and Mirage 0mni for front height I have been using the Marantz AV7702 I have not had just a 2 channel before and want to go that route for SACD 2 channel listening..Thanks everyone. |
Hey Guys, Thanks again.This is my fist post,I don't know how to reply to a persons input and unsure if I am doing this right.
|
Mancub1 - just wondering from your last post "what kind of music system you are trying to build"? A home Theater add on amplifier or a two-channel stereo rig? On the one hand, you had mentioned sacd playback and later described many speakers of different types and brands paired with a home Theater receiver? Are you trying to build a nice sounding two-channel audio system with an integrated amp (such as the Parasound Halo integrated) or a build an audio system with power amp for your Infinty Sigma speakers? If you are augmenting your Home Theater system I can suggest that your HT system can be improved by using like speakers/brands with the same drivers for tonal coherence. As it stands now, you have Infinity, Def Tech, Canton and Magnepan. Not trying to criticize but these speakers are presenting different loads to your receiver and when listening to a movie with a particular sound (maybe a helicopter flying by) the sound will change as it moves from one speaker type to another.
If you are looking at a dedicated music system your choice of the Parasound is a good one for a versatile integrated amp. You can add a digital front end, such as a music streamer or CD player, and add an analog component, such as a turntable. The Parasound has an ample power supply too. The DAC in the Parasound is very good, the phono section is very good and the headphone section is top notch. If you are only interested in going digital and are not adding a turntable, you can find a really good amp and add a music server with a good built in DAC. I am running a Parasound A21 and have connected a Bluesound Node 2 as a preamp/processor directly without the need of a preamp. Sound is clear, neutral and powerful enough to drive most speakers. I have hundreds of hi-resolution files/albums on an external hard drive which can be accessed by the Node 2 and I can play Spotify or Tidal via my IPad or IPhone as my stereo controller. You could try the MQA files on Tidal which sound terrific. |
Thanks,Right now I am just looking for a good 2 channel amp for Hi-rez playback.I am using all my resources {older] speakers for home theater in the meantime,I will fine tune all that at a later date.Everytime I get new speakers I end up placing my old pair where ever they will fit.LOL
|
I am very satisfied with my Anthem Integrated 225. I am playing high res files thru my Opus1 High Res device and am listening to them thru Paradigm Studio 100 Reference speakers. Nice sound stage. Due to my speaker choice, I don't get resounding bass. This was a personal choice, as I listen to a lot of acoustic music. I also like the Integrated 225 because it has 225 wpc, which is considerable at this price point. I don't think you would feel as though you made a mistake if you selected this unit. Best of luck to you. |
I also am very satisfied with my Anthem i225, playing vinyl, high definition through a MAC and CD's through a Rega Saturn with and without a Supreme DAC-9 depending on the CD and driving Spatial Hologram M4Ts. The high power of the Anthem really helps control the bass even though the Spatial's are extremely efficient. Good luck in finding your way to satisfying sound. |
Another +vote for Anthem 225. It is a very powerful integrated amp, high current as well. An excellent match for cd/sacd playback.
Happy Listening!
|
mancub1,
I like the Anthem as well. However I would put a preamp in front of the MCA225 or get your hands on a good used Anthem I225 Integrated. I own one and love it. It's used in a sepearate/second system fronted by the Oppo BDP105D.
N |
Thanks guys,I love the opinions and info.I am also considering the Usher R1.5 |
|
