Making a difficult decision


I am trying to decide between a peachtree nova 150 or a parasound 135 both are intergrated amps. The parasound has a lot of power and connectivity options. The peachtree has power and connectivity also but what worries me is in the reviews I have read the build quality and the power supply not discussed. The parasound weighs47# the peachtree is only 17# this concerns me some. I plan on using them to drive my Magnepan 1.7s. Any thoughts?
audiomaze
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I've owned both the Peachtree Nova 150 and the Parasound HINT (Original - not the HINT 6).  To me, the Nova 150 felt like a toy in a lot of ways, though I felt it sounded great (when it was operating correctly).  I didn't like the volume control and I had several issues that Peachtree was very helpful with.  One unit had a high pitched sound with the analog input, the replacement had another issue, and the 3rd unit had a bad remote control or remote sensor.  1-2-3 strikes and your out, so I moved on to other options.  This was when the Nova 150 had just come out so I would expect that they have since cleaned up QA.  The Parasound was very nice but perhaps a little uninvolving or unexciting to me.  All in all, If I were forced to choose between the Peachtree and the Parasound, I would go with the Parasound based purely on my experience with the reliability.  The Rogue Audio Sphinx 2 mentioned above is a very nice integrated.  It's bare bones but sounds amazing.  I owned it as well, but decided to move to a more up-market integrated. 
@audiomaze, wrong comparison, nova150 working well for Paradigm is not the same as working well with your speaker. Paradigms are 92 dB / 89 dB and are stable at 8 ohm (if I remember right) very easy to drive and they have been like this for sometime. They driver based speakers. I have a pair of Paradigms studio 40 v3 version very easy to drive.

Do you know the lowest impedance level your speaker will go to?.

Check out Sanders amps , top notch and built for electrostatics : 
http://sanderssoundsystems.com/products/amplifiers/esl-mark-ii-amplifier
http://sanderssoundsystems.com/products/amplifiers/esl-mark-ii-amplifier

Try used market for such amp. You may be able to get something and have spare budget for an excellent tube preamp.
With those speakers Parasound would be my only choice. I have the A21 and it is a beast, sounds clean and powerful.
Yes big Greg I have listened to both with mag1.7 but the room was just a showroom type setup. They sound fine but not the best way to listen. I did hear a peachtree nova 150 on paradigm 75f speakers and was blown away! 
I used to have a Nova150.  I loved the connectivity options and even the look (ebony wood finish) but after a year the sound was simply too dry and 2 dimensional for me.  Completely a sonic preference to me, particularly as I listen mainly to jazz, acoustic, vocals, and folk/roots. I ended up going down the tube path instead which has been much more rewarding for me.  I think the Nova150 was at its best when listening to rock.  It can drive a pretty wide range of speakers fairly well.  I have not heard the Parasound.
I own a Peachtree Nova 300.  It's a great sounding piece and well made.  I used it with efficient Klipsch speakers, but it has enough power to drive almost any speakers.  As mentioned, it is Class D so can be smaller and lighter. 

I can't speak to either of the units you've mentioned, but I have owned a Parasound A23 amp.  It was very neutral and had plenty of power for a 125 watt amp.  I did eventually replace it with a Wyred 4 Sound Class D amp, which I felt was more detailed than the Parasound. 

The specs on the Hint's amp look similar to the A23, with the Hint having a little more power.  The Hint looks like a really nice piece.  The feature set on the Nova 300 and Hint are pretty similar.  I like the looks of the Peachtree a little better, the hint has balanced connections if that matters.  Can you listen to both?  
@audiomaze, hint6 is great I have heard it. It is a good all rounder. Integrates are hard to compare in my view. What is more important for you?. With hint6 first few watts will be Class A. Not sure if that matters to you. 

Your speakers are 83 dB/1 W/1 m @ 4 Ohm btw. I am not so sure if 200 watts top spec will be enough. To reach 100 dB SPL peak(s) at 8 feet you need 200 Watts but that is too close to peak of both the amps. Sitting closer helps I think. 


Peachtree nova 300 has good measurements, low THD well into 300 watts at 4 Ohm. Can't find any for Peachtree nova 150 though. Which Parasound are you referring to?.

I am on the fence regarding Class D or Class A/B amp too. But I am looking for just a long time amp for now.


one thing to keep in mind the Nova is class D that's why its lighter, class D does not require the large transformers that the other classes A AB need. So don't judge by the weight alone. I've never see either so can't comment there.