McCormack DNA 0.5 vs. Parasound HCA 2003

Hello Irish Tim -

The DNA-0.5 does a fine job with most speakers in most situations, but it does have its limits. Your comments offer some useful clues as to what the problem might be, and it is possible that the DNA-0.5 does not have enough power in this instance. As you stated, "They do not sound bright at low or moderate listening levels." I know from long experience that the DNA-0.5 drives the 3As well up to moderate levels, but the 3As are considerably more demanding than the model 2s or 1Cs. I suspect that the "brightness" you hear is actually overload or clipping distortion, and moving to a higher-powered amp will probably alleviate this. The problem may turn-out to be finding a more powerful amp that you both like sonically and can afford. I wish you the best with your search. I will add that it is possible to upgrade your DNA-0.5 with a much larger power transformer which significantly increases its current delivery and its ability to drive more difficult speakers. Please contact me if you would like further information.

Best regards,

Steve McCormack
SMc Audio

Hello again Tim -

Reading your follow-up comments makes me think that the problem may not be clipping or specifically power-related after all. Apparently your LP listening via the PV5 is "warm and beautiful," and this suggests that the amp and speakers are working well together under some circumstances. My own experience tells me that this combination should work well up to moderate volume levels and even somewhat beyond. If you want to really crank it, you may still want to look into upgrading or changing the amp, but you should be able to get very satisfying sound at anything less than high SPL. So it may be that some other factors are causing your problems, and other responses here have provided some good options to look into. It still seems to me that you are reacting to distortion of some sort, or what I might call "glare." But if your LP listening is enjoyable, why are you having so much trouble with CDs? Sure, I would expect some difference, but to jump from "good" to "bad" seems odd. Some experimentation is called for, and it looks like you are on the case. Speaker setup and room treatment are fundamentally important, as others here have already suggested. Trying other cables may tell you something helpful, but if your LP sound is good, then the cables seem to be working well in some sense. You might try another CD player to give you some idea of what the Arcam is contributing. Good luck in the search, and have fun!

You can contact me via my website for more info on the upgrade options - thanks.

Best regards,

Steve McCormack
SMc Audio