Both John Curl designed circuits, if you want "balls" go with the HCA 2200. double the current output 90 amp peak, probably BJT where the a23 is mosfet
btw what speaker are they driving?
Cheers George |
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power sucking little sticks
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Yes the HCA2200 then.
Cheers George |
Another +vote for the HCA amp.
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the original 2200 wasn't a John Curl, you need the 2200A for that...same with the HCA1000, the 1000A still is a great little amp. In the older ones they used the parts he specified, now they just use his circuit design, but cheaper parts... |
it's actually the 2200II and the 1000A The 2200 and 1000 were not John Curl, he redid the already existing models... |
Depending on age and use, both of them might need to be recapped. If the A23 is near the start of the production run, ie, 2003 is the date code on the one I’ve got floating round here, and it needed new main filter caps. Nothing unusual there, it happens. Ageing and stressing makes it so. The given 2200II will probably be the same, only moreso, regarding some aspect of the Capacitors needing replacement. This is not a Parasound issue, it happens with all gear.
So be careful and look for production date codes before jumping....
All older amps eventually need this and have these issues, I’ve dealt with it hundreds of times.
Eg, just rebuilt a Belles 450 a while back. A high bias mosfet ’hotrunner’. It has 12x3300uf 100V caps in the main power supply. In this case.... two were nearly a dead short,...three read zero capacitance.... and the rest had gone gassy with expanded/bubbled tops and clunking moving innards. I’ve rarely found such bad condition in an amp before, and it not having literally blown the caps out with a bang and associated smoke cloud. A testament to the given capacitor builder, and the robustness of the circuit. On my own original Belles 450 (still got it packed away), one output mosfet had gone to a dead short condition, and the amp kept working, it never failed. Ran that way for months. Not common, usually it’s all fire and smoke at such extremes. But I digress.
Point is... those amps are older now and new caps become a critical issue, and in such scenarios the failure generally occurs at turn on, and...one day...it just happens.
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Had a pair of A23's.
Derived from JC, but not actually designed BY JC, if memory serves.
Still, very good, modern sounding amps. Quite physically warm, and biased further into Class A than spec. Neutral to slightly warm without being stark. Not juicy at all.
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Parasound states the A23 is circuity designed by John Curl, they used to describe his amps as Amplifier designed by John Curl |
@jl35
I stand corrected. I think I confused it with the language for the integrated.
My bad,
E
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Hi Teo. Thanks for the advice. It did occur to me that an amp of that age might need some 'cap' work. How would I know (other than checking for capacitors that bulge like miniature soup cans infected with botulism) ?
If I intended to keep this amp long-term, I might be inclined to have the caps replaced, just on the theory that they are too old not to have issues. But since I only intend to keep it for a few months until I have enough $$ to buy what I want (a Newer Bryston 4B SST), I thought I would play that by ear -- literally.
Assuming I do need to have it re-capped. (And maybe I would do that prior to selling it anyway.) Where would be a good place to send it. It appears you do that work. Perhaps you would provide an estimate.
Another thought: Maybe I should settle for an Integrated amp with a bit less current but a decent preamp section for now. My immediate plan is to connect my DAC directly to the amp. (I am not a fan of vinyl. I had plenty of the required maintenance and penalty for lack of it when I was younger so I just need 1 input. I have been 100% digital for decades. Lately, I have ditched the CDs in favor of TIDAL hifi)
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Aslo I have chanced upon an HCA 2250. Thoughts on this amp?
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Along the lines of the Integrated, there is a recently refurbished NAD 372 for $400 that I am considering
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The dead cap issue is tied to thermal and electrical stressing and some amps are anomalies that only appear over time. EG, I’ve got more than a few 30-40+ year old amps where the main filter caps measure and look fine. that is usually the rule, but when they get that old, new main filter caps are generally a good idea.
When I look at an amplifier, I look at many many photos of it and specifically the ones called ’nudies’, where you see the innards. Those images can provide some info on potentials in longevity but only to a knowledgeable and practiced eye.
The second point of research involves looking for any issue with repairs, if the unit (specific model) has repair issues, if the unit has a history of repeats in a given fault mode. People talk about refurbish or rebuilds and so on. Read the tech talk, even if it is a bit difficult to follow, it can be enlightening.
A check on the Parasound products will find little to no blips, trends, or anomalies in these areas. Always a good sign.
To think that one has to consider Parasound product age as part of an evaluation of a potential purchase....is a point in pride, not a problem. Pride in that the product has been around long enough that such age issues can actually arise.
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I bought an HCA 2200 on ebay for $377. The right channel sounds great. The left channel, not so much. That is when the left channel outputs anything at all, which is not the norm. Removing the cover I see that the small capicators to the sides have leaked. Both sides. If I could get the thing up to spec for a couple hundred, I would still feel like I got a pretty good deal. I don't have a clue as to what that would cost. The folks in my area that do stereo repair are TV repair places. I worry about the cost of sending it out as this beast weighs 65 pounds. |
Although I like the way right channel sounds, I don't get much volume, which is unexpected with an amp that delivers 385wpc into 4 ohms. But it could be because I am running my portable DAC (ifi nano with burr/brown - 32/384 async and 256 DSD) directly to it without a preamp. |
So my next question is: Assuming I can get this thing repaired at a reasonable price, what is a good budget preamp to go with it. By budget I mean around $300. |
One more thing: I love this site. Everyone is so knowledgeable and helpful. Thank you everyone for your comments so far. |
In case anyone is still following this thread: I swapped out the interconnects and ran it some more and it seems to be OK now. I don't know if the issue was actually the interconnects or if the unit just needed more warm up, but it has been working and sounding nice (even with no preamp) for about a week now.
Wifey wants to go on vacation, so the preamp purchase is on hold for a month or two.
I probably will have the unit looked at, and I bought some better interconnects. (Oxygen Free Copper with crimped connections and specific resistance -- not real esoteric but at $50 for .5 meter used, they are at a good price point for me) |
Parasound will service their amps. It might be worth finding an email address on their website and emailing them to ask about costs of replacing caps on your 2200, maybe include pics. If caps show signs of leaking, they will eventually become an issue.
Parasound is on the west coast, so it might be too expensive to ship if you're on the east coast. Their website, under the Support tab, lists authorized Parasound service centers, I'd pick one close to your location if you're on the east side of the country.
As for a pre amp, the Parasound Classic 2100 is well thought of for its price point and can be had used for close to your budget. Also, the Emotiva USP-1 might be an option. As well, Old Adcom and Nad pre's might also fit the bill. |
