Both are great. Both will have great resale value. I’d lean towards the anthem but only by a hair. The new MCA amps are super nice in person and they’re tried and true beasts (they’re basically the same as the older ones with a new look).
Parasound or Anthem 5 channel amp
I'm going to be purchasing a 5 channel amp for my expanding home theater. The amp will be powering the side surrounds, a pair of height (in ceiling) speakers and my center channel. Debating whether to go Parasound or the Anthem. The rest of my system has either a dedicated 2 channel amp or mono blocks (my front mains).
My original semi-informed opinion is that other than the center channel, which is very important, it may not make much difference. Appreciate your opinions.
My original semi-informed opinion is that other than the center channel, which is very important, it may not make much difference. Appreciate your opinions.
5 responses Add your response
One thing I'd be cautious about is your front sound stage. Specifically, having a different amp on your center than on your fronts. There may be differences in amplifier input impedance and unity voltage, let alone sound characteristics that draws attention to itself. Also, Parasound makes 2 5 channel amps. Could you please name the amp driving your left and right front, and which parasound amp you are considering? |
Those are two completely different sounding amps. The Parasound amps are voiced slightly on the warm side and have a slightly dry sound in the upper mids/highs. The Krell XD amps are very lush and smoothed over. Good resolution, but definitely colored. However, not warm/dry sounding like the Parasound. The Anthem amps would likely match better with your Krell, but the Anthem would be more neutral and less colored/smoothed. |
steven 0713, you might consider getting another Krell 575xd for your center so you have the same amplification across your front sound stage. Then buy a 5 channel amp and have one channel idle. Or buy 4 of the below Outlaw mono block amps if you have the electrical outlets available. The side, rear and ceiling surround amps aren’t as critical as the fronts, so you could move amps around for those channels, and buy a 5 channel amp from Adcom or Outlaw Audio(both found on their internet direct website, for less money but good quality). https://www.theaudiolegacy.com/products/gfa-5705-home-theater-amplifier $3000, currently on sale for less, with free shipping. https://outlawaudio.com/shop/index.php?id_product=45&rewrite=model-2220&controller=product (buy 5 of these for a discount if you call them) under $2000 Or you could get a Parasound 5 channel and have it drive your center, left and right, plus a surround pair, then move your krells to a surround pair. |