Pass labs krell parasound amps


Hello, Looking for feedback on the best sound and reliability of these amps, how do they compare to one another. Looking to spend 5-6k on used amp from these choices: Pass Labs x250.8, Krell Duo 300xd, Parasound jc5 or Mcintosh Mc312.

I have Mark Levinson no526 preamp and Revel 228be speakers and like a very open, transparent sound with deep soundstage. 

Thanks for your response. 

lnitm

Curious why you think you need 250-300 watts? Your speakers are 90db efficiency.  I would think a high current 100watt amp would be more than you would ever need. 

I currently have 250 wpc and previous levinson Amp was 300. I like having the headroom and not strain the Amp like I did with a Rotel with 200wpc. To each his own but I play a little loud at times. I like to feel the music.  

250 watts is perfect for me. 

JC5, have owned a number of good amps..... this is fantastic for the money,  slightly used. ...it can be had for $5k or less.  of course it doesn't have the "NAME" of PASS etc.   but I'm talking about bottom end "sound quality", controlled bass, imaging, etc.     and built VERY well indeed.   run it with REVEL's and it is awesome.

I went from Pass to Coda to Parasound and finally settled on the original Parasound A21 (better than A21+ BTW) as my preferred amp for my separates (I actually prefer a Yamaha integrated to all of them but that’s largely a speaker synergy thing).

The Pass I owned was the XA25. A very nice sounding amp but simply didn’t have enough juice for my stable of speakers.

Subsequent to the XA25, I tried the Coda No.8 V1. It’s also a nice amp—very quiet and resolving and a little all around superior to the XA25. It would’ve been perfect had it been able to give me the same “effortless” presentation the Parasound does.

The Parasound is the warmest of those 3, but still decently resolving and sounds the least taxed at spirited volumes. Pairing the original A21 with a highly transparent preamp and source goes a long way in offsetting its otherwise dark character.

If the JC5 merely sounds like a better A21 (though it is arguably inferior in bench tests), then I think it would be an excellent choice if the other sides of your chain are highly resolving, which your speakers are IME.

I haven’t heard the MC312 specifically, but if it sounds similar to other modern MACs, I would save some cash and simply opt for the JC5.

Perhaps a better option would be to get a Levinson amp to pair with your preamp and keep it in the Harman family.