Parasound A21+ vs Adcom GFA-585se

I've bin climbing the Parasound ladder with first A21, JC5 and final the JC1+. It all started with the A21 witch in my humble opinion is the best hifi purchase I've done due to getting the most out of least money. I'm very, very satisfied with my JC1+, it's a totally different league then A21 but so is the the price tag!! You will never go wrong with the A21, but you might end up with the JC5 with a year or two after having the A21 in your house. Parasound with John Curl design is really that good!!

Had my A21 for 12ys before getting my JC5 last year, the original plan was to go from A21 to JC1's but then the JC5 happened and I'm set for now!
Yeah! Parasound with John Curl design is really that good!!

Jdub39

I've always craved for "the best of both worlds" solution with SS amp paired with tube pre. I would have kept JC5 if it hadn't bin for the lower input impedance the JC5 has compared to JC1+. Special ARC gear har high output imp. I've learned that golen rule is 200x amp to pre regarding impedance. No matter what the JC5 is a truly astonishing amplifier I've had the pleasure to own in 2 years time. Not heard the new Rotel Michi with similar specs and price but the sweetness JC5 gives in class A for first 12watts was addictive for me and pushed me against JC1+.

Being a happy owner of Parasound A23 and NC 2125, I second Parasound.  Their solid and agil bass in particular attracts me to move from Cambridge Azur 851A to Parasound.  However, I do agree with one of the comments that why do you limit yourself to these two brands while you have up to $4k to spend.  I value Parasound gives the most bang for my buck but that is primarily because I have limited budget.  For you, I won't say the sky is the limit but you do have plenty of room to work with.

I had the Adcom 585"LE" back in 92 powering my Klipschorns with the Adcom GTP/GCD 750 combo. I bought them at the American PX in Frankfurt with the optional fan kit(120$ then). In short, I loved that beast and I mean beast, bonus, made in the US. All Adcom from back then was top quality. But in all honesty I’d take the Parasound A21 over newer Adcom today. The older Adcom are good amps, 555, 545, 535. The 565 mono blocks were brutes!