Parasound 5250 Vs Parasond A52 in 2021

[mikehcm]

Hope all is well, Im getting an offer on used Parasound 5250, cosmetically the amp has smears and shows its age, the sound quality seems to be good and specs seems to be fine as well, i own KEF R3, Q650c for centre and QAcoustics 3010i for surrounds. Is this a good amp to buy in 2021 or is it better to look for latest offerings from Parasound or Emotiva, there is also an offer on used A52 and the specs seems to be half compared to 5250, Which of these amps will be a better choice? and what is the good price to pay for these amps? am new to amps and this is my first power amp purchase. Pls advise

 

[raghupb]

Both amps were received well by users in their HT setups.
Halo version (A52) has JC design inputs. 5250 is/was THX certified at the time.
THX certification is a nice tick mark to have but then your speakers should be able to produce those SPLs too.

Assuming both units have been well maintained (internally) and used regularly, you can't go wrong with Parasound.
The newer models have become expensive these days. Covid supply chain effect? Maybe.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[mikehcm]

Both amps were received well by users in their HT setups.
Halo version (A52) has JC design inputs. 5250 is/was THX certified at the time.
THX certification is a nice tick mark to have but then your speakers should be able to produce those SPLs too.

Assuming both units have been well maintained (internally) and used regularly, you can't go wrong with Parasound.
The newer models have become expensive these days. Covid supply chain effect? Maybe.

Cheers,
Raghu

I was originally planning to get A31 to power RCL and use existing amp to power the surrounds, after seeing this offer, have a second though on getting a new one, considering eye watering prices LOL, just joking. Yes, the new amps are pricey but then do they come up with new features for the price which is missing in old amps? What is the good price to buy A5250?

 

[raghupb]

I was originally planning to get A31 to power RCL and use existing amp to power the surrounds, after seeing this offer, have a second though on getting a new one, considering eye watering prices LOL, just joking. Yes, the new amps are pricey but then do they come up with new features for the price which is missing in old amps? What is the good price to buy A5250?

If you are comparing these to a current product line it should be Halo A51.
Since these are poweramps, there will not be radically different in features.
Maybe some flexibility in IO options like XLR, etc.

The significant difference I read between 5250 and A51 is the peak current (45A vs 60A).
Essentially means the capacitor bank have been beefed up.
Other than this, the Halo line may be using better spec'd parts (some of them in the critical path).
Whether you will be able to discern this "better spec'd parts" in your home usage or chain is a coin toss.

I have the baby amp of their current budget offering, NC275v2. It performs quite well compared to other amps I've owned and heard.
90/150/150 Wpc at 8/4/2 ohms with 20A peak current. But my usage is mostly 2-Channel.

So I'd suggest your try to get an audition of the used gear at your home and decide how to go about it.
Pricing wise, I would not know what these would be on the used market. Try Audiogon or HiFiShark, you may get an idea.
If the unit/s are well maintained and used regularly, amps can last 20+ years. There's not much wear and tear per se.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[mikehcm]

If you are comparing these to a current product line it should be Halo A51.
Since these are poweramps, there will not be radically different in features.
Maybe some flexibility in IO options like XLR, etc.

The significant difference I read between 5250 and A51 is the peak current (45A vs 60A).
Essentially means the capacitor bank have been beefed up.
Other than this, the Halo line may be using better spec'd parts (some of them in the critical path).
Whether you will be able to discern this "better spec'd parts" in your home usage or chain is a coin toss.

I have the baby amp of their current budget offering, NC275v2. It performs quite well compared to other amps I've owned and heard.
90/150/150 Wpc at 8/4/2 ohms with 20A peak current. But my usage is mostly 2-Channel.

So I'd suggest your try to get an audition of the used gear at your home and decide how to go about it.
Pricing wise, I would not know what these would be on the used market. Try Audiogon or HiFiShark, you may get an idea.
If the unit/s are well maintained and used regularly, amps can last 20+ years. There's not much wear and tear per se.

Cheers,
Raghu

Thank you, will there be difference is SQ between balanced Vs XLR, 5250 dont have XRL so have the rely on RCA. The offering price is 1.25L for 5250 and 1.1 for A52, am not sure go buy a new emotiva for this price or go for parasound.

 

[raghupb]

Thank you, will there be difference is SQ between balanced Vs XLR, 5250 dont have XRL so have the rely on RCA. The offering price is 1.25L for 5250 and 1.1 for A52, am not sure go buy a new emotiva for this price or go for parasound.

XLR connection is useful for long cable runs and your pre-outs also support them. Otherwise, RCA is good enough.
Do you have the opportunity to audition these in your rig with your speakers?
If so, I would strongly suggest you do.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[fLUX]

Thank you, will there be difference is SQ between balanced Vs XLR, 5250 dont have XRL so have the rely on RCA. The offering price is 1.25L for 5250 and 1.1 for A52, am not sure go buy a new emotiva for this price or go for parasound.

I tried Emotiva for stereo , was not very satisfied. Parasound never had the chance to try but have read only good things about the A21 model so my suggestion would be to pick up the Parasound.

 

[mikehcm]

XLR connection is useful for long cable runs and your pre-outs also support them. Otherwise, RCA is good enough.
Do you have the opportunity to audition these in your rig with your speakers?
If so, I would strongly suggest you do.

Cheers,
Raghu

Makes Sense to take RCA route, i have not auditioned the amps with my setup, this is something that i have requested for, hope i get an opportunity to try this amp with my setup. The amps are built like a tank, i had to use all my breath to lift, its that heavy. I guess KEFs are power hungry speakers and this amp should be able to feed them well. Have you tried listening to similar amps? how do they differ from parasound amps?

 

[mikehcm]

I tried Emotiva for stereo , was not very satisfied. Parasound never had the chance to try but have read only good things about the A21 model so my suggestion would be to pick up the Parasound.

Thank you, yes, it is difficult to audition parasound here, atleast at my place, i tried calling the dealer for a demo and was checking if there is an option to have a demo locally, the offer i received was to travel all the way to Mumbai for an audition, i could not believe myself for a minute, a brand like Parasound should have built a strong network across the country.

 

[raghupb]

Makes Sense to take RCA route, i have not auditioned the amps with my setup, this is something that i have requested for, hope i get an opportunity to try this amp with my setup. The amps are built like a tank, i had to use all my breath to lift, its that heavy. I guess KEFs are power hungry speakers and this amp should be able to feed them well. Have you tried listening to similar amps? how do they differ from parasound amps?

My use case is mostly from a 2-channel perspective and a small(ish) listening space.
With the KEF R300 (older R series) I have used/heard the following amps:
Marantz PM7001 (Integrated Amp 70/100Wpc)
Marantz NR1605 (AVR 50Wpc)
Onkyo TX-DS595 (AVR 75Wpc)
Outlaw Audio M2200 (Poweramp 200/300Wpc)
Parasound NC275v2 (Poweramp 90/150Wpc)
AKSA v2.1 (Poweramp 55Wpc)
Pass F7 (Poweramp 20Wpc)

Except the Pass amp, I own the rest of them, so my observations are over a period of time, not short audition.
In terms of drive capability, the AVRs used to struggle a bit at higher volumes.
Marantz PM7001 in IA mode does a good job, but heats up after an hour or so (but it does so even in preamp mode, no speakers connected)
Outlaws are pure muscle no finesse; great for HT, do not even get warm.
AKSA is the sweetest sounding for music sessions. Never tried it in HT scenario.
Pass F7 is a classA amp that also sounded as good as the AKSA above.

Parasound is neutral in terms of presentation. No issues driving the speakers.
I got the Parasound to power the main speakers (KEFs and L/R) and use it in both 2-ch and HT scenarios.
The sound signature/quality can best be described as clean and effortless.
I have moved this amp to power smaller cubes since I have a split chain now. One for HT one for 2-ch.

My guess is you'll get similar performance with 5250 vis-a-vis 275v2.
A52 may be a bit more nuanced or refined for "critical" music listening.
If your usage is mainly HT, these nuances don't really matter. And there will be a sub in the mix.

BTW, KEF R3 is not a power hungry speaker. It can work with a wide variety of amps.
They do come alive and excel when they have a bit of "authority" behind them.
A SS amp that holds its ground up to the first 50W is a decent pair up. Anything more is headroom.
I have to admit I used to chase after "watts" until AKSA (55Wpc) and 275v2 (90Wpc) humbled me to change my opinion
My rig has a sub (REL T9/i) for both 2-channel and HT usage.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[mikehcm]

My use case is mostly from a 2-channel perspective and a small(ish) listening space.
With the KEF R300 (older R series) I have used/heard the following amps:
Marantz PM7001 (Integrated Amp 70/100Wpc)
Marantz NR1605 (AVR 50Wpc)
Onkyo TX-DS595 (AVR 75Wpc)
Outlaw Audio M2200 (Poweramp 200/300Wpc)
Parasound NC275v2 (Poweramp 90/150Wpc)
AKSA v2.1 (Poweramp 55Wpc)
Pass F7 (Poweramp 20Wpc)

Except the Pass amp, I own the rest of them, so my observations are over a period of time, not short audition.
In terms of drive capability, the AVRs used to struggle a bit at higher volumes.
Marantz PM7001 in IA mode does a good job, but heats up after an hour or so (but it does so even in preamp mode, no speakers connected)
Outlaws are pure muscle no finesse; great for HT, do not even get warm.
AKSA is the sweetest sounding for music sessions. Never tried it in HT scenario.
Pass F7 is a classA amp that also sounded as good as the AKSA above.

Parasound is neutral in terms of presentation. No issues driving the speakers.
I got the Parasound to power the main speakers (KEFs and L/R) and use it in both 2-ch and HT scenarios.
The sound signature/quality can best be described as clean and effortless.
I have moved this amp to power smaller cubes since I have a split chain now. One for HT one for 2-ch.

My guess is you'll get similar performance with 5250 vis-a-vis 275v2.
A52 may be a bit more nuanced or refined for "critical" music listening.
If your usage is mainly HT, these nuances don't really matter. And there will be a sub in the mix.

BTW, KEF R3 is not a power hungry speaker. It can work with a wide variety of amps.
They do come alive and excel when they have a bit of "authority" behind them.
A SS amp that holds its ground up to the first 50W is a decent pair up. Anything more is headroom.
I have to admit I used to chase after "watts" until AKSA (55Wpc) and 275v2 (90Wpc) humbled me to change my opinion
My rig has a sub (REL T9/i) for both 2-channel and HT usage.

Cheers,
Raghu

This is insightful, i was also under the watts impression all this while, i stopped looking at amps below 100 watts but this is changing my prespective. Im looking for power amp both for music and movies, usage will be 60% for music and 40% for movies, i do have plans for dedicated stereo setup but that's on a long run. Currently am using Onkyo as an power amp and am not sure if this is ideal for my speakers, as such, am happy with the sound except it gets really hot, i mean it get so hot it will literally burn fingers, does that mean the amp is struggling to drive the speakers? i see on Specs KEF R3 can go as low as 3.2 ohms and i could feel for few tracks the amp would struggle with 60% volume. Am impressed to hear Parasound sound signature to be neutrel and i think this will help for long music sessions. Taking discussion off track, do you know any good place to audition Rel TX/i subs, this sub has impressive reviews one side and there is other group who has completely different option about Rel's. As such, im waiting for a home demo and will share my opinion post the demo sessions.

 

[raghupb]

This is insightful, i was also under the watts impression all this while, i stopped looking at amps below 100 watts but this is changing my prespective. Im looking for power amp both for music and movies, usage will be 60% for music and 40% for movies, i do have plans for dedicated stereo setup but that's on a long run. Currently am using Onkyo as an power amp and am not sure if this is ideal for my speakers, as such, am happy with the sound except it gets really hot, i mean it get so hot it will literally burn fingers, does that mean the amp is struggling to drive the speakers? i see on Specs KEF R3 can go as low as 3.2 ohms and i could feel for few tracks the amp would struggle with 60% volume. Am impressed to hear Parasound sound signature to be neutrel and i think this will help for long music sessions. Taking discussion off track, do you know any good place to audition Rel TX/i subs, this sub has impressive reviews one side and there is other group who has completely different option about Rel's. As such, im waiting for a home demo and will share my opinion post the demo sessions.

My home
The REL (T9/i) I have is a sealed sub. Good for music.
Don't know about their HT offerings

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[mikehcm]

My home
The REL (T9/i) I have is a sealed sub. Good for music.
Don't know about their HT offerings

Cheers,
Raghu

Thank you, will plan for a trip some time soon