Parasound HCA-2200II Amplifiers
Parasound HCA-2200II Amplifiers
[Mar 08, 2003]
jbangelfish
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Massive, clean power and at 10 years old must be reliable as well. Excellent sound. At $750 each, I'd call them a bargain, often being compared to Bryston 4 series.
Weakness:
Can't find any unless big and rather heavy could be considered a weakness. I have two of these amps bridged mono and in my system running at 4 ohm gives me 1000 watts per channel. They are very clean, have good bass punch and really massive power. I can't fault them in any way. They never clip but with two of them I guess they shouldn't. I bought one first and had a mismatch with the preamp that I was using (Onkyo) until I got the Parasound PLD 2000. This cleaned things up nicely and I bought another HCA2200II. Anyone who hears them is amazed at what they can do. They look nice, are heavily built (60# each) and sound great. I listen mostly to vinyl, have a Cary tube phono stage and enjoy the system immensely. Blew the old Sony ES pair right out of the water. Similar Products Used: Crown DC300A, Accuphase 202 Integrated, Sony ES dual mono. |
[Nov 27, 2002]
Paul_g
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
incredible sound at an incredible value. Looks very tough next to my HCA-2205A. Detail, bass strength.
Weakness:
Brute! (over-built?) Runs a bit warm. No 12v trigger for on/off Just added this amp to my current setup to drive main left and right speakers (Paradigm Reference Studio 100 v.2), so that I could free up my existing Parasound HCA-2205A to drive center and four surround channels. Have to say that as pleased as I was with the 2205, this amp performs even better for both theater and 2 ch. Tighter bass, smoother high end and detail. Highly recommended! Similar Products Used: Parasound HCA-1205A, 2205A |
[May 09, 2000]
Rick Lane
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
power, clarity, balance
Weakness:
runs a little warm Stereophile said it all when they refered to this amp as a "new benchmark". Similar Products Used: harman kardon |
[Oct 15, 1999]
Dan
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
High current, able to move quickly-transients, bargin price
Weakness:
gets a bit too hot i don't believe you can get a better amp for the price. delivers the power when needed and is well matched with higher end items. used with psb, adcom 750 pre, cal audio deck Similar Products Used: adcom |
[May 16, 1998]
Joe
a Casual Listener
I use the 2200II amp with Parasound preamp/tuner/CD. Speakers are Martin-Logan reQuests. My only complaint was a buzz coming from one of the speakers when the amp was turned on. The tech at Parasound suggested tightening the screws on the resistors (inside the amp). This five minute fix resolved the problem. I think the Parasound equipment is an excellent value. The people who represent the company in San Francisco are to be commended (always helpful and friendly). |
[Aug 06, 1999]
Eric Nelson
an Audiophile
I have a pair of the Parasound 2200 II amps, and I amvery happy with the sound quality. No other amp at this |
[Nov 14, 1999]
JD
Audiophile
Strength:
Good clean sound. Good sound stage
Weakness:
runs hot, tends to hum I recently recplace may SAE A501 with the Parasound 2200 II. While there was an improvement, it was not a spectacular one. (The A501 was the last big amp SAE made while still and American owned company. It should not be compared to the 502, which looked like it but was a very different beast). Similar Products Used: SAE A501, Aragon 8008BB McCormack DNA-1 |
[Dec 29, 1999]
R. Bruce
Audiophile
Strength:
Weakness:
none Both of my Parasoundamps have been real reliable workhorses. They have not been shut down for over two years,and have always performed flawlessly. I believe that Parasound amps have always, and, continue to be the best and most bullet proof audio gear in the market. I use them mainly to listen to music driving maggie 2.7's and also Carver Platinums. I have an outrageous, overkill audio video system, and I will always go with Parasound if I feel that I need to upgrade my amplification. Similar Products Used: Parasound HCA1206 amp |
[Sep 01, 1997]
Stevil
an Audiophile
The 2200 Mk II is definitely a great amp for the money. Be aware, however, that the amp is usually shipped from the factory with the bias current on the output transistors set pretty low (it runs cooler that way), but it sounds MUCH better cranked up a bit- much more dynamic- and it won't hurt the amp (if it has enough air flow around it). If you don't know how to do it, get your Parasound dealer to do it. |
[Mar 04, 1997]
M. Entrekin
an Audio Enthusiast
Having already owned a pair of 1200II, I recently upgraded to a 2200, pairing it with a Proceed PAV. Leave the "I have a 50K system" babble to a few of the self proclaimed "Audiophiles". Parasound is on to something. I am extemely pleased with the 2200 in my system. I am currently using Parasound's 1206 in a theater-only amplication. This is rugged, high performance, equipment that is also affordable. Well done Parasound! |