Parasound Questions

[LJSki]

I'm seeking help with possible 'issues' with 3 Parasound amps. I don't have any local place to audition these amps, so I am stuck with buying them from online retailers. I have now had an A51, A31, and an A52+.
A51 went back immediately (shorting in 2 channels), no questions asked, refunded.
A31 has similar issue and is going back, although they say they are just going to 'test' it. Ch1 makes a fizzing noise that comes and goes and sounds like electric arcing. Ch 2 randomly drops by around 6DB. Ch3 seems silent.
A52+ : Has noise. Ch 1 and 5 are loud enough to hear anywhere in the room. Ch 2 and 4 are quieter, need to be near the speaker. Ch 3 is almost silent, ear directly in front of speaker to hear. They say it's EMI, even though I have tried every possible combination of connections, isolation, cables, etc... with no change in the noise levels in the speakers.

1. Is it common to have this many issues with these AMPs?
2. What quantity/quality of 'Noise' should I expect from a properly working Parasound AMP? I'm being told 'some noise is expected and normal'. Like most people in this forum, my hearing is quite sensitive, so almost any 'non-music' noise from an amp annoys me. My room is also 'treated' so fairly silent which makes any noise from an AMP 'loud'.

My AMPs for comparison are fairly limited. Many AVRs, all of which have been silent or returned (only 2 in 12) if they hissed. Modified Wyrd4Sound = all dead silent, Amp Kit (Pass) nearly silent, had to really have the ear on the speaker to 'notice' it.

I will say that the sound from the 'good' channels I have experienced is really good. Which is why I keep trying... When I had the A51 connected on the 3 good channels, I fell in love with it. Am I just doomed??

 

[Robert D]

I've known people that own Parasound amps and none of them had problems, they praise them. My local hi-fi store praises them too.

You could be just unlucky, but to have 3 or more amps all with problems is highly unlikely. I had a brand new Marantz receiver with 2 channels bad, but the 2nd one I got was fine.

 

[highfidelity]

I've been running Parasound A23 for approx the last 20 years. No problems whatsoever, but my amps are not multichannel, left and right channel only. I would imagine there is a lot more complexity inside a multichannel amp.

 

[ttocs]

Are all of those amps actually "new"?, in sealed boxes? Something isn't right when you have multiple failures, and with different model amps!

I haven't owned a Parasound, but I came very close to buying one a little over a year ago. The dealer has had a bunch on display for demonstration and I was impressed!! One pair of the JC-1+ was powering Neolith speakers and sounded fabulous!

 

[Russr]

Not wanting to "blame the victim" here, but have you had your house power supply checked? I know I had a real issue from when my house was constructed... some bozo had somehow cross-linked the two 110V circuits in the house. Everything worked somehow, but as soon as I had an issue (1 of the 110V legs died), I was getting fluctuating "brown-out" voltage in places that should have been totally dead. Cost the electrical contractors that ran the power line to my house & set of the panle a few grand (blew my MLs, Earthquake sub, and a bunch of appliances)...

All the best - keep us posted!

Russ

 

[Robert D]

Not wanting to "blame the victim" here, but have you had your house power supply checked? I know I had a real issue from when my house was constructed... some bozo had somehow cross-linked the two 110V circuits in the house. Everything worked somehow, but as soon as I had an issue (1 of the 110V legs died), I was getting fluctuating "brown-out" voltage in places that should have been totally dead. Cost the electrical contractors that ran the power line to my house & set of the panle a few grand (blew my MLs, Earthquake sub, and a bunch of appliances)...

All the best - keep us posted!

Russ

That's scary, when was your home built? Got to wonder how it passed inspection. Doesnt that stuff have to be inspected by the county before it's signed off?
We had this house built in 08. The biggest problem I've had is electrical outlets going loose. I think the worker(s) must have not tightened tbe screws on the wires enough. I've had 3 go loose. Stories like yours make me worried there's more problems lurking that I don't know about.

 

[LJSki]

1. House wiring is definitely suspect, that I'm already aware of. I haven't had these issues with other amps though. I have ensured I don't have any other active devices on that circuit. AVR and amp only otherwise I do get a ground loop and hum which is very prominent.
2. They are all open box. I can't afford full price, so I have been waiting and watching the authorized retailers, until they have one show up. So it doesn't surprise me to possible get a defective one. My assumption now is that good ones simply don't get returned, so any returns or "open box" are probably defective.
3. The A52+ I think is actually fine, but it does have the noise in the channels still. That's why I'm really trying to figure out what kind of noise is normal for these amps. If anyone could give feedback on that, it would help. I just want to rule out that me being overly sensitive to it isn't the real issue. If they do have a low level of hiss or fuzz, I'd still return it, but at least I'd know these amps aren't for me.

Thanks

 

[Heyfey]

I had an A21 that powered Odysseys for years with no issues, hissing or otherwise. I have an A31 that drives a pair of Theos and a Motif X with the same lack of problems. Two things I can think of: 1) have you fiddled with the input levels at all to see if there are any changes? 2) years ago I had a PS Audio regenerator (not the current generation, of which I have three that have had no problems) that I eventually discovered was outputting AC at something over 125 volts. I think this took out the power supply of an NAD receiver but did nothing to anything else connected. My question is are you using any power filter or regenerator that could be faulty and for some reason wreaking havoc on just the Parasound amps?

 

[LJSki]

No. At this point, I've isolated just the amp; nothing connected except a speaker on the various channels. It doesn't matter where I plug the amp in (power strip, surge strip, outlet, different outlet, different circuit, grounded, ungrounded). I don't have any regenerators or any other fancier power conditioning devices to try. The noise in the channels is still present. To my ear, it's more than the very low-level hiss I can hear on tube amps, not enough to be the 60hz hum. Somewhere between a buzz and a fizz...

The A52+ doesn't have a level/gain adjustment. I tried that on the A31, which caused more issues (pops)... which is why that amp is on its way back.

From the responses, I'm gathering that these amps should generally be silent. The fact that my other amps are, leads me to believe these really are defective. ...so it sounds like I'll have to keep saving pennies until I can afford a new-in-box amp. *oof* I may be stuck with the A52+, which is frustrating, but it is a risk I knew I was taking from the beginning. If the retailer won't take it back, I'll look into paying Parasound to repair it.

Thanks for the inputs.

 

[Russr]

Sorry to hear this. Have you engaged with the manufacturer directly? No one wants their products out there, being sold and sold again, making a bad impression (and potentially resulting in "slams" on social media platforms, etc.). To me, "Open Box" should actually mean "Tested above and beyond", not something that sucks and is just pushed out the door again...

 

[Leporello]

Not wanting to "blame the victim" here, but have you had your house power supply checked? I know I had a real issue from when my house was constructed... some bozo had somehow cross-linked the two 110V circuits in the house. Everything worked somehow, but as soon as I had an issue (1 of the 110V legs died), I was getting fluctuating "brown-out" voltage in places that should have been totally dead. Cost the electrical contractors that ran the power line to my house & set of the panle a few grand (blew my MLs, Earthquake sub, and a bunch of appliances)...

All the best - keep us posted!

Russ

I take it you have no 240V appliances in your home. If you did, the two 120V branches would be "cross linked" in almost exactly the way you describe, if one branch went down. That's one reason all the 240V breakers in the panel are labeled "main disconnect". So what was done to mitigate your situation?

 

[Leporello]

Are all of those amps actually "new"?, in sealed boxes? Something isn't right when you have multiple failures, and with different model amps!

I haven't owned a Parasound, but I came very close to buying one a little over a year ago. The dealer has had a bunch on display for demonstration and I was impressed!! One pair of the JC-1+ was powering Neolith speakers and sounded fabulous!

My pre-0wned JC-1's and CLS II's are a match made in heaven. I immediately noticed the full brilliance and dynamics of solo piano were reproduced. A new pair of JC-1+'s was too rich for my blood. But I don't see my self worrying about amps for the front L&R channels any time soon.

 

[ttocs]

A new pair of JC-1+'s was too rich for my blood.

Mine as well. I was looking at 2 channel amps for this reason.