Amp question. Parasound HCA1500 vs Hafler 9505?

[brett_s]

Hi guys,

I was looking for your thoughts on which is a better sounding amplifier between a Parasound HCA-1500a and a Hafler 9505. Both have similar specs with the Hafler being a bit more of everything. This is on paper of course, and I was wondering if anybody had experience with these. Both seem to have a good rep, with the 9505 having a very good rep. I was curious if there will be a noticable differnence between the two. i currently have the HCA 1500a driving my XPL200a.

specs:
http://parasound.com/vintage/hca1500a.php

http://www.hafler.com/products/hafle...=3276&viewId=2

I would appreciate your thoughts and experiences.

Brett

[Mr. Widget]

I have used a number of Parasound amps and am a Parasound dealer. They are very nice amps and at every price point they are outstanding values. I also happen to own a pair of Hafler 9505 amps. I am not currently using them and would be happy to sell you one, but in my opinion there is little or no point in "upgrading" from the Parasound to the Hafler. I don't think there would be much of a difference in this particular case. I can't say that definitely as I have not compared both amps directly, and I haven't tried them with your speakers, but my best guess is that the difference if any would be very subtle.


Widget

[brett_s]

Widget,

Thanks for your response. With your experience, I'm guessing that you are probably correct. I kind of assumed they woud be close and any differnece would be minimal, but I was curious as the Hafler looked pretty good on paper.

I've been pretty happy with my parasound, it was leaps and bounds better than units before it (acurus, B&K, Yamaha, cambridge receiver), and hasn't given me any issues. I just saw the Hafler amp, and figured for a few bucks and my amp, I could swap if it was better.

Since you are a Parasound dealer, and a straight shooter, how much difference is there between the Halo A21 amp and the Parasound HCA1500 I have? Again, similar on the spec sheet, but the A21 is a bit more of everything. This is on my list of amps to audition, but there aren't amy hifi dealers around here.

Brett

[Mr. Widget]

... how much difference is there between the Halo A21 amp and the Parasound HCA1500 I have?

To be perfectly honest I don't remember if I have ever heard an HCA1500. I have heard other HCA series amps and even use one for my TV, but I can't comment specifically about the HCA1500. In general, I'd describe the series as "forgiving". They don't have the hard glare that many other solid state amps have, but they are not the last word in detail resolution, bass slam etc. As for the A21, it is a very good amp with a lot of power and control and for ~$2,300 it offers good value... you can find vintage amps that will match it's bass control and power for a fraction of the price, but I can't think of one that matches it's over all smoothness and refinement at this power level.

Widget

[dr_gallup]

Hi guys,

I was looking for your thoughts on which is a better sounding amplifier between a Parasound HCA-1500a and a Hafler 9505. Both have similar specs with the Hafler being a bit more of everything. This is on paper of course, and I was wondering if anybody had experience with these. Both seem to have a good rep, with the 9505 having a very good rep. I was curious if there will be a noticable differnence between the two. i currently have the HCA 1500a driving my XPL200a.

specs:
http://parasound.com/vintage/hca1500a.php

http://www.hafler.com/products/hafle...=3276&viewId=2

I would appreciate your thoughts and experiences.

Brett

Thanks for that Parasound link. I have an old Parasound amp in my equipment rack, I think it is an HCA2200, I'll have to look when I get home. It has been a great amp. I bought it when I got tired of fixing my Carver M1.5T after it broke for the umpteenth time. The Parasound has never been out for repairs. I'm not using it right now because I just upgraded from stereo to a 7.1 channel home theater system. I was going to use the Parasound for the main L & R speakers but when I first hooked it up I got a tremendous hum. I unplugged it and am presently using the A/V receiver for everything but the JBL 2245H sub. Reading the owners manual linked from your link it recommends reversing the preamp plug and/or lifting the ground. I'll try that this weekend.

Regarding your original question, the Hafler is a really good unit but I too doubt there is much to choose between them. If you are going to be using the "new to you" amp in the same installation as your existing HCA-1500A then I would go with that simply because identical stacked amps always look so good together. Another reason is you could always use them as a bridged pair for stereo.

[chrisautosound]

Hi guys,

I was looking for your thoughts on which is a better sounding amplifier between a Parasound HCA-1500a and a Hafler 9505. Both have similar specs with the Hafler being a bit more of everything. This is on paper of course, and I was wondering if anybody had experience with these. Both seem to have a good rep, with the 9505 having a very good rep. I was curious if there will be a noticable differnence between the two. i currently have the HCA 1500a driving my XPL200a.

specs:
http://parasound.com/vintage/hca1500a.php

http://www.hafler.com/products/hafle...=3276&viewId=2

I would appreciate your thoughts and experiences.

Brett

my service history with the 9500 series is not good. Everyone I opened had lots of surface mount parts that had cooked to death. Plus Rockford does not support them at all.