Parasound 2250v2 vs Emotiva xpa2 vs something else

GTIanz

GTIanz

Active Member
Does anyone have experience or thoughts on trading out my Emotiva XPA2 amp for a Parasound 2250v2? Speakers are Infinity RSII

Think this would be more of a sidegrade rather than an upgrade?

I find the emotiva to be a little hot and clinical on the top end (clarity and power is good). I was hoping the parasound might bring out a little more warmth with music. And, I am using parasound p5 preamp - so, I thought it might make for a better marriage with a parasound amp.

There is also a Mcintosh 7270 somewhat close that is currently out of my price range. But, I might be able to swing it if it doesn't sell too quickly and I can sell some of the extra gear I have.

Thoughts, suggestions, and opinions welcome.

Thank you,
Ian
 
I also found Emotiva amps to be hot on the top end and ended up with Parasound Halo. It solved the issue quite nicely for me. I suspect the 2250 would be fine but have no direct experience with it. If nothing else you could contact Parasound, they are amazing to deal with.
 
runnin' said:
I also found Emotiva amps to be hot on the top end and ended up with Parasound Halo. It solved the issue quite nicely for me. I suspect the 2250 would be fine but have no direct experience with it. If nothing else you could contact Parasound, they are amazing to deal with.
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Local sound guy I been going to last 25yrs. Parasound Line is real good.

Emotiva in it's own boards and Trade Mags has the Amps sound Hot at top end (Bass is Kick AS*). Been following these guys since day 1...Good Bang for your Buck Company.....They are starting to switch some of the Gear to US Made.
 
Why don't you consider matching Parasound Halo amp? A 23rd for example. Can be had for about 500 bucks. That is what I have and it sure beats Emotive and lower end Parasound.
 
gladiator335 said:
Why don't you consider matching Parasound Halo amp? A 23rd for example. Can be had for about 500 bucks. That is what I have and it sure beats Emotive and lower end Parasound.
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Thank you guys for the responses.

I'd have to get 2x a23 amps and run them bridged to power infinity rsII's.

I can't imagine 1 of them having enough headroom to drive these speakers effectively.
 
Bridging those A23 for a speaker that dips down below 2 ohms might not be a good idea according to the manual. I've got the A21, and if you could swing it, that would be an ideal amp for those Infinity RSII.

I looked them up and is it true they are only 85db sensitive? You'll need a lot of amp to drive those guys. I would think if the XPA-2 was doing alright outside of the harshness, the 2250 Parasound would be fine too, but I know the Halo A21 would work as mine was a step above the Emotiva amp, and the mids are now really gorgeous sounding. I've got Paradigm Signature S6 speakers with a beryllium tweeter that can get bright with the wrong electronics.
 
For price the emotive goes for I would trade it off for either an older crown macro tech(probably can get a 3600 or 5002 for it) or if new a crown xti 4002.

Either will have more then enough balls to drive them into submission with power to spare. That's something I would do though. Up to you.
 
On the crown xti 4002, am I wrong or do the specs say it reaches unity gain(or full power) at 1.4 volts on the RCA inputs? Couple that together with a really high gain of 32.9 and you get full volume rather quickly and less usable range on the volume knob. I've never liked amps with fans, but for some applications they are fine. .5% THD is kind of high too, it wouldn't take as much to get to 1%, and audible distortion.
 
runnin' said:
On the crown xti 4002, am I wrong or do the specs say it reaches unity gain(or full power) at 1.4 volts on the RCA inputs? Couple that together with a really high gain of 32.9 and you get full volume rather quickly and less usable range on the volume knob. I've never liked amps with fans, but for some applications they are fine. .5% THD is kind of high too, it wouldn't take as much to get to 1%, and audible distortion.
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1.4 volts is fairly normal, or perhaps should I say not unusual, for power amp input sensitivity.

And, the amp has adjustable gain controls so you could dial back those if you wanted to use more of the preamp volume control.

As to the distortion, bear mind that's likely at rated power. Not that you'd hear it anyway buried in much higher distortion inherent to the speakers themselves.

As well, the amps have clipping indicators so you'd have a good indicator if you're pushing too hard. From experience, the clipping indicators will show clipping long before most people can audibly identify it.
 
My understanding is that for amps not specifically aimed at the typical weaker preamp sections of receivers/avrs, 2.0 volts is typical. On the THD, it doesn't say whether the number is at rated power or what, though you could be right.
 
1.5V, give or take is fairly typical. Of course, there are always exceptions at the extreme either way.

I have a number of amps that are selectable between 0.775V, 1.4V, and 26dB fixed gain sensivity. In the latter case, that's 2.5V to nearly 4V for full output, depending on the power of the amp. The default setting is 1.4V. These are sound reinforcement amps, never really intended to driven by AVRs and such, although they work quite fine in such duty.

As far as the distortion, it's pretty well indicated in the Operation Manual it's 0.5% at rated output ar 4 and 8 ohms, 1% at rated ouput at 2 ohms and 4 ohms bridged. They're both fairly standard ratings for pro amps because they're generally trying to show maximum usable power, not a rather immaterial ultra low distortion spec. Back off maximum power spec just a hair and you will have lower distortion rating.
 
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How many amps do you have with the selectable gain between 0.775V, 1.4V, and 26dB and what brands are they?

Also, I've never heard the phrase, "sound reinforcement" used to describe an amp, it sounds rather particular, what specifically are they for?
 
Oh, I dunno for sure; five or six maybe with those adjustments; all Crown amps. The fifteen or so other amps I have range between 1 and 2 volts, without such settings.

Sound reinforcement amp = PA amp, in more common parlance. Although, "PA amp" is often used in a derogatory sense hence sound reinforcement terms.
 
I have decided that im going to get a parasound a21 amp. Well reviewed and should pair well with my parasound p5 preamp.
 
runnin' said:
You're gonna love that amp, please let us know your impressions!
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You were right.

There is no comparison. It is a night and day difference. I was actually very skeptical that there would be a noticeable difference between the emotiva and the parasound.

I could use every audio cliche at this point. Bottom line it sounds cleaner, fuller, and more precise.

I never noticed any "noise" from the emotiva but, the first thing I noticed from the parasound is the emptiness within the music. There is nothing added to or behind the instruments. All instruments sound so distinct and separate from each other. Vocals sound precise and clear. I have never heard anything quite like this from any of my previous systems.

Is this what they mean when reviewers talk about separation?

I truly believe that there is a tremendous difference in sound quality between these two amps.

And is it true that amps "break in" with time just like speakers? I find it hard to believe that this thing is going to get better.

Now I just need to figure out how to improve and get the most out of my listening space.
 
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