Parasound's A23+ Power Amplifier Swung For the Fences!

[@marcus1970]

Well that was enthusiastic.... I've been exclusively Parasound for power amps over the past 17 years... They're dependable with excellent value, great control, fine detail and low end grunt that's very satisfying 👍🏻

[@audioarkitekts]

Thanks Marcus for the awesome feedback

[@davidstein9129]

How would up describe the tonality of a Parasound amp connected to say a P5 or P6 Preamplifier? I'd say it's on the warm side of neutral but am curious what you think. Thanks!

[@jerryjohnson4625]

Well done video. You make it look easy. I went ahead and Ordered the A23+. It's due to arrive tomorrow , Friday. Can hardly wait.

[@audioarkitekts]

Awesome! Hope it works well for you

[@willgatlin8229]

I love Parasound! One of the best things to happen to my Cinema was the JC-1Mkno blocks and the A-52 5 channel amp! My Anthem-AVM 90 never sounded better for movies and music! I am very happy!

[@michaelwright1602]

Just ordered one! Will be here next week.

[@flint9591]

You will not be disappointed !

[@NikiMick]

Been Running the A23+/P6 since early 2020. Great gear. Replaced my 20 year old Adcom stuff. I recommend. Phono preamp in the P6 is the only down side.

[@anmic3590]

Hi! Will the jc3 jr be a wow difference compared with the Parasound P6s phono? I heard that the xrm is not much better than the P6 and xrm vs jc3 jr is also not a day/night difference. What would you recommend for my Planar 3 2000 with a Linn Adikt cartridge? I have the a23+ too and a pair of Focals Aria 948 with 2 svs subs sb-1000 pro. Thank you!

[@johnparks6172]

I'm late to this party, but I hope what I have to say is helpful and constructive. So, I'm what many would call a budget Audiophile, but an Audiophile nonetheless less. I'm a tweeker, and a limited DYI guy too (speakers: Aurum Cantus 10" woofers in old rTr cabinets). Over the decades I built a system that provides the sound I love. Rich, warm, dynamic soundstaging, with detailed smooth mids and highs. Along the way I discovered the Denon POA2400 ((200w/channel) and used it for about 10 years. I fell in love with its sound and never heard anything newer that rivaled it. The only problem with it is the build quality. The weak point being the plastic interface that holds the rca connectors, and the circuit board that's part of their operation. The plastic and the circuit board become brittle over time. Reparing them has become impractical. So my amp was rendered essentially useless. I was heartbroken. Research for a replacement initially led me to the Parasound A21+. This included all sorts of reviews. The Audiophile world is very subjective because everyone has different tastes and hears differently, but I know what kind of sound I'm looking for and the language used to describe it. Your review of the A23+ uses familiar, understandable language that seemed to describe my Denon. And the main spec feature for me with Parasound is the toroidal transformer. This is the same type of transformer utilized in the Denon. I like this transformer because it gives a hybrid sound between tubes which are warm sounding and solid state which has a quick attack. I finally settled on a pair of A23s to bridge for use as monoblocks (for a total of $1,4+k). Though the upgrades from the A23 to the A23+ present as significant in the specs I'm not convinced they are enough to detect a discernable audible difference. I purchased 2 used A23s from reputable dealers. So far only one has arrived and I'm using it as a stereo amp until the other is delivered. The sound of this amp is superb, sublime. It has weight and authority in the bass without over powering the mids and the highs which are detailed and smooth without fatiguing the ears. At high or low levels it gives the music impact which is an important chacteristic of music that can emotionally engage the listener. And it doesn't seem to add bass to music that is thin on bass. It's just neutral. When my other A23 arrives I'm sure I won't be disappointed with a monoblock set up. With that in mind, I've only seen a review for the Parasound JC 1 monoblocks, but I haven't seen a review of the A23s or the A23+s as monoblocks. Do you know of any or could you do one sometime? Thanks for reading.

[@tunesart4542]

Hai great review , There is not much review about this amp ,I am confused between Halo 23+ and new classic 2250 Which would be ideal for my KEF R7 towers

[@davidwilcox6959]

My set up exactly (including Node 2i) and I'm happy to hear your positive review... it's often hard to tell if what you have is good enough when you are constantly looking for ways to improve, as I have only a Pioneer Elite AVR to compare it too; and that upgrade was like taking a towel off of my speakers. I recently added a well reviewed external DAC and sent it back as both DACs in the Node 2i and P6 were just as good. I think to get to the next level you will have to look at spending 6-10K and then you probably need a pair of 10K speakers as well to get the wow one might be looking for. Personally, I would like to upgrade my speakers just for the sex appeal (Audiovector, Sonus Faber, or such) , but I'm not unhappy with what I have (B&W Matrix 804). ' love your down-to-earth reviews for those of us with mid-fi budgets.

[@audioarkitekts]

It's a solid investment and an amazing sounding setup. I am glad you share my philosophy about HiFi!

[@marcus1970]

Take that Audiovector route. 🇩🇰👌🏻

[@davidwilcox6959]

@@marcus1970 I figured you would chime in 🙂

[@marcus1970]

@@davidwilcox6959 😊 You know me so well.....

[@Audfile]

Thanks! Buying one Thursday

[@danieloherrick6332]

I recently heard the P6/P23+ stack with the KEF LS50M / KEF KC62 sub combo. Never been a big fan of KEF, but this combination was excellent. Been shopping for a 2.1 system for over a year--this may be the one. Nice that I have a local dealer for Parasound. Hoping that if a P7 is ever released. it with have an HDMI input. Thanks

[@audioarkitekts]

Nice! Yes hoping for a P7

[@TOMPDUDE]

The P7 has already come And gone.

[@danieloherrick6332]

@@TOMPDUDE I forgot about the old P7. Maybe we will get a P6+

[@letsgobrandon6545]

The reason it controls the bass well is its damping factor of 800. Excellent design, just as good as PS Audio amps.

[@michaelwright1602]

Question, how would the 23+ play with the KLH Model 5 speakers? The amp will be fed with the Cambridge Audio CXN V2 network streamer/DAC/preamp. Thoughts? And thank you for such quality reviews, well done sir!

[@amb3cog]

I'm sure that would sound great. But don't confuse that network player with a real preamp. It will sound fine, like I said. However a preamp is still needed to get that fully fleshed out sound we're all looking for. I feel it's more important then a good amp myself. Don't get me wrong. Amps are very important. But switching between amps will only show certain differences. But adding a good quality preamp will really wow you! I was absolutely gobsmacked by the difference I heard when I added a new Freya+ preamp to my system. It brought my system up to a whole different level. And I was only using a basic amp at the time (Crown XLS 1502). And it was too much when I added a Purifi amp. No poor recordings allowed with that combo (Schiit Bifrost 2/Project Streambox S2 Ultra front end). But now with my cheap Audiophonics Hypex amp (NC252MP) it's perfect. I'm still going to get a better amp. But it's not going to make a huge difference in sound most likely. It will be a small incremental improvement yes. But nothing major, unless I go crazy with the money. And then I probably won't be able to enjoy listening to my old classic rock. So what's the point? In fact as I'm shopping for amps. I'm wondering if I shouldn't sell the Freya+, and invest in an even better preamp. But I'm not going to do that either. Because I think I'm better with a simpler, but balanced system in every way. The speakers I've been using are my Kef R300's, and my recently acquired (and highly recommended I might add) Elac Carina bookshelves. So if you're using a noisy old amp and/or one that's not up to snuff for your system. Then try the amp. But if you've already got a decent amp. I recommend looking into a nice preamp first. Parasound makes really nice preamps too BTW. And the current model P6 is balanced too. Which I really like. But is definitely not a requirement. Unless you're using really long interconnects for some reason. Either way. Good luck.✌️

[@gleamtarrest6310]

Did you mention what DAC you are using? I had a Parasound 275 v.2 for about 2 yes, I paid $566.00 refurbished from Parasound & it was a solid piece of gear, never missed a beat & sounded really good... When I see people on KZbin talk about budget gear & don't ever mention the 275v.2, they are missing out..

[@neilhansen3025]

Great video Mike

[@audioarkitekts]

Thanks Neil

[@niksworld100]

Hi..any experience with nad c658 as pre with a23 + power...are they synergistic?

[@audioarkitekts]

I haven't been able to test any NAD gear unfortunately.

[@niksworld100]

@@audioarkitekts ok I got one recently and I believe it is going well...ppl say parasound pre is not dead silent..there's a constant hum...not sure..whats ur opinion on parasound pre 3/6

[@AudioElectronicsChicago]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@audioarkitekts]

Thank you!

[@tomasmartinsolis9020]

Fantastic

[@audioarkitekts]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@zed6and789]

I have heard that Parasound amps are notorious for getting hot. Is this true?

[@matt74834]

My A31 gets warm not hot, A23+ gets warm, A21+ that amp is toasty after listen for a few hours

[@JohnnyBravo-rm4yy]

Most of this review was talking about design and features. You didn't really touch on how it sounds aside from its bass impact. Maybe next time focus more on its sound rather than features and brand history so it doesn't come off as a marketing piece, This is constructive criticism, I hope you don't take any offense.

[@audioarkitekts]

I think components like these are more about features than having to babble on for 20 minutes about small nuances that probably arent even there. I said what I had to say about the sound in the bit near the end of the video and I felt even that was overkill. Thanks for the feedback though.

[@JohnnyBravo-rm4yy]

@@audioarkitekts If that's the case, are you saying there is no difference in sound quality between say the bolder that you reviewed and the parasound? Its only the features that tell it apart?

[@audioarkitekts]

@@JohnnyBravo-rm4yy I said my piece about the sound signature of this amp. If it wasnt enough for you I am sure there are articles out there that will satisfy your thirst for subjective opinion.

[@jimshaw899]

Lots of superlative-speak. Maybe too much? Maybe.

[@audioarkitekts]

Nahhhh, I loved the video it was great!

[@jimshaw899]

@@audioarkitekts Give yourself a big wet kiss. :)

[@audioarkitekts]

@@jimshaw899 I do everytime i hit that upload button

[@curtisayers7933]

Maybe an unproductive comment? Maybe….maybe?