What's not to like? there's no way to tell the difference without testing it in your system. Anthem | MCA 525 GEN 2 | Overview (anthemav.com) "Higher Power into More Demanding Loads While most 5-channel amplifiers use a single power supply for front left and right channels and another power supply of the centre and surround, the new MCA 525 GEN 2 shares its two power supplies between all channels. It was probably plugged into a modified Delorean when that test was performed. I have decided to purchase a 5 channel amp and like the Parasound HCA-2205AT, but haven't quite figured out what the differences are between the Anthem PVA or MCA models. I. I know that a Parasound Halo A31 would trump both of them but that is less channels and a little too much coin. On paper, it looks like an MCA with a new face plate and a little bigger . Great post, looking at the Emotiva, Anthem and ATI two-channel amps myself. I'm a lover of the tube hybrids from Anthem as they are just fun to listen to and enjoy..Parasound is all about brutality and power. 5-channel power amplifier; 225 watts per channel continuous power into 8 ohms. Monolith 3x. When looking at the specs, the Anthem at first appears to be a much larger amplifier. It might be ok for folks who mostly watch movies, but I spend 90% listening to music, so sound quality is #1 priority for me. Have the Halos in cabinet with open back and the front has perforations (to allow IR signal to pass etc). Not really an upgrade. In truth, it should have more power as the 2205 retailed for $2500 compared to $799 for the Emotiva. JavaScript is disabled. JavaScript is disabled. Parasound Halo A51 5 Channel Power Amplifier. What a difference a clean, high current 250+ watt amp makes with my Mirage! For rig details, see my profile. Thanks! Thanks so much. Parasound A51 (click on specs) https://parasound.com/a51.php Anthen MCA 525 Gen2 (PDF spec download) What is your PayPal address? The Emotiva XPA-11 Gen3 11-channel power amplifier brings plenty of American muscle to your system thanks to the company's modular design and SMPS technology. Or? I sent an email to Anthem asking some questions about the MCA 325 3 weeks ago, and still haven't heard back. To complement the NEW AVM 90 and AVM 70 A/V Processors, Anthem introduces the new MCA 525, 325, and 225 GEN 2 power amplifiers. Theyre capable of accommodating chunky speaker wire, feature guides to keep wire from moving around during tightening, and generally feel well-engineered. Rear connections allow both XLRs and RCAs. Just curious why you're adding an external amplifier? The A51 has better damping factor, but the Anthem has better SNR. Anthem knows a thing or two about building solid, high-current power amplifiers, with conservatively-rated yet still impressive specifications. McIntosh 255 vs Parasound Halo A51 vs Anthem MCA 525, The world's largest high-end audio community. This second generation of MCA multi-channel Class A/B power amplifiers builds on that reputation, although represents a complete ground-up redesign of the forgoing MCA series. . For Sale: JBL Studio 590's brand new, Local pickup, no separating. Emotiva XPA 3. British company IOTAVX knock it out the park! It DOES NOT compare with the B&K Reference 7250, like at least one reviewer claims. Youll want to keep plenty of space around the MCA 525, as it can get hot in use (although in testing it stayed relatively cool). True though, with the added power you would have plenty of headroom to play insanely loud! Anthem MCA 525 GEN 2 Power Amplifier. The huge transformers make themselves quickly apparent the moment one attempts lifting the MCA 525, which weighs in at a hulking 27.5kg, most of which is distributed at its front end. It may not display this or other websites correctly. You are using an out of date browser. That certainly looks splendid, but it would be unwise to arrange them that way. Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint. The MCA 525 turned in a similarly accomplished performance with my other test songs. So yeah, no idea which is better! "Let our rigorous testing and reviews be your guidelines to A/V equipment not marketing slogans", Get our latest product reviews and AV stories emailed to you weekly. Mind me asking how you ever got your hands on that BBQ? The overall dimensions are (H x W x D) 169mm, 438mm, 460mm. Ya ok but I take my bi-polar trans anyday. The A51 weighs more and is Class A / AB. At 130 pounds weigh and takes up two dedicated 15 A outlet, I don't see the point. Despite this, the Anthem will use less than 2W when in standby mode. As stated before, your Anthem receiver is well known for sound quality and excellent performance overall, so stepping up to a larger amp would definitely help fill a larger room without strain and maintain excellent sound quality. Read about our review ethos and the meaning of our review badges. That sort of collaborate with 2X750 VA transformers. So, for the first 8 Watts of power, which exceeds the typical average power requirements for music, the output transistors are always on. I don't care about footprint and I don't believe that the sound is better. Stereo setup: MSB Select ll DAC w/ 2 separate mono powerbases (PSU) & Femto 33 clock, Taeko Audio SGM Extreme music server; Clearaudio Statement v2 turntable, Statement TT tonearm, Statement Goldfinger cartridge & separate PSU; D'Agostino Momentum phono pre; Naim Statement NAC S1 linestage preamp & Naim Statement NAP S1 monoblock amps; Magico M6. It is outwardly elegant yet built like a tank. I briefly owned an AVM60 as a potential replacement for my Classe SSP800, but unfortunately was no match in sound quality so I sold it. "Let our rigorous testing and reviews be your guidelines to A/V equipment not marketing slogans", Get our latest product reviews and AV stories emailed to you weekly. I would highly recommend a used Parasound HCA-2205AT. These JTRS are rated down to 30 hz, and I know many tower speakers are and it's always recommended to crossover at 80hz for numerous and various reasons and let the subs do the heavy lifting, but there are towers with 6" drivers rated down to 30hz, and then there's JTRs with dual 12" drivers rated down to 30hz, surely it'll be good to use those 12" drivers and not waste them, I have a MiniDSP to smoothen out response and integrate them with subs, but will 400 wpc be enough for the lower frequencies, surely lower frequencies use more power than that calculator would suggest? I had forgotten about these. Now Available: Tech Talk Podcast with Scott Wilkinson, Episode 19, https://www.d-sonic.com/amplifiers/multi-channel/three-channel/. Hard to say, I can think of the following spec highlights for comparison, and you'll be the judge: Ah man Peng, major thanks for a detailed replied, that must of taken you a while to type up and research, I would buy you a drink if I could. Either is a good choice though. Like all Anthem products the MCA 525, MCA 325 and MCA 225 . I dont think its an upgrade to get the Anthem if you already own the Parasound though. Come join the discussion about home audio/video, TVs, projectors, screens, receivers, speakers, projects, DIYs, product reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! Click here to email us, or call for advice on 0121 224 7300/7401 (9am to 5:30pm GMT Mon-Sat) Cool. JavaScript is disabled. Dead quiet, tons of headroom, superior driver control all make for a very tidy sound and it enabled me to start getting my AC infinity fans out of my rack. Hi All, potentially closing a deal on the Anthem AVM 70 and could potentially cut a deal if I get the matching Anthem MCA 525 Gen 2, which is a 5 channel power amp. It will be here sometime next week. The new Anthem MCA amps all have identical amp boards for every channel. amps-preamps 154516-93863 McIntosh 255 vs Parasound Halo A51 vs Anthem MCA 525 Looking to replace my Yamaha MX-A5000 with one of the above 5 Channel Amplifiers. The A51 weighs more and is Class A / AB. Anthem MCA 325 (Gen 2) 3-Channel Power Amplifier. The Anthem Mca 225 has THD+N of 0.05%, while the Parasound A21 has THD+N of 0.03%. No question about it. I agree the MCA amp is the best among those but in my opinion it's transformer and the power supply as a whole, is actually not "huge" at all relatively speaking (to Outlaw, Monolith, Parasound's etc in the similar price range). A51's Inter channel Crosstalk > 78 dB at 1 kHz > 63 dB at 20 kHz so I would say the A51's a lot better based on the typical shapes of XT vs freq., that the MCA's would likely be a few dB worse at 20 kHz. Camel Air Born: The MCA & Decca Years 1973-1984 (box set with 5 albums in 5.1 on blu-ray), MMH - New Atmos Decoder (beta) discussion, Multichannel Media Players, File Storage & Ripping, Tears For Fears "The Hurting" (SDE Blu-Ray #9 with Steven Wilson 5.1 & Dolby Atmos mixes! If you are concerned about heat though, want more power (that you may or may not need), and more value while maintaining high build/sounds quality, you could look at one of these: https://www.d-sonic.com/amplifiers/multi-channel/three-channel/ fatstrat New Member Thread Starter Joined Feb 21, 2020 Messages 8 Location Pa More So, if you can afford it, go for it! No regrets so far with the Parasound. JavaScript is disabled. Samsung 75" QLED, Amazon Echo x 5, Amazon Echo "sub", Amazon 4K Firestick, Bose QC35 II. Of the three, go with the Parasound A51 to match with the Studios.. Having owned several Paradigm speakers and Parasound amps in different configurations, they are a near perfect match. Hi mates, what external power amplifier would you guys recommend between the Anthem MCA 525 and Parasound A52+? You must log in or register to reply here. No way am I going to a class D amp. Parasound is famous because of John Curl, as for Anthem, they have been in business for a long time. Active/Powered Speakers Subwoofers Portable Speakers Wireless Speakers Dipole and Atmos Speakers Tweeters Soundbars In Ceiling & In Wall Speakers On Wall Speakers 5.1 Speaker Packages Unique Speakers Audio Affair Exclusive Speaker Deals Need help choosing? This robust construction extends to the interior, which uses large, high-quality capacitors and high-current bipolar output transistors, and features a generally tidy signal path. Hope many more users of these amps will chime in and provide their thoughts. All I gotta say is WOW! Support your locals eh? I currently have and will use the Yamaha CX-A5100 Processor. And though the Anthems performance is truly wonderful, I'm not convinced that the same sonic performance couldnt be had for considerably less than the Anthems relatively steep asking price. Register today and take advantage of membership benefits. Anthem's new MCA Power Amplifiers are available in 2, 3 and 5 channel configurations and would be a great match for the AVM70 and AVM90 A/V Processors that we recently previewed. http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=855660&highlight=d-sonic, Need help with floorspeakers and subwoofer configuration, Recommendations for Side, Rear, and Center Speaker Stands. Obviously, the McIntosh is considerably more then the other two. I can't believe they would rate the MCA525 2 ohms, that's not believable, not without caveat. What is the diaphragm made of? it did lead me to question the value proposition of the MCA 525. Sheeuut! You must log in or register to reply here. Any input? NAD's latest Master Series power amplifier delivers seven channels of Class D grunt thanks to Purifi's new Eigentakt technology. Looking to replace my Yamaha MX-A5000 with one of the above 5 Channel Amplifiers. Surround ADP 590. Another vote for the Anthem in that list. I'd put the old Anthem amps (with the exception of the tubed input stage hybrid design) more on par with Rotel during the time period they were built than Parasound, meaning a slight notch below Parasound's HCA series in build and sound quality. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Looking at it from the top, one can see its oversized black aluminium heatsinks through the casing. I would personally look at your preamp before the amp, especially because of the amps youre considering. Now Available: Tech Talk Podcast with Scott Wilkinson, Episode 19 Click here for details. ), My wish if I were a 30-40+ year old sealed LP - your latest NOS (New Old Stock) / sealed LP you bought, Dutton Vocalion - Surround SACDs from the UK, Multichannel Albums - Lossy Formats on DVD & CD. I ran through the same demo scenes in John Wick (the bathhouse shootout), Oblivion (the opening scene) and Ready Player One (the race scene), and in every respect the MCAs audio performance was outstanding. Anthem introduces the new MCA 525, 325 and 225 GEN 2 power amplifiers. Anthem MCA 525 Gen 2 or Parasound A52+ (Decision Made) ar surround Jul 20, 2021 Help Support QuadraphonicQuad: ar surround 2K Club - QQ Super Nova QQ Supporter Joined Apr 3, 2010 Messages 4,255 Location New Joisey Jul 20, 2021 #1 I have decided to purchase a new 5 channel power amp and would like some advice from our forum members. I s'pose you could reproduce thunderclaps and jet engines realistically but you'd only be able to hear it a few times before you blow your eardrums into your sinuses .LOL 400wpc short on power with 101dB sensitivity at 12 feet. Thanks for the feedback. Is this something that any system can benefit from or is it inherant to Parasound products? I looked up the spec on the speaker, and unless you have a monster size room, 4 ohm at 91db isn't that huge of a load. I have decided to purchase a new 5 channel power amp and would like some advice from our forum members. Its worth pausing here briefly to note the quality of the binding posts. So what are you asking for the Parasound? I found something from Anthem last night that said special circumstances required for 2ohm test. it speaks of thoughtful craftsmanship. Those are some pretty kickass speakers. The promotion photos for the MCA Gen 2s show them stacked on one another, with an AVM processor at the top of the pile. I don't want to introduce harshness to the mix at all. The MCA 525 is fitted with two massive low flux toroidal power transformers which are shared between all channels. As long as this amplifier isn't expected to perform to the level of a $2000 plus amp and you don't demand high volume from tough-to-drive speakers, this is a wonderful amp. MCA Amplifiers. By all accounts the Anthem 1120 is one of, if not the, best receiver on the market with plenty enough power? The JTRs are rated at 2200 watts, the A51 is only 400 watts at 4 ohms so thought it might be short on power. Congrats Bill! Look at Anthems AVM60. Whether that's worth the change to you, don't know. The speakers I'm looking to power are 4 ohms with compression driver if that makes any difference, JTR to be exact. Yamaha's latest 11-channel power amplifier offers serious amounts of power to drive your Atmos home cinema system, but it also adds in the ability to bridge the front channels to add even more grunt to your two-channel music. I am wondering if I will get the same response from my speakers once I hooked them up to one of these amps I am reviewing. The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo. A51 costs me $4K and I can get A5 for around $3K so does $1K is worth for that extra power and what extra or sound quality I am going to get with that extra money. You must log in or register to reply here. It will also deliver an effortlessly dynamic performance when called upon. Anthem's MCA 525 Power Amplifier is the flagship of the extraordinary MCA range which focuses on a single goal of obtaining leadership through innovation and technology. Nothing here anymore. So theyre not quite telling the whole truth. I currently have the following system in my home theater: I'm wide open to suggestions. Being intended to accompany the new AVM series processors, the MCA 525 Gen 2 has a matching aesthetic, looking essentially identical to the AVMs, sans dial, buttons, and audio format markings. The MCA 525s overall construction is one of tremendous heft and solidity, as though it were hewn from an anvil. Buy both. For evaluation I used the same demo material that Id listened to during my testing of the AVM 90 with my Hypex NCore-based amplifiers. The Parasound sounded more resolving with better details than the Rotel RMB-1585. The one notable practical difference was that the MCA 525 has higher voltage gain (29dB) than my amps (26dB), which meant I turned the volume up slightly less for a given SPL. I currently have and will use the Yamaha CX-A5100 Processor. The Anthem has specs for 2 ohms, the Parasound doesn't. The A51 has better damping factor, but the Anthem has better SNR. . 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