So theyre not quite telling the whole truth. So, we know the Anthem is up to snuff with two-channel, but its a multi-channel amp, so it was time to test its cinematic chops. You at some great distance from the speakers or reaching for ear damage? The sensitivity does vary with frequency (and sensitivity measurements don't generally include lower bass), and lower frequencies could well demand a bit more power. 7.2.4Dolby ATMOS / The WaveSystemANTHEM AVM-60ANTHEM MCA-325ANTHEM MCA-525OPPO UDP-205B&W CT 7.3 + 7.4 + 7.5ELAC . Being designed to accompany the AVM series, the MCA 525 will pair perfectly with the new processors, so AVM owners neednt trouble themselves thinking about gain structure. Do you find them fatiguing? But given differences in how they are specified by the manufactures, I deduce that the Anthem and the Parasound are somewhat closer in actual output capabilities. Available in 5, 3 and 2-channel configurations, these new MCA amplifiers feature more robust and efficient power and heavy-duty reliability. The P5 is stable all the way down to 2 Ohm loads and is prodigiously powerful. Another vote for the Anthem in that list. 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. At 130 pounds weigh and takes up two dedicated 15 A outlet, I don't see the point. All sounds good, I too really enjoy my Parasound amps. Introduction: What Is the Anthem MCA 525 Generation 2? Both, based on specs are no better than the AVR-X3700H, SR6014, and much worse than the X3600H measured by ASR, but I guess only golden ears know the difference in use. I sent an email to Anthem asking some questions about the MCA 325 3 weeks ago, and still haven't heard back. Thanks for the feedback. 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. Look at Anthems AVM60. You would be correct, I'm a Curl head. The MCA 525s overall construction is one of tremendous heft and solidity, as though it were hewn from an anvil. alternates were Cambridge Azur 851 and Halo A21 and Audio Research 150.2.Thanks mancub1 09-10-2017 10:39am Next, let's take a look at distortion levels. McIntosh 255 vs Parasound Halo A51 vs Anthem MCA 525, The world's largest high-end audio community. I rode the volume dial up a few notches during the scene in Ready Player One and was at once deeply impressed by the clarity of the MCA 525 and AVM 90 combo, yet also terrified by the dynamic transients and raw power on tap. Parasound is famous because of John Curl, as for Anthem, they have been in business for a long time. Any input? The speakers I'm looking to power are 4 ohms with compression driver if that makes any difference, JTR to be exact. Marantz AV-7705 PrePro, Class 5 channel 200wpc Amp, Oppo 103 BluRay, Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Sony XBR-49X800E TV, Polk S60 Main Speakers, Polk ES30 Center Channel, Polk S15 Surround Speakers SVS SB12-NSD x2. Distortion and noise are also very low, with THD at 100W at 1kHz stated as 0.001% and 0.015% at 20kHz, and a signal-to-noise ratio of 120dB. It was probably plugged into a modified Delorean when that test was performed. It DOES NOT compare with the B&K Reference 7250, like at least one reviewer claims. I can personally attest that the MCA 5 (200 watts per channel, with one channel driven) does compare, arguably, with the lower powered B&K 5125 (125 watts per channel, with one-channel driven) in price and performance. I don't care about footprint and I don't believe that the sound is better. those that are not welcome.well let`s just say they won`t be leaving the same way they arrived ! Theyre capable of accommodating chunky speaker wire, feature guides to keep wire from moving around during tightening, and generally feel well-engineered. Europe's busiest forums, with independent news and expert reviews, for TVs, Home Cinema, Hi-Fi, Movies, Gaming, Tech and more. It will be here sometime next week. The MCA 225, 325, and 525 are designed to compliment the new AVM 70 and AVM 90 A/V Processors from Anthem. Is this something that any system can benefit from or is it inherant to Parasound products? Look at Anthems AVM60. 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. 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. Note that my old Lexicon amp measured as having significantly more balls than its rating. Anthem's MCA 525 Gen 2 power amplifier is a sophisticated piece of engineering from the Canadians. 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. Yeah the future is high quality class-D like the ATI AT525NC (200x5) and others. Anthem MCA 325. I agree with you on the high levels they might achieve and your hearing.but there are many compression drivers used in home audio, I am right now using a set of speakers with such. The latest MCA Power Amplifiers are available in two (MCA 225), three (MCA 325) and five (MCA 525) channel configurations and are designed to be a perfect match for the AVM 70 and AVM 90 AV Processors both sonically and aesthetically. . If you need more power, by all means buy a good amp like Emotiva or Monolith, but I would avoid buying a very expensive "audiophile" amp in the belief that it will somehow improve sound quality at low or moderate listening levels. I would highly recommend a used Parasound HCA-2205AT. They're both 400 watts into 4 ohms. Wattage rating that high on a speaker is only telling you you could get silly loud before damaging it. You must log in or register to reply here. Or? 2. That sort of collaborate with 2X750 VA transformers. 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. Copyright 2000-2023 M2N Limited E. & O.E. Pro amp for sure, but a 61 lbs class AB amp you and I both know there is something fishy about this one. The MCA 525 is fitted with two massive low flux toroidal power transformers which are shared between all channels. Then Anthem is Class AB. Overall, the Anthem MCA 525 was just a little smoother from top to bottom at high volumes, but the NAD does provide two additional channels for only $500 more -- a not insignificant difference if you're contemplating a seven-channel system. 225 W . 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. I even ended up calling them and leaving a message, and still nothing. Studio 590 | 250-watt, dual 8" floorstanding loudspeaker, Need help with floorspeakers and subwoofer configuration, Recommendations for Side, Rear, and Center Speaker Stands. Looking to replace my Yamaha MX-A5000 with one of the above 5 Channel Amplifiers. Add to Cart. Register today and take advantage of membership benefits. The amplifiers are all designed, engineered and manufactured in Canada. The MCA 525 is evidently capable of attack and delicacy with music and provides detail in spades, even at levels lower than Id typically listen at. McIntosh 255 vs Parasound Halo A51 vs Anthem MCA 525, The world's largest high-end audio community. If its available in a month or two Ill probably be interested. Just curious why you're adding an external amplifier? Beardog, you sound like you own stock in Parasound! I would personally look at your preamp before the amp, especially because of the amps youre considering. I tested the MCA 525 connected via XLR to the AVM 90 that I had in for evaluation at the time. 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 currently have and will use the Yamaha CX-A5100 Processor. I currently have the following system in my home theater: Theres a similar duality to its sonic performance, with the Anthem capable of intimately detailed moments on the one hand and astounding dynamic transients on the other. 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. 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. If a speaker is naturally fatiguing by nature and design (the Klipsch RF-7 III's come to mind, seemed to have lots of bass and highs but no mids) then can EQ'ing adjust for this? Monolith 3x. 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. These make use of 8 high-current bipolar output transistors per channel! The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo. Well I added a Rotel RMB 1555 amp to my Pioneer SC 57 receiver and don't regret it. If it is, there was something wrong with the other amps. This is no bad thing of course, as the NCores have excellent measured performance, but it did lead me to question the value proposition of the MCA 525, with its 3,895 price tag, when other highly specified five-channel amplifiers can be acquired for considerably less. In addition, compression drivers aren't made for residential use. it did lead me to question the value proposition of the MCA 525. The Studio 590 is a perfect complement to You're saying the heat sink is too light? Parasound A31. Perfect passthrough of Ultra HD signals at up to 18.2 Gbps with Dolby Vision, HDR or Hybrid Log Gamma ensures optimal presentation of your visual media. I have been reading great things about the Parasound A 31 amplifier. "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 dont think its an upgrade to get the Anthem if you already own the Parasound though. MCA 225 features 3 year warranty Delivers lower THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) for cleaner, pure sound and lower noise Completely redesigned for improved audio performance and reliability Higher current output for lower distortion Cosmetic match for AVM 60 AV Preamplifier-Processor Improved Advanced Load Monitoring system From available pictures it looks like it has 10X8,200 uf or 82,000 uf filter capacitance total. 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. Available in 5, 3, and 2-channel configurations, these new MCA amplifiers feature more robust and efficient power and heavy-duty reliability. JavaScript is disabled. The JTRs are rated at 2200 watts, the A51 is only 400 watts at 4 ohms so thought it might be short on power. I hooked up my speakers via banana plugs, which fit snugly into the Anthems binding posts. Which ones? It is a slightly more capable amp it seems. Now Available: Tech Talk Podcast with Scott Wilkinson, Episode 19 Click here for details. there's no way to tell the difference without testing it in your system. No way am I going to a class D amp. 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). 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. The Rotel RMB-1585 that was recommended by another forum member here is also another great choice but I would go with the Parasound Halo A31 of A51 if I were you. Power ratings start at 225 watts into 8 ohms and go up to . Rating: 100 % of 100. . Here is a list of companies that make units with IcePower amps.. Of the two amps you mention in the original post, go with the Parasound. Thats a great idea to isolate the variables. Or is this a full range system without subs? ), 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. It is a beautiful, muscle car of an amplifier, with sports car engineering. CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. You will go farther in performance doing it this way than the latter. Thank you for the adviceit is appreciated! Available in 5, 3 and 2-channel configurations, these new MCA amplifiers feature more robust and efficient power and heavy-duty reliability. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. High end baby. Ferrys vocals sounded natural and present during Roxy Musics Love is the Drug, and the various saxophones in Radioheads The National Anthem were clearly etched during its crescendo, rendered with almost overwhelming detail. I found something from Anthem last night that said special circumstances required for 2ohm test. The Anthem amp will integrate nicely with the MRX receiver, but not necessarily better. You must log in or register to reply here. I know that a Parasound Halo A31 would trump both of them but that is less channels and a little too much coin. lovinthehd Audioholic Jedi Feb 13, 2021 #31 PENG said: Pro amp for sure, but a 61 lbs class AB amp you and I both know there is something fishy about this one. I currently have and will use the Yamaha CX-A5100 Processor. $6,595. Must be the local Bay Area influence. MCA Amplifiers. Anthem 225 vs Parasound A21 vs Emotiva Xpa 7 Gen 2 Hey guys, I am looking for a very detailed sounding amp for Sacd playback.I am not interested in power output ,just smooth natural sound.These are my choices so far. 2-Channel configurations, these new MCA amplifiers feature more robust and efficient power and heavy-duty reliability up... That are not welcome.well let ` s just say they won ` t leaving! Power amplifier is a perfect complement to you 're saying the heat sink is too?. The way down to 2 Ohm loads and is prodigiously powerful why you 're saying the heat sink is light... 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