McIntosh VS Parasound Amplifiers

this video is a joke, right? I've heard the Parasound .. they're crap.

So to summarize looks like a lot of the product cost is in the exterior finish and the moving meters versus the internal guts. Since I will be listening to music 100% of the time and occasionally looking at the equipment I will take performance over form any day of the week.

Had some Mcintosh amps back in the day 20 years ago but also had Threshold class A stasis amp and it blew away the Mac stuff.

I have 2250

No disrespect but I’ve been reading reviews about mc152 I know it’s about opinion, but this is the only negative review I’ve seen or read !

Shoots?

transformers at the output in a solid state power amp ... i guess they are the only ones doing this Why ? house rules ?
The look is just fantastic ... very classy Wonderful

Great content!! Subscribed!

McIntosh holds its value better, no doubt, but no one ever buys equipment intending to get rid of it, do they?

Meanwhile, not much of a comparison. Why is the McIntosh plugged in but not the better sounding Amp?

Thanks for the info, I have two of those Parasounds bridged in monoblock configuration, pushing 750 wpc and sound fantastic coupled to a primaluna preamplifier, I never listen to extreme high volumes, so these amplifiers always operate on the cool side and most important in their linear region, where they deliver clean high performance.

McIntosh is just is Expensive! In the 70's, I was asked to evaluating there gear along with other Carver, Haller, etc., I found even back then, they were more "Name" than performance. They are reliable, but you can achieve equal/better sound performance for much less. Of course the Mac owners didn't;t care for our review and findings... I guess I understand that after they spent ALL that money on a unit that is good, but it's no GOOD at a AFFORDABLE PRICE. Yes, PRICE matters! Unless your one of those Buyer's that think you get so much more because it cost more. High performance Stereo Equipment can be obtained at realistic pries. If you I can by AMP (a) for $1000.00 and it has good spec's sounds good and pleasing... what else do you need? The NAME on the AMP isn't going to contribute to the SOUND, it might IMPRESS visitor that come over, and take a listen. We did true blind test .. meaning ( the listeners couldn't see the equipment being used..... guess what 7 out of 10) chose the lesser priced AMPS. An we concluded that the 3 whom opt for the other amps, where people that like that real soft, warmish, sound. To sum it up, If I'm paying $500.00-2000.00 more for AMP "B", then I want to hear that additional investment! Name have no SOUND, there just labels!

i think its the pairing betweena the pre and the mc

McIntosh been around a long time and I have heard many. I will take a Parasound for performance and price. You can keep the pretty colors, they do nothing for sound. Good Video!

Paradound with magic grey NP capacitors!

Question: is the parasound too fatiguing? Can you listen to the parasound for hours?

the 2125 v2 is pretty good, but I've been looking at the Iverson Eagle 2 as of late, it sounds really good. I've been using Parasound for a long time, it's a steal. With a PSE pre-amp, it's heaven.

Hola Martín. Buen día. Crees que un Parasound de ese nivel se lleve bien con unas SF Liuto? O hay que buscar un mejor amplificador!? Gracias

Rolexes don't always run correctly either but go to sell one after 30 years and see what brings more money the Rolex are the Timex. Same with Macintosh if you want this to be a heirloom peace definitely buy it it will be damn near what you paid for it 20 years down the road parasound not so much. Someone stated Macintosh makes dogs I've been in the audio game for 30 years I've never heard a dog.

yeah! What about preamp matching? Lets see what that parasound is worth 5 years from now. You should also qualify your statement as opinion . I have heard them side by side as well and I feel the Mc152 danced all over the parasound.

The Parasound has a Total Harmonic Distortion at 0.2%. The Total Harmonic Distortion on the Macintosh M152 is 0.005% at 20-20,000 Hz. This is a huge difference. Spec wise, the lower distortion of the Mac will provide a more accurate and smoother sound. You may prefer the Parasound sound, but its a $1,000 amp that does not have the best specs or parts inside.

I agree with your choice, but I disagree with your statement that "watts don't matter".

I was surprised that Parasound beat McIntosh..
Thank you for your review..

Battle ship movie alien bearded?

I love my 2250 v1 amp! I primarily listen to my SF Venere 3.0’s with it but now have recently added a pair of LS50 Meta’s and they absolutely shine when listening to them as well! My Meta’s are currently playing through a Peachtree Nova 125 w/220 wpc 4 ohms vs the Parasound’s 400 wpc power and I can tell you without a doubt, I will never get rid of the 2250. I bought it for $325 2 1/2 years ago and it has played every set of speakers I have bought or traded for with to their best! I have never had Macintosh gear and frankly I am happy with the two amps I have now, but may be pulling the trigger on a Peachtree Nova 500 integrated amp with an astounding 800 wpc with gorgeous wood case! 🙏 enjoy your music everybody!!

2250 para is twice the power of mc152. Dumb comparison. Yes it will sound diff

Thanks for the review. I was torn on spending a little more for a Mac opposed to a Parasound, both used. MC162 or a A23. I chose the A23. Haven’t recieved it yet, but looking forward. Powering Cornwall III

Mcintosh had its day. I have heard their amps and they cannot compare with high end from Europe today. Nowhere close. Past glories are just that and things have moved on, as they should. I'd urge anyone to investigate highend amps from Europe. Everyone knows Gryphon as it's an old highly regarded brand that is discussed plenty, but that's only one magnificent sounding brand from Europe. USA amps had their day, in my opinion.

If the Parasound at 1400 sounds better than a 5k amp, something's not right. I always thought the McIntosh amps I heard were not performing at their price points. But a 1400 unit sounding better than a 5000 unit. Surely that can't be right?

Martin, I was never a big fan of Mac amplifiers. They often sound too warm and flat, but they look pretty. Parasound make s a great sounding amplifier, clear and natural, with extended and dynamic bass.

Parasound is not a cheap product. Parasound is less expensive than Mac and that’s a big difference when describing this product. Most of these videos on hi-end audio are hung up on dollars and not quality. After watching this comparison the only thing I know for certain is the difference in price. I was hoping for more information.

The Mac 152 is a decent sounding amp but not even close to the MC312. Parasound sounds way to bright to me.I have tinnitus and even at low volumes Parasound amps will drive me out of the room. Like Bryson and so many other solid state amps they are too bright and harsh. I have the MC312 and the $20,000 Conrad Johnson Art 150. They are so close in sound it’s difficult to tell them apart. They are fantastic sounding amps. Everybody has their own preferences in what kind of sound they prefer. I like very musical, non fatiguing amplification. Parasound and many other solid state amps are not for me!

can you do a similar comparison between rotel 1582 v2 & your parasound?

You guys are forgetting that he said that was his opinion that the Mac is more expensive but the Parasound sounds better to him. Different amps sounds better with certain speakers. Plus a lot of other things could have factored into that decision and may not always be the case in all situations. Speaking from experience and as a previous owner of their halo series I’m not doubting they are not very good amps. I actually sold my Parasound amps and bought a full McIntosh system and I’ve never regretted that decision.

I already know it was Parasound. $5k for the Mac is just too much.

I would like to know is the Parasound a23plus worth twice the price of the 2125v2?

❤❤❤❤ yo también prefiero Parasound e hice pruebas y se oye mejor que classe , bryston y marck levinson Parasound es increíble y otra marca que me sorprendió es outlaw

I have an old 855A and it sounds glorious!

I'm a very huge fan of both the brands
Commencing dozens of purchase from both the brands
In future without a doubt

I also have multiple McIntoshes and a Parasound amp like yours.
If you bridge the Parasound it sounds horrible so thats out. Used in stereo mode its not horrible but its not great either. I got the amp in with a lot of equipment and had heard somethings about it so i brought it home and ran it.
I thought something was wrong with it so as a technician i opened it up to have a look. Nice transformer but very bad layout one huge board for the whole thing.
Part quality is average for its price range and nothing like McIntoshes excellent build and parts quality.
Not sure about this guys ears but the concensus here is that the Parasound amp is inferior to the most of amps they have heard, now i didn't think it was that bad but that is what the crew all said.

I love Parasound amps...I own 3 of them

Hi friend, I'm now migrating from Receiver to Pre amp + Power amp. I live in Brazil and a Mcintosh is extremely expensive here, but I have 4 options at the moment. 1* Parasound 5250 v2 Classic for $800 // 2* Krell KAV 500 for $950 // 3* Marantz 8003 for $1600 // 4* Emotiva XPA 5 Gen 3 or Emotiva MS-1 for $2000. Which would you choose? I have a 5.1 Jamo D-590 tower speaker system + Jamo E8 center and surrounds. I like Stereo but I prefer SACD multichannel and movies.

Couldn't agree more with the Parasound sound. Great bang for the buck and very well made.

The Heathkit AA-15 I built in 1971 when I was 18 was the most awesome amplifier I’ve ever owned.

as an audiophile audio seller for my own. is it better to try the macintosh with other speakers and other cabels perhabs ? i understand youre choise is xhoosen wisely

I can get a new old stock 2250 v1 very cheap.
Is it very different to the v2?

Parasound is a brand for the audio cognoscenti. McIntosh is an aspirational brand people who place prestige over value and sound.

Why on earth anyone bothers with MAC equipment today is beyond me it is now nothing but a name and it's owned by a Private Investment Group in Dallas, yea, it's just a corner of someone's desk or a TB or two on the Office Server. Even the old stuff sounds ragged because of the Autoformers and the fact the output stages are class B. The tube gear is pretty good, but for what the tube stuff sells for used there is better tube gear being made today. I've owned lots of solid state and tube gear over the years and have built Krell's from scratch. I have worked as an audio repair tech as well. My ears tell me Pass Labs, Krell, and Parasound. For tube gear sound way better than MAC stuff, for tube, the BAT VK-75 is almost impossible to beat, and Atmosphere OTL's are excellent as long as your speakers don't dip down below 8 ohms. Nuff said.

Setup an Eversolo DMP-A8 as the front end of a Parasound 2250 and you'd have a great system.

You're the kind of guy that the audio conglomerates pray on they sell you on the glitz and the blue lights😂