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A tale of two different Parasound HCA-800II stereo power amplifiers

keilau

keilau

AK Member
I recently won an auction on e/bay for a Parasound HCA-800II stereo power amplifier. It looks like this:
parasound_hca_800_ii_differentinside.jpg s-l1600h.jpg
The power transformer is not a toroidal and it has only one pair of output device per channel. The output transistors are 2SC2921 & 2SA1215 pair which are 15 amperes devices, (See Sanken spec sheet), making it impossible to meet the Parasound's current spec of 28.6 Amperes continuous and 40 Amperes peak. (See owner's manual, page 7). Even if the Parasound spec is 14.3 amperes continuous per channel, using a single pair of 15 amp devices is very poor design. I believe the seller is honest and knowledge. He quote:
https://www.thegearpage.net/board/i...can-cause-a-solid-state-amp-to-smoke.1517334/

Most googled Parasound HCA-800II stereo power amplifier looks like this:
parasound-hca800-innen_36899.jpg
The power transformer is a toroidal and it has 2 pairs of output devices per channel. They are also 15 amp Sanken transistors.

What is the real story? Will the real Parasound HCA-800II stereo power amplifier, please, stand up.
 
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Are there any owner of the Parasound HCA-800II stereo power amplifier among us? I know that it is a very old amplifier. Is there anyway to get a comment from Parasound?
 
keilau said:
Are there any owner of the Parasound HCA-800II stereo power amplifier among us? I know that it is a very old amplifier. Is there anyway to get a comment from Parasound?
Click to expand...
according to this manual it has a 700vA toroid supply and 30,000uF reserve.
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/870701/Parasound-Hca-800-Ii.html#manual

However this thread says there were two versions of the amp-big toroid and another with smaller supplies
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/parasound-hca-800ii-and-c-pt-600.553159/
 
The left one looks like a re-build and not a very good one. The thermal past is sloppy. Who or why anyone would go through the trouble is a mystery.
 
fredgarvin said:
according to this manual it has a 700vA toroid supply and 30,000uF reserve.
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/870701/Parasound-Hca-800-Ii.html#manual

However this thread says there were two versions of the amp-big toroid and another with smaller supplies
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/parasound-hca-800ii-and-c-pt-600.553159/
Click to expand...
Without any picture, it is hard to follow what the other thread on the Parasound HCA-800II were talking about. I was surprised to see a Parasound HCA-800II without the toroidal transformer and only one pair of output devices per channel. I cancel the buy.
 
Are there any Parasound power amplifier owner, any model, care to share his/her impression of the construction quality and sound performance?
 
keilau said:
Are there any Parasound power amplifier owner, any model, care to share his/her impression of the construction quality and sound performance?
Click to expand...

I own a Parasound 2100 Classic Preamp and Classic 2125v2 power amp. I bought both of them new from audioadvisor. They are absolutely top notch quality. The amp has a torodial power supply. They are rock solid pieces of machinery and I would recommend Parasound to anyone. Great sound, easy to use, no problems at all.

I bought them both within the last 5 years and they've been flawless. I've swapped in and out a Dynaco ST70 for the power amp just to test the tube waters. They each have their own sonic signature, but the ST70 needs a bit more upkeep (biasing tubes, keeping an eye on heat, etc). I have dead resistor in the ST70 that I'm waiting to replace right now. The 2125 just powers on and goes (like any good solid state amp).

https://www.parasound.com/2125-v2.php

I hope you get your HCA-800 straightened out. You should be able to call or email Parasound support and ask them about your power supply.

I also bought a Parasound D/AC-1100 off of the auction site. It's a big old beast of a DAC that's probably close to 20 years old at this point. But it sounds fantastic. The TOSLINK connector on the back did crap out on me a few months ago, so I just switched over to the COAX input and I've been jamming ever since. One day I might get the TOSLINK fixed, but for now the COAX is fine for running my Node2i into. The Parasound DAC must weigh 20lbs, which is funny compared to the tiny little DAC's out now. Not saying my old, heavy DAC is better sonically, but I do like a big piece of iron versus a little thing that feels like a toy.

Good luck!
 
Thank you for sharing your experience. I cancelled the Parasound buy and got a Rotel instead. It is the Rotel RB-970BX model.
 
I know this thread is a couple of years old, but I recently dug out an amp that I had been saving to work on since the late 90s. Back then, I had a friend who had been in the Air Force and while in picked up a couple of these Parasound HCA-800ii amps. His young daughter had one day put a piece of mechanical pencil lead through the vents on this amp, and, well... Arcs and sparks. Burnt one of the traces right off. I told him I would take a look at it for him, but we both ended up forgetting about it.

So recently I took it out to see what I could see, and found this thread. Looks like the one I have is a combo of the two you posted. It has the toroidal transformer, but has 1 pair of output devices per channel.

Yeah, it's very dirty. Been in the barn, storage, and basement for more than 20 years. But I'm pretty certain that it is one of the original configurations. Too bad I can't find the schematic for this config.

Jim
 

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ogre73 said:
I know this thread is a couple of years old, but I recently dug out an amp that I had been saving to work on since the late 90s. Back then, I had a friend who had been in the Air Force and while in picked up a couple of these Parasound HCA-800ii amps. His young daughter had one day put a piece of mechanical pencil lead through the vents on this amp, and, well... Arcs and sparks. Burnt one of the traces right off. I told him I would take a look at it for him, but we both ended up forgetting about it.

So recently I took it out to see what I could see, and found this thread. Looks like the one I have is a combo of the two you posted. It has the toroidal transformer, but has 1 pair of output devices per channel.

Yeah, it's very dirty. Been in the barn, storage, and basement for more than 20 years. But I'm pretty certain that it is one of the original configurations. Too bad I can't find the schematic for this config.

Jim
Click to expand...
Here's the schematic for the 800II.
 

Attachments

keilau said:
I recently won an auction on e/bay for a Parasound HCA-800II stereo power amplifier. It looks like this:
View attachment 1608760 View attachment 1608761
The power transformer is not a toroidal and it has only one pair of output device per channel. The output transistors are 2SC2921 & 2SA1215 pair which are 15 amperes devices, (See Sanken spec sheet), making it impossible to meet the Parasound's current spec of 28.6 Amperes continuous and 40 Amperes peak. (See owner's manual, page 7). Even if the Parasound spec is 14.3 amperes continuous per channel, using a single pair of 15 amp devices is very poor design. I believe the seller is honest and knowledge. He quote:
https://www.thegearpage.net/board/i...can-cause-a-solid-state-amp-to-smoke.1517334/

Most googled Parasound HCA-800II stereo power amplifier looks like this:
View attachment 1608766
The power transformer is a toroidal and it has 2 pairs of output devices per channel. They are also 15 amp Sanken transistors.

What is the real story? Will the real Parasound HCA-800II stereo power amplifier, please, stand up.
Click to expand...
When they first made this amp they were built different. Changes were made in 2nd and third year. The first year it was named HCA 800 and it had red lettering on right side.
and the volume pots had numbers on the outside of volume pots.
 
I know this thread is old, but for reference sake, I have the normal transformer variety.
FWIW, sound quality seemed the same as the two hca-750a I had
IMG_20240520_214553_125.jpgIMG_20240520_215038_340 (1).jpgIMG_20240520_215103_354 (1).jpg
 
I sold the toroidales 800 and purchased one with the toroidal. They are different for sure.
The one without the toroidal has writing on the top right corner that says “ high current discrete amplifier “. The other HCA800 does not have red writing and makes no mention of “discrete amplifier “ on the face plate.

As for the sound? Same sound signature. The bass on the one with the toroidal is tighter and more refined. Aside from that the sound is almost identical.

The non-toroidal came with Elna caps the other one has Nichicon Great Supply caps.
 

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