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RE: 3.7i Parasound A-21 underpowered, need advise -

Thanks! You mention a couple of items, at least one of which I missed when I read the thread...my young eyes, of about your same age, I guess :)

First, about the tone, which I'll take as NOT meaning "coloring", at all. I may have mentioned the tube stage as helping the Magtech, and yes, I liked it better with tubes than without. In no case, however, did the Magtech sound sterile, or bad at all; just different. (And this was without the benefit of direct comparison...memory can be tricky.)

In referring to the JC1's "tone" -- which I loved -- I am limited to extrapolation from dynamic speakers. Now, if you connect the A21 directly to a source like the Oppo 103 or 105 using their volume control -- I just saw your profile -- I suspect that you are going to flip. More so if you can get a good SACD or DSD album or two. This way you'll also have a taste for the true tonal personality of the A21, which is enhanced in the JC1. More importantly, if you get to try the Magtech at home you can compare them in this manner. Of course, the Magtech will have the edge on power but, if you can endure the relatively low volume, the A21 has about 10 watts of class A on tap. With the right program material, this may tell what the JC1's 25 watts could do even better. In an "efficient room" this will be plenty, which leads me to the second item.

It is second, but perhaps more important: yes please, invest time and effort on the room's acoustic environment. Most folks over-dampen their rooms when in fact they should be looking for a more reflective setup for planars. To put this in perspective, after the first stage of modding my cheap, ancient MMG's I still could only afford a "supposedly underpowered" Denon receiver, late in 2008. Yet, already, that "puny" thing could deliver impressively clear SPL, SQ and imaging because the room helped it. For the first time, a friend lost a bet on telling if the subwoofer was on/off...and soon after also stopped saying that Maggies are not dynamic enough. So, who knows what gold nuggets you may find by fooling around with the room! The great thing is that not much money may be needed...just a bit of patience may do.

Lastly, DSP room equalization is a great thing. But, it is yet another thing in the signal path. Not needing it is...priceless!

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  Kimber Kable  

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