Moderators Youthman Posted April 20, 2010 Moderators Share Posted April 20, 2010 Last Friday, my wife and kids took a 3hr trip to St. Augustine for family time. Spent the day there and had a super great time together. Finished up around 5pm and headed 45 minutes further to meet up with John to pick up the amp. Met John and his wife, both very kind folks. I saw my first pair of Khorns. I knew they were big but I guess I was thinking big as in wide, not big as in tall. They are both. John has all McIntosh gear hooked up to them along with a Velodyne DD18 (18" with a 1250w amp). He played In the Arms of an Angel at a moderate level. Sounded very smoothe. He then put in a local band's CD and told my wife and kids they might want to cover their ears. LOL. Oh yeah, now we're talking. Super crisp, lots of punch from the DD18. We had a great visit with them and appreciate their hospitality. It's nice to finally meet some of the Klipsch members. We left there around 6:30pm and arrived home 4 hours later. Spent the next day or so making a shelf for the receiver to go above the amp (thread here). Over the next few days, I had a chance to check out a few movie demos as well as music. After listening to several different source material (CD's, Bluray, Concert DVD's), here are my thoughts on the amp. First off, this amp is a beast. It weighs 85 pounds. It has two handles on front and two on back that aid in lifting the unit. The back has 5 speaker outputs, 5 line inputs and 5 input levels. It has more heat sinks than a Florida Gator has teeth. From what I can see, this amp is built like a tank, rugged and durable. It's not flashy like the Emotiva but the great thing is that with it's simple designed faceplate, no lights are seen through the grill cloth on the cabinet door. With 220 watts x 5, the Parasound adds even more bottom end to the RF-83's, giving them more authority in the bass region. I used to not enjoy listening to music in 5.1 or 7ch stereo but with the new amp, it really brings the surround channels to life. With movies, the surrounds seem more alive and engaged. At high volumes, the amp has no problems maintaining the integrity of the source material. The sound never gets harsh or muddy. Crystal clear no matter what volume. Musical has more separation of instruments than with the Yamaha alone. I was hoping to watch some of the Michael Jackson: This is It DVD before posting my thoughts but the wife came home just as I was finishing up another disk. I'll check it out tomorrow or Thursday and what differences I hear. Needless to say, I am very pleased with the purchase. Here it is in it's new home. I hope to get many great years out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrod Posted April 20, 2010 Share Posted April 20, 2010 Nice Youth! Seems like you are pleased. The instrument separation is one of the first things I noticed right off the bat with the Outlaw. That and pure, clean, clarity at very high volumes, no strain whatsoever. Sounds like you're getting the same thing. Congrats on what seems like a truly great amp. You were patient, and ready, and it has paid off!! Enjoy that bad boy!!! Master and Commander yet??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted April 20, 2010 Author Moderators Share Posted April 20, 2010 The instrument separation is one of the first things I noticed right off the bat with the Outlaw. That and pure, clean, clarity at very high volumes, no strain whatsoever. Sounds like you're getting the same thing. Yes. That's exactly what I expected it to do since I had previously borrowed a QSC (265 watt/ch) amp awhile back and experienced the same thing. Master and Commander yet??? I hate to say it but I have not watched the DVD yet. [:$] I've only checked out a few scenes prior to the installation of the amp but it really needs to be on my watch next list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted April 20, 2010 Author Moderators Share Posted April 20, 2010 Just curious about something, the Parasound is rated at 220w x 5 at 8ohm and 300w x 5 at 4ohm. The RF-83's are known to have impedance dips down to around 3ish ohms (don't remember the exact specs). Does that mean that during those transients, the Parasound begins to output 300w/ch when it dips down below 4ohms? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted April 20, 2010 Share Posted April 20, 2010 As the impedance dips, more wattage is pulled from the amp, yes. Congrats on the new amp!!!!!![Y] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted April 20, 2010 Author Moderators Share Posted April 20, 2010 Thx CECA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samson Posted April 20, 2010 Share Posted April 20, 2010 I'd really like to know how it compares to the Emotiva. I've never owned any Emo gear, but their customer base seems to believe their amps are comparable to 2k and up amps like the Parasound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted April 21, 2010 Author Moderators Share Posted April 21, 2010 I've never heard any of the Emo gear, only read good things about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_Guy Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Glad to hear you are enjoying the new amp. I am sure it will make a very nice difference in both music and home theater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaddeus Smith Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Nice, Michael! My only concern would be about the PS3 placement ..with those heat sinks on the side of the parasound and the amount of heat put out by the PS3 on it's own, it just seems like disaster waiting to happen for that console (not worried about the amp). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Nice, Michael! My only concern would be about the PS3 placement ..with those heat sinks on the side of the parasound and the amount of heat put out by the PS3 on it's own, it just seems like disaster waiting to happen for that console (not worried about the amp). Is that an enclosed rack? If it is, it desperately needs ventilation, or you could just add another shelf and bake yourself some bread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted April 21, 2010 Author Moderators Share Posted April 21, 2010 Thanks guys. If you look at the shelf thread I linked to, you can see how the cabinet is constructed. The amp manual stated that the amp needs 6" on each side which I have. The shelf above the amp is only 18" deep and as you can see in the image below, I'm inside the false wall looking down at the receiver and the amp below it. The amp has 6" behind it and there is no "top" on that cabinet. It's all open behind the screen above the components. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaddeus Smith Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 re-read my post ..i'm concerned about your PS3's wellfare as it relates to heat and proximity to your amp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Re-read my post. I like fresh bread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted April 21, 2010 Author Moderators Share Posted April 21, 2010 re-read my post ..i'm concerned about your PS3's wellfare as it relates to heat and proximity to your amp Sorry Thad, my response was geared towards Ceca's comments about the space being an enclosed rack. I do understand your thoughts about the PS3 being close to the amp. I'll have to see how much heat the amp generates during a movie to see if there is a concern there. Not sure where else I could locate the PS3 though. I would need the shelf to be a few inches lower in order to place the PS3 on the top shelf. Oh wait, I just remembered something....the PS3 does not use IR, instead it works off Bluetooth. I was thinking that since the power button would be behind the top front of the cabinet, that the remote would not be able to control it. I'll check to see of the logistics of having it up there. Thanks for the suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 OK...........................I checked out the 3 page shelf thread. It appears the rack is open on top and the front and sides are closed. There's a small space on the rear of the rack that is within an inch or 2?? of the rear (red wall). If you're relying on convection to keep the amp cool, you still need a method to let air in at the bottom of the cabinet OTHER than the slight opening in the rear. When you restrict a chimney, it doesn't draft very well. I'd be curious as to the amp temp after a good action movie. Heat is the destroyer of all things electronic and the cooler you can keep the amp, the longer it will last. I'd look into at least putting some louvers or something along those lines low in the sides or front of the cabinet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxEvo8 Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Nice looking amp, congrats on the purchase! Did you find it on Audiogon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Youthman Posted April 21, 2010 Author Moderators Share Posted April 21, 2010 There's a small space on the rear of the rack that is within an inch or 2?? The back of the amp to the back wall is 6". The front of the cabinet is grill cloth so why would I need louvers. Maybe I'm being overly optomistic. I just think that I have more space to work with than most HT applications so I would think that it would provide adequate ventilation. Thx Evo, I bought the amp from a Klipsch forum member. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 With 6" on the back and cloth on the front, you should be ok. I'd still check the temp a few times on it to be on the safe side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willland Posted April 21, 2010 Share Posted April 21, 2010 Michael, Great amp. Very cool looking and what a monster. A little $20.00 coolant fan from Radio Shack should do the trick with the heat thing. Let us know your impressions on your first action movie with the amp added. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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