Parasound HCA-1206

[allanite]

May have a Parasound HCA-1206 for US$500

Will it be a good buy as it is quite old I think?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

~ 15 YR old, 135W x 6Ch into 8 ohms, $2K MSRP?

If it's in good condition and you know it works great/sounds great, then I think it's worth it.

 

[slipperybidness]

Yes, the 1206 is a heck of an amp! I have one myself.

It's probably closer to 20 years old though.

As long as it sounds good and works good, then go for it. $500 is about right for that amp too.

 

[allanite]

Just heard that the original owner (1 owner only) bought it 8 years ago.

 

[slipperybidness]

Just heard that the original owner (1 owner only) bought it 8 years ago.

Yeah, if you go look at the Parasound website, discontinued gear, then it shows that this amp was produced from 1995 to 1997.

http://parasound.com/vintage/

If this guy is really the only owner and he really bought it 8 years ago, then it was already 10 years out of production when he bought it!!! That seems very suspect to me. Ask to see the receipt.

 

[allanite]

The electrolytic caps are typically the only thing that degrade with age. You should get a good 15-20 years out of them before having to replace them. The more you use them, the longer they will last.

Amp technology from 10 years ago was very good so a linear a/b of 10 years ago will be much better on a $6k receiver than a $1k receiver with the same amp topology from the same company today.

Quoting the above from an older thread,

The older amp seems much better but 20 years now, should I be concerned about caps replacement and repair cost?

Intend to use with Pioneer sc-1227-k (maybe 35watts per channel) for 2 x PSB Image 5Ts and maybe the center 8c.

Would I be better off getting a new lower end class d power amp of about 100watt x 3?
or get a better receiver?

 

[slipperybidness]

My 1206 is the same vintage and it sounds great! If you can listen to it and be sure that it sounds good, a faulty filter cap should certainly lead to degraded sound.

It's your decision. Save the $ today and accept the risk of cap replacement in the future, or spend the $ now and not have to worry about it for another 20 years.

When I bought my 1206, I chose to save the $ because I can do cap replacement myself when the time comes.

One word or caution to anyone replacing filter caps on the 1206---It does not have bleeder resistors on the filter caps! That means those large caps can stay charged for a really long time after power is disconnected. It's only a concern for the tech doing the work, he must manually bleed off the charged caps before working on it.

This link is pretty good to show what is involved with cap replacement
http://www.norbern.com/parasound1.htm

They want $350 for parts and labor, + tax and shipping

Do you NEED 6 channels? If 5 will suffice, then I would be taking a good long look at this Outlaw for $600!!!
http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/5000.html

http://www.audioholics.com/amplifier-reviews/outlaw-5000

 

[allanite]

One word or caution to anyone replacing filter caps on the 1206---It does not have bleeder resistors on the filter caps! That means those large caps can stay charged for a really long time after power is disconnected. It's only a concern for the tech doing the work, he must manually bleed off the charged caps before working on it.

This link is pretty good to show what is involved with cap replacement
http://www.norbern.com/parasound1.htm

They want $350 for parts and labor, + tax and shipping

Do you NEED 6 channels? If 5 will suffice, then I would be taking a good long look at this Outlaw for $600!!!
http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/5000.html

http://www.audioholics.com/amplifier-reviews/outlaw-5000

Thanks so much for the valuable information