Component of the Week: Parasound Halo A51 amplifier

This is LVAC member Kirk's pick for Component of the Week.

Kirk says: "This is a drool worthy amplifier for home theater users everywhere.  Comes in silver or black, to fit your decor needs!"

Andrew Robinson in his review stated:  "With a sub-$5,000 asking price, the Parasound A51 is a tremendous amplifier. While its asking price is far from cost no object, its performance is on par with the best, mating a beautiful midrange and non-fatiguing top end to a lively and punchy bass section that, while not the deepest-plunging, is one of the most musical I've encountered in a long while. With reputation and reliability in tow, the Parasound A51 is a stunner in almost every regard."   http://hometheaterreview.com/parasound-a51-five-channel-power-amplifier-reviewed/

http://www.parasound.com/halo/a51.php

Circuitry designed by legendary John Curl
 THX Ultra2 certified
 High bias Class A/AB operation
 Balanced inputs with discrete circuits and XLR connectors
 Direct Coupled - no capacitors or inductors in signal path
 Complementary MOSFET driver stage and JFET input stage
 40 beta-matched 15 amp, 60 MHz bipolar output transistors
 2.2 kVA encapsulated toroid power transformer with independent
  secondary windings for each channel
 164,000 µF power supply filter capacitance
 DC Servo and relay protection circuits
 AC present, channel status, high temperature indicators
 Heavy-duty 24k gold-plated 5-way speaker terminals
 Gold-plated RCA input jacks; ground lift switch
 Auto turn-on by 12v trigger or audio signal
 4u Chassis, carry handles, rack mounting adapter included
 Parasound 5 year parts, 5 years labor warranty

Photos:

Price: $4499 USD