Parasound Halo A 52+ Amplifier

PRICE $2,995

- Al Griffin

WHILE ATTENDING THE 2017 CEDIA Expo in San Diego, I happened upon a small European audio electronics manufacturer that was showing a prototype five-channel amplifier. When I asked why the company was planning to release a multichannel amp after many years of making stereo-only gear, I was told matter-of-factly that home theater was “making a comeback.” A comeback? To me, home theater had never gone anywhere, so I found the response surprising.

It was only later in the discussion that the deeper meaning of the statement became clear: Home theater is making a comeback at the entry level. By “entry level,” I don’t mean $200 soundbars. Instead, the growth of Netflix, Amazon, and Vudu is fueling interest in affordable, high-quality audio gear. How? Streaming services are giving people who maybe wouldn’t have partaken in the past an opportunity to experience surround sound. They might not own a collection of Blu-rays, but by simply streaming, they now have access to loads of movies with 5.1 soundtracks, and even some with Dolby Atmos or DTS:X mixes.

Parasound may have been thinking along these lines when they engaged the well-known amplifier designer John Curl to create their new five-channel amp, the Halo A 52+ ($2,995). It fills the hole that was left in 2012 when Parasound discontinued the $2,500 A 52. Since that time, anyone looking for a five channel amp from the company had to step up to the A 51, a $4,795 model that, at 250 watts per channel, is more than is needed in many systems.