A-52+

About the A-52+

The Parasound A-52+ is a versatile five-channel power amplifier designed by legendary audio engineer John Curl. It delivers 180 watts RMS per channel into 8 ohms with all five channels driven, and up to 255 watts per channel into 4 ohms. The amplifier features Class A/AB circuitry with direct-coupled input circuits, eliminating capacitors and inductors in the audio path for the cleanest signal. It uses hand-matched JFETs for the input stage, hand-matched MOSFETs for the driver stage, and beta-matched 15 amp, 60 MHz bipolar output transistors (three pairs per channel). The power supply includes a custom 1.5 kVA encapsulated toroidal transformer with independent secondary windings for each channel and 100,000 µF power supply filter capacitance. It offers balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA inputs, heavy-duty 24k gold-plated 5-way speaker terminals, and advanced protection circuits including DC servo and relay protection. The amplifier has a frequency response of 5 Hz to 100 kHz, total harmonic distortion under 0.05% at full power, and a damping factor greater than 1100 at 20 Hz. It is rack-mountable with optional hardware and weighs approximately 55 lb (25 kg). Dimensions are 17-1/4" (W) x 5-7/8" (H with feet) x 20" (D). The A-52+ is praised for its clean, powerful sound with ample headroom suitable for both music and home theater applications.