Parasound Halo A23+ vs Parasound Halo JC5 Detailed Comparison

Parasound Halo A23+ vs Parasound Halo JC5

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Parasound Halo A23+

Power Amplifier | 160 watts RMS into 8-ohms

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Parasound Halo JC5

Power Amplifier | 400 watts RMS into 8-ohms

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Parasound Halo A23+

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Parasound Halo JC5

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Parasound Halo A23+

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Parasound Halo JC5

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Parasound Halo A23+ vs Parasound Halo JC5 Power Amplifier Comparison

In this review, we will be comparing Halo A23+ and Halo JC5, two Power Amplifiers by Parasound. Let's have a brief look at the main features of Parasound Halo A23+ and Parasound Halo JC5 first before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Key Specs	Parasound Halo A23+	Parasound Halo JC5
Power	160 watts x 2 channels into 8 ohms, 240 watts x 2 channels into 4 ohms, and 500 watts bridged into 8 ohms mono	400 watts x 2 channels into 8 ohms, 600 watts x 2 channels into 4 ohms, and 1,200 watts bridged into 8 ohms mono. The first 12 watts are pure Class A
Amplifier class	Class A/AB	Class A/AB
Damping factor	800	—
Built-in DAC	No	No
Phono input	No	No
Headphone output	No	No
Bluetooth	No	No
Weight	12.25kg / 27lbs	33.11kg / 72.8lbs
Dimensions (H x W x D)	4-1/8" x 17-1/4" x 15-1/4" 105 x 438 x 387 mm	—

What size room are the Parasound Halo A23+ and Parasound Halo JC5 Amplifiers good for?

The size of the room in which you are planning to use these amplifiers is an important decision factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their max power parameters:

Listening Environment	Parasound Halo A23+	Parasound Halo JC5
Near-field	Are you nuts?	Are you nuts?
Small Room	Bad	Bad
Mid-size Room	Poor	Poor
Large Room	Good	Good
Very Large Room	Good	Good

Halo A23+ and Halo JC5 are members of Parasound's Halo series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.

Parasound Halo Series History

Model	Watts RMS (8-ohms)	Minimum Impedance	Built-in DAC
Parasound Halo HINT 6	160 watts	4-ohms	Yes
Parasound Halo A23+	160 watts	2-ohms	No
Parasound Halo JC1+	450 watts	1-ohms	No
Parasound Halo JC5	400 watts	2-ohms	No

The sections below take each area in turn: power output, inputs and outputs, features and physical size.

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Reasons to choose Parasound Halo A23+ over Parasound Halo JC5

MSRP Price(*)	2,500USD vs 7,000USD	costs less (*prices may change depending on the seller, location and time)

Reasons to choose Parasound Halo JC5 over Parasound Halo A23+

Watts into 8-ohms	400 watts vs 160 watts	Delivers higher power into 8-ohms speakers
Watts into 4-ohms	600 watts vs 240 watts	Delivers higher power into 4-ohms speakers
Height	0mm vs 105mm	Easier to fit in smaller spaces

Inputs and Outputs

The input and output selections that are offered is an important factor when comparing two amplifiers. Here you can find how the I/O selections of the Parasound Halo A23+ and Parasound Halo JC5 differs from each other.

Parasound Halo A23+ Inputs

Total Number of Analog Inputs: 2
XLR Input Port

Parasound Halo JC5 Inputs

Total Number of Analog Inputs: 2
XLR Input Port

Outputs

What's in the Box of Parasound Halo A23+?

Here are the items that are included inside the box of Halo A23+:

Stereo power amplifier
AC power cord
Rack mount hardware
Owners manual