I have a somewhat newly rebuilt pair of ole Dahlquist DQ 10's and am looking for an ideal amp match with my tube pre and MR 67 tuner. I've rotated through a few amps, but no luck, so far. The tube pre and MR 67, via headphones, provides a very lovely, warm and liquid sound, that I'd like to replicate via my DQ10's. What I don't want is an overly analytical, dry sound.
I guess my question is: will the Parasound Halo A21 do liquid, will it mate well with tube gear?
No direct experience with the A21, however, Parasound and the Halo division have an identifiable house sound.
"What I don't want is an overly analytical, dry sound."
What John Curl has gone for with the Halo series is abundant detail retrieval and quite ear catching performance overall. The line offers a budget priced product which competes exceptionally well with significantly higher priced products on a head to head basis when it comes to sound quality. But you must be comparing like to like. If you appreciate McIntosh sound, then the Halo is the light to the Mac's dark.
Do not take those words as literal in any sense, merely that both companies exceed in what they do but are not similar to one another in overall character. I use Mac and do not consider it dark nor would I want anyone to misconstrue my description of the Halo equipment. Both Mac and Halo have quite good information retrieval and a good sense of how the recording was put together. A pairing of Halo with Mac would be a disaster IMO as each strives for a different perspective on the sound of music and how music is structured - how music affects the listener. A bit like getting out of a BMW 3 and into a Honda S2000. Or going from cheese spaetzle to Lasagna Bolognese. Each can be quite satisfying on its own but not if you were prepared for the other.
Really, I think you only need to read a few reviews of any of the Halo products to catch onto the sound Curl finds appealing. That sound is what John Curl hears when he listens to music and it is what he infuses every design with to match his personal concepts of music. It's not wrong or right nor is it good or bad. It is what it is. Most often the Curl sound is somewhat similar to that of a Nelson Pass or the late Jim Theil's designs. The first 3/4 of any review is a rave about how the sound comes across and the last 1/4 is how the equipment must be carefully mated to associated gear to achieve those ends. If you decide that is the sound you want and you have the means to change your system to suit that desire, then go for the Halo. If not, then I would appreciate the Halo for what is it for another listener but not for you.