I know the price of the Parasound Halo P3 pre amp puts it down toward the bottom of the food chain audiophile-choice-wise, but can anyone tell me what's good or bad about them soundwise? It certainly has the extras and build quality apparently.
Seems there is a brand new one going at half price and the reviews range from terrific, very good and fair to middling.
I've heard a recent Parasound pre/power combo driving Monitor Audio GS and it was very good. Kind of surprised me. Personally, I like the look of them though they are a little flashy with the lights. I've been tempted by them given the price. Don't have an in-dept experience and haven't done a real critical listen / comparison with their gear.
Geez I don't know MR. You have an excellent MF amp...the Parasound would require the matching Halo power amp to be at it's best and you already have a matching MF power and pre in one box. Unless you are going to spring for the matching power amp it's difficult for me to believe that you will improve on what you have. The Halo gear sounds very good BTW...
It's not that there's anything I dislike about the A5 Art - far from it - it's that I read everywhere that a pre and power makes a lot of difference. I've seen many good power amps become available for reasonable money and I thought that (a) I could test the pre with the A5 as a power to start with and if it degrades the sound then it would be resold. But if there was improvement well . . . .
One advantage of seperates is the isolation of power supplies between the amp and the preamp. This meaning the coils of the amp are removed from the spere of influence of the preamp, but also away from the phono, if that is the setup.
Sometimes we do not notice, or pay attention to, noise until it is gone?
And of course, trying different power amps is silly, because they all sound the same...right?
I really like the Halo stuff for the money. A little more expensive (at full retail) than the NAD/Rotel level stuff, but a good bit better sounding and built.
With that being said, I think it'll be a backwards step. The advantage of the separates could be more inputs and power. You may find a Halo amp with more power, but that doesn't mean it'll be better power. Then again, it may control your speakers better, giving better results.
If you're looking from an absolute sound quality prespective, the A5 should be better sounding than the Halo separates. If your speakers are making the amp struggle, the Halo stuff may sound a sound better.
In a nutshell, I highly doubt you'll be taking a step forward with the pre-amp.
The Halo is a excellent product for those seeking a (not quite absolute) analytical sound. There are components that are even more to the analytical side than the Halo but not many and not by much. I doubt most listeners would describe the Halo as sweet though it does get succeed in getting rhythm and timing down to the microsecond. I would expect most people who like Thiel speakers to also appreciate the Halo.
You can decide how well that mates with your present gear and your tastes.
Stu, there's no struggle with amp and speakers whatsoever. The A5 could drive almost anything I would think and while the Quads like power, they are not difficult. This is just an opportunity to toy with an idea which may or may not lead elsewhere. Reviews and opinions seem to vary and contradict so much that giving the thing a try is the best path. This pre was so cheap and, with full warranty, I pulled the trigger. It has just been unpacked for testing and photo and is being sold by a reputable dealer in my city. So testing will happen soon for fun or maybe something else.
And I guess it would really take something quite extraordinary to consider saying bye bye to the A5. This should tell if the MF's pre is as good as its power section.
Nuck, it has a phono input that can be switched to an aux input if unwanted. I believe the phono pre amp is only fair, so die hard vinylists would require a good outborard pre. I should be picking it up later this am.
I figured the reasons for buying it were what you said. There's nothing wrong with giving it a whirl, you never know how it'll work out 'till you try it in your system.
Just picked up the pre from the dealer. Should have seen his system - a couple of huge Mac monoblocs for starters. He had a couple of Monarchy mono bloc 100wts each class A, going for a good price - nice - hmmm.
No - she'd kill me this time.
Anyway, I'll fiddle around this afternoon after some lunch and see what's what and get back then.
The pre is in the system. It will be a while yet before I give my thoughts as it has to settle in. I like what I'm hearing - not better, but a little different. I'll leave it at that for now. It's certainly well built with quality fittings. Wife thinks it looks pretty. I guess it does.
Okay, I've given the P3 quite a while to perform and it is performing. It doesn't bring a night and day difference to the sound, but I do like what it does bring. And this is the difficult part.
It's very hard for me to describe what difference the P3 has made. I would say the music is a little smoother, some vocals that could be heard as just a little edgy now sound more mellow - not that the MF sounds edgy, it really isn't - but the music seems a little more laid back, without losing detail, bass control (in fact bass may have even a little more control or clarity if you will), imaging seems a little more precise and the PRaT of the Saturn certainly has not deteriorated. The great slam and decay of the MF has not been marred in any way so I guess even with the differences being very small, I believe I like things enough to warrant keeping the P3 in the set-up - especially with the low price I paid. Of course the A5 does not have balanced inputs, so there is opportunity to try dual monos or a dual mono power amp in the future if I ever summon the courage to sell the MF which would be difficult for me to do since I like it so much. Btw, I have the Saturn connected to the direct inputs of the P3 which bypasses the tone controls and uses the shortest siganl path. I haven't tried the other inputs as I don't see the need.
As I was using the HT direct for the main speaker pre-outs from the reciever for HT and Hi-res surround music, I had to use these inputs for the P3. So I used the phono/aux (switchable) for the pre-outs and just dialed in the correct sound level to match the other channels of the receiver, thus still manipulating volume with the reciever remote for multi-channel use.
I guess I should have reverted back to just the MF acting alone before I wrote this, in fact I may at some point soon. It would be interesting I guess to see if I change any of my thoughts then. Anyway, photo below:
Thanks for the pics and the insights MR. I would be interested in your opinion if you switched back again. I know it's a pain and certainly understand if you don't do it.
One thing I didn't mention was the build quality of this pre - like the MFA5 it is made in Taiwan to keep prices down. The inside is choc full of stuff including an largish toroidal transformer, inside an enclosed pot which is filled with epoxy to reduce noise. The direct inputs and the rca amp output connectors are the heavy duty type and all others are well attached to a very firm back plate. The build quality itself belies the price - more like something expected at triple the retail price or more.
I will revert back to just the amp for interest sake one of these days and report on it Art.
I was looking for an amp upgrade myself and found this thread. What do you think of Parasound A21 amp? Have a TVC and Quad 21L speakers with a MArantz CD player as a source.
Milind, I haven't heard one, but if it's anything like the pre it will be well built. I'd like to try their amps though the reviews are good there's none I've read that rave about them.
M.R./Nuck, I guess you guys are right. I will have to find for myself. I have found a dealer near by who has the amp on floor for demo. Will compare my amp to the A21 and find out :-)
MR, I got the Parasound A21 a month ago and am very pleased with the purchase. It is in a totally different league - after the initial break-in. Out of the box, I was not all that impressed. but once I put some 20 hours on it, it was simply awesome. "Natural" and "Fast" with "more details" is how I would put it. The sound stage is also wider than what I am used to. The obvious improvement is the tighter bass and the extended highs. I paid much less than the retail. But I would not have mind paying the full retail - it is that good.
