i just bought a parasound 275 amp. and at the moment i don't have enough cash for a pre-amp so im using a (nuforce- hdp) dac/headphone amp/preamp. it works pretty good for lossless music from foobar on my pc. im also using a behringer ultragain-pro mic2200 ultra low noise line preamp. im using it for a level translator for my rca to xlr connections. a parametric eq. and a vacuum tube output stage to get some of that warm retro sound that you all talk about so much. of course im going about it the poor mans way. but it works
Parasound has a reputation that runs from the good of high end audio to the very good of high end audio. The Parasound gear designed by John Curl almost always has a reference grade quality to it. The products designed by committee are more generically solid state in nature. IMO Parasound should be considered the equivalent to most of the NAD, Rotel, Cambridge, etc. products. Consider them all a step above mass market but without a doubt, you're still getting what you pay for in the high end audio market.