C2 DAC Upgrade

[Rags]

Hi all -

I am about to order a C2 / A51 combo but have heard that - maybe just rumours - that Parasound will shortly be upgrading the DAC's on the C2.

As I dont live in the US once I get the processor it will be very difficult for me to send it back for an upgrade. Has anyone else heard of this upgrade and is it imminent. If so it might be worthwhile me waiting on the C2. If I lived in the US I would order one now but the situation is not so clear cut for me.

Thanks

[Scarp]

Why would the unit have to go back to the US? Its manufactured in taiwan most likely, its developed in Finland.

If there will be upgrades (i havent heard about that), then usually it goes through your local dealer.

Only if you are going to import an american unit then you'll might have to send it back to the usa.
(importing it from the usa is a bad idea, since if the unit brakes down, it *MUST* be send back to the usa, since there is no international warranty from Parasound)

[nicholtl]

Forgive me for being so ignorant, but since this is my first time getting a seperate preamp instead of a receiver, I'm not familiar with company policies when it comes to upgrading DAC's. Does it simply involve sending the unit to Parasound and them shipping it right back to you? Or does it cost a few thousand? A few hundred? Just shipping and handling?

[Scarp]

I think it will cost you. Take TagMclaren for example, one can upgrade their unit from 96kHz / 24 bit dacs to 192 kHz / 24 bit dacs. However it involves shipping your unit to the local distributor (which costs you), they ship it to the factory and there the upgrade is done. Then its send back. The upgrade itself costs you also.

I dont think parasound will do the upgrade for free offcourse. You knew what u got when buying it, a DAC upgrade (or any other upgrade) is something you can add later.

What you got to ask yourself if the upgrade will be worth the money. Lets say it costs $1000 to upgrade it ... i dont think its worth an upgrade. But maybe they will throw in some other things ... dunno, just guessing.

[nicholtl]

Holy mother of God, $1000 for a simple DAC upgrade? I sure hope the upgrade comes bundled with some other goodies! Then again, going from 96khz/24 bit to 192khz/24 bit seems like quite a leap. Yet on the other hand, I've read that the 96khz/24bit chips the current Halo C1/C2 use are superior to that of the 192khz DACs that many other companies use.

I wonder if swapping out to a different DAC chip makes that much of a sonic difference? It it makes anything even slightly noticeable, I'd fork over the dough just cause I want to get the absolute best sound possible. But still, $1000...hard to get over that sum since it's 1/4 the price of a C2.

[Scarp]

Dont get stuck on the figure of $1000... I really don't know what it costs.

I checked the TagMclaren pricelist (to take it as an example).
An upgrade of the AV32 from 96 to 192 Khz for a 7.1 configuration costs 775 euro plus 80 euro shipping.
So if Parasound does something similar I guess somewhere between 500 and 1000 euro.

[Claude D D]

Why would the unit have to go back to the US? Its manufactured in taiwan most likely, its developed in Finland

Sorry Scarp but FYI the C2 is manufactured in Finland not Taiwan. :)

[Scarp]

Why would the unit have to go back to the US? Its manufactured in taiwan most likely, its developed in Finland

Sorry Scarp but FYI the C2 is manufactured in Finland not Taiwan. :)

Ah... thats good too. I know that the A51 amp is manufactured in taiwan (it says so on the box) :)