How is Parasound service after the sale?

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • Burke Strickland
    Moderator
    • Sep 2001
    • 3161

    How is Parasound service after the sale?

    I'm looking seriously at taking the plunge real soon with a purchase of Parasound Halo equipment due to the many positive things I've read and heard of it, including very favorable experience communicating directly with the company answering questions about compatability with my other equipment, and the fact that the unit I have in mind will fulfill a need in my system.

    However, service after the sale, both warranty and after warranty, is one area that hasn't been discussed much anywhere that I've found. Is that simply because the products never fail, or is any service so routinely quick and competent that no one here (or elsewhere) thinks to comment on it?

    I've had good and bad experiences with other audio/video equipment companies' service and given the perceived quality and reputation of the company and their products, would hope that Parasound will be one of the good ones. But I'd rather know in advance if there are reasons to be concerned, such as high failure rate or repetitive failure of same parts (e.g., even if repair turn around is quick, it would still be an inconvenience to have to send the gear back multiple times for the same issue over and over).

    Even worse, of course, would be a pattern of non-responsiveness, unwillingness or inability to fix gear that failed under normal use -- that would be deal breaker.

    I'm not asking about their understandable refusal to deal with heavily modded units or not doing warranty repairs on gear not bought through an authorized dealer. I am also aware of their policy that the warranty is only valid for the original purchaser. (I will be buying stock equipment new from an authorized Parasound dealer.)

    Any experiences you're willing to share?

    Thanks,
    Burke

    What you DON'T say may be held against you...
  • r100gs
    Senior Member
    • May 2005
    • 321

    #2
    Burke, Fortunately I have no horror stories to tell. My former P3 and A21, still in my system, ran and still run like a champ. No problems at all. It's nice when you email the company and the president of that company responds to your questions. What are you looking to get?
    Last edited by r100gs; 26 May 2013, 16:48 Sunday.
    Jay

    Comment

    • Burke Strickland
      Moderator
      • Sep 2001
      • 3161

      #3
      Jay, I'm glad to hear that you've had no problems with either of your Parasound components. That's very encouraging. I'm looking at the Halo JC 2 two channel analog preamplifier, and hope it will be equally trouble free.

      I agree that it's pretty cool when the president of the company responds to emailed questions -- in fact Richard Shram is the one who answered my inquiry about equipment compatibility!

      Burke

      What you DON'T say may be held against you...

      Comment

      • r100gs
        Senior Member
        • May 2005
        • 321

        #4
        JC2, yeah baby!:T I only wish I could.
        Jay

        Comment

        • Chris D
          Moderator Emeritus
          • Dec 2000
          • 16877

          #5
          Actually, in all my associations with Parasound, I don't think I've ever come across someone with a bad experience. I'm sure somebody out there has had one sometime, though.

          Generally, people find that they can readily get Parasound repair service from a service center or Parasound headquarters themselves. We've even had international owners here in the Club that were able to get service. I own quite a bit of Parasound gear, and have had two experiences with repair in the last 10+ years, both good. (maybe three) Years ago, the company released several firmware updates for the C1, C2, and 7100 A/V controllers, and recommended that owners send them back to the company or repair center for official updating. I chose to do it myself, and with a bit of work it turned out fine.

          Then one channel on my A21 went dead, and I sent it back to company headquarters. Got fixed and shipped back to me under warranty just fine with no troubles. (note: Parasound gear is double-box packed as a minimum, and I always keep all the packing, partially for this reason) Then my 2250 and 5250 amps got jostled and blew some internal componentry. Also chose to send it back to company headquarters, and again they were fixed and shipped back just fine with no troubles.

          Parasound models generally last a LOOOOONG time, and do very well on the used market, even years after going out of production, especially amps. I happened to visit their San Francisco headquarters a couple weeks ago, and Richard showed me that they maintain parts for models way out of production and warranty, just in case repairs are needed, far beyond what other companies do. The story I like the most, though, is that years ago a dude was having something repaired at their company headquarters, and picked it up in person. Richard Schram, their president (and great dude), hand carried the box out to the guys' car for him. Tells you something. As for communication with the company, yeah, they're top notch. I maintain an open dialog with the guys over the years, and always get what I need.
          CHRIS

          Well, we're safe for now. Thank goodness we're in a bowling alley.
          - Pleasantville

          Comment

          • Burke Strickland
            Moderator
            • Sep 2001
            • 3161

            #6
            Chris, I appreciate your sharing your Parasound repair experiences -- that's pretty impressive testimony. Cool that you were able to visit their headquarters in San Francisco. I'm also very favorably impressed by Richard Schram and his business approach. I'll be pleased if the Halo JC 2 proves to be the last preamplifier I ever need to buy.

            Thanks,

            Burke

            What you DON'T say may be held against you...

            Comment

            • Chris D
              Moderator Emeritus
              • Dec 2000
              • 16877

              #7
              Burke, "if" you do go with the JC-2 BP, one more thing to mention--Parasound gear, noteably the pre-amps and amps, are well known to have a good break-in period. So the initial sound only gets better!
              CHRIS

              Well, we're safe for now. Thank goodness we're in a bowling alley.
              - Pleasantville

              Comment

              • Burke Strickland
                Moderator
                • Sep 2001
                • 3161

                #8
                Thank you again to those who posted comments here and those who sent me private messages as well answering my questions about Parasound, their equipment and their service, and encouraging me to become a customer. I accepted delivery on the Halo JC2 BP earlier in the week and didn't waste any time going home after work to get it hooked up to my Bryston 7B SST power amps driving Magnepan MG 3.6 speakers, with an Oppo BDP-83SE as the source.

                I've been listening for long enough to confirm that my initial impression -- "wow" (no, make that " WOW") -- is sustained in repeated listening. One definition of quality is meeting or exceeding the customer's expectations. In this case, the customer's expectations have been far exceeded. In fact, I'm so impressed with the quality of the two channel analog sound that I have just kept listening to music and haven't hooked the JC2 BP into the HT system yet to try the bypass feature.

                Richard Schram, president of Parasound, "warned" me that if I purchased the Halo JC2, there was a very real risk that I would lose sleep staying up late to re-listen to my music library. He was absolutely right. I won't string together a lot of hyperbolic adjectives, but perhaps a good indication of what I am now experiencing is that I had to turn off my computer to eliminate its fan noise so I could more distinctly hear some delicate low level detail in a couple of favorite symphonies that I do not recall hearing before at all even in dealer demos with the same recordings played through equipment costing several times as much, to say nothing of my own system using the same equipment other than the preamp. Similar need to minimize previously unnoticed environmental noise to maximize impact of Patricia Barber "Smash" and Holly Cole "Night" and "Temptation" albums.

                So I am pretty well convinced the JC2 is making a significant contribution to the quality of the presentation (by not really "contributing" -- or taking away -- anything), letting the pure musical sound come through from a totally silent background. This is, of course, still well within the break-in period, so apparently it will get even better. On the other hand, as a former coworker once said: "you can't improve on perfection.". :>)

                Burke

                PS -- Please keep the comments coming -- I'll look forward to discussing this further.

                What you DON'T say may be held against you...

                Comment

                • Chris D
                  Moderator Emeritus
                  • Dec 2000
                  • 16877

                  #9
                  MuHahahahaa.... (evil hand-wringing laugh) Another person hooked on Halo cocaine! :banana:

                  Perhaps the silence will get even more silent after the break-in period.

                  I'd love to pair a JC2 BP with Maggies. Add in a CD 1 player, and you'd have sheer perfection.
                  CHRIS

                  Well, we're safe for now. Thank goodness we're in a bowling alley.
                  - Pleasantville

                  Comment

                  • Burke Strickland
                    Moderator
                    • Sep 2001
                    • 3161

                    #10
                    Hey Chris, the Halo listening experience is nothing at all like an addictive drug. I can quit whenever I want. In fact, I've quit every night this week, and prove it to myself again the next night that I can immerse myself in the Halo listening experience and then quit again, and again and ... What? Take it away, you say? Stop listening with the Halo and go back to a receiver? Are you crazy? Hehe... not gonna happen. But in no way am I addicted to this great sounding gear. :>)

                    So, have you had a chance to hear the CD1 yet? It looks intriguing from the press release info, but I haven't found any actual reviews yet. Thought maybe they gave you a listen when you recently visited the Parasound headquarters. And of course if they did demo it, I'd be interested in knowing what other gear it was teamed up with.

                    For now, I'm going to have to "make do" with an Oppo universal disk player, which I'll have to admit, even at its relatively bargain price, produces pretty decent sound via the JC2 and the Maggies. I'd still need a universal player for SACD and BluRay, but having heard the incredible Linn CD-12 (when new, was "only" $20,000) and the Bryston BCD-1 (no longer in production) I know that it is possible for a product designer or design team to produce a dedicated CD-only player that defies expectations for Redbook CD (NOT "see-dee") playback. However, I've heard other units at the same stratospheric price points that did not sound any better than a $100 Sony CD player.

                    Of course, having experienced the Halo JC2 BP, I'm willing to believe that the CD1 will be on the "incredible" end of the scale rather than the "who are they trying to kid" opposite end. I'm hoping to at least give it an audition some day. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the hours of music playing while breaking in the JC2.

                    What you DON'T say may be held against you...

                    Comment

                    • Chris D
                      Moderator Emeritus
                      • Dec 2000
                      • 16877

                      #11
                      Awesome, Burke. :T

                      I have heard the CD 1 a few times now, but it's always been in a tradeshow setting. Sounded great, but not in a controlled environment, so I'm not prepared to give an authoritative description of the performance. I may have a chance to test a CD 1 soon, though.
                      CHRIS

                      Well, we're safe for now. Thank goodness we're in a bowling alley.
                      - Pleasantville

                      Comment

                      • r100gs
                        Senior Member
                        • May 2005
                        • 321

                        #12
                        Right on Burke! The preamp is the unsung hero. So ignored in the food chain upgrade. I was amazed when I replaced my P3. I only wished the JC2 was within my budget, but alas it was not. Anyway the sonic difference was beholding. It was like I had a whole new stereo. I have not heard a CD-1, but I would think it would be a great redbook player. Enjoy:T
                        Jay

                        Comment

                        • Pio
                          Senior Member
                          • Nov 2005
                          • 169

                          #13
                          Originally posted by Burke Strickland
                          .....service after the sale, both warranty and after warranty, is one area that hasn't been discussed much anywhere that I've found. Is that simply because the products never fail, or is any service so routinely quick and competent that no one here (or elsewhere) thinks to comment on it?
                          I run a pair of JC1's and the JC2 pre amp - only had one issue with one of the JC1's blue "on" light, it was purple but the amp was working fine. I reached out, and they wanted to change out the bulbs on both! Not just the affected one, that's pretty impressive, especially since they pay for return shipping. Also, I've had questions regarding my gear and also on the JC3 (which I'm craving) - and every single time that I reached out to them, Richard Schram has been the one to reply personally. I plan on being a faithful costumer to Parasound for a long long time! The HALO gear is simply awesome.
                          Stereo: Revel F208, Parasound JC2, JC1's, Oppo HA-1, VPI, Dynavector, Moon

                          HT: B&W 802D2, 805S, HTM4, Marantz, OPPO BDP95, Velodyne DD-12's

                          HP / secondary system: Woo Audio W2, Carver Sunfire, Kef LS50, Denon, and too many headphones to list

                          Comment

                          • wkhanna
                            Grumpy Old Super Moderator Emeritus
                            • Jan 2006
                            • 5673

                            #14
                            I have been preaching the value of a competent pre for years.
                            So nice to hear others appreciate the value.
                            The 'ear' will tell the full story.

                            Well done, Burke!!!!!
                            _


                            Bill

                            Practicing Curmudgeon & Audio Snob
                            ....just an "ON" switch, Please!

                            FinleyAudio

                            Comment

                            • Burke Strickland
                              Moderator
                              • Sep 2001
                              • 3161

                              #15
                              Musical Nirvana

                              I'm not referring to the rock group (although I'm sure they'll sound great when I get around to playing "Smells Like Teen Spirit", so nevermind them for now) but rather, my newly reconstituted stereo system. The crown, of course, is the Parasound JC2 BP preamp, but a crown jewel was set in place today with the arrival of the Oppo BDP-105 BluRay universal player. I have it hooked up to the Halo with XLR balanced cables. Both components have silver front panels, and though not an exact match, they still make an attractive combo. And they look good too. :>) Of course, it is the superlative sound they make together that makes these purchases worthwhile.

                              I started listening to an old favorite that I've listened to dozens of times over the years, "Eric Clapton Unplugged". It may be a cliche to say this, but I am hearing things tonight on this album that I had never heard before, and I just listened to this album all the way through last night using my "old" Oppo BDP-83SE via its two channel special analog outputs and said the same thing then! IOW, the Halo is certainly contributing a lot to the magic here.

                              The new Oppo just takes it to an even higher level, showing off the incredible capability of the Halo JC2 even more. I was planning to keep the 83SE connected for convenience of having two disk trays loaded. Now I'm not so sure. With its ESS Sabre32 DACs, the 105 simply blows away the 83SE, at least on this album. I'll be astonished if the result is any different on other selections.

                              But I've enjoyed this album enough to keep listening to it another time through... the guitar plucks are more pronounced, with spooky-realistic attack and decay, the foot stomps heavier without being overwhelming, a "real" piano playing, the percussion even more like "you are there", along with the singing by Claptop and chorus "in the room". (I should have charged admission to the audience clapping after each number.) :>) And this is "just" a CD!

                              What you DON'T say may be held against you...

                              Comment

                              • Chris D
                                Moderator Emeritus
                                • Dec 2000
                                • 16877

                                #16
                                That definitely deserves a banana. :banana: Good to hear about the Oppo, too. I've wondered if it would be worth the $$$ to get one and make it my primary BD player, since I still use my PS3. I just don't have the $$$!
                                CHRIS

                                Well, we're safe for now. Thank goodness we're in a bowling alley.
                                - Pleasantville

                                Comment

                                • Burke Strickland
                                  Moderator
                                  • Sep 2001
                                  • 3161

                                  #17
                                  Originally posted by Pio
                                  ... had one issue with one of the JC1's blue "on" light, it was purple but the amp was working fine. I reached out, and they wanted to change out the bulbs on both!
                                  Parasound must have been running a "blue light special" that week. Thank you for sharing your experience with Parasound. Good to hear they handle repair issues that way.

                                  Originally posted by Pio
                                  The HALO gear is simply awesome.
                                  So far, I have to agree. It gets more and more awesome with extended listening.

                                  What you DON'T say may be held against you...

                                  Comment

                                  • Burke Strickland
                                    Moderator
                                    • Sep 2001
                                    • 3161

                                    #18
                                    Originally posted by wkhanna
                                    So nice to hear others appreciate the value.
                                    The 'ear' will tell the full story.
                                    Bill, one of the sometimes-frustrating things in this game is that "value" doesn't necessarily directly equal "cost". While it is true in widely general terms that a certain level of expenditure is necessary to get great or even really good performance, I've tried (and owned) more expensive gear that didn't yield nearly as satisfying results to my ears. So while the Parasound Halo JC2 is not inexpensive, it truly does deliver value.

                                    What you DON'T say may be held against you...

                                    Comment

                                    • wkhanna
                                      Grumpy Old Super Moderator Emeritus
                                      • Jan 2006
                                      • 5673

                                      #19
                                      I have heard similar praise of their pre's.
                                      So much so, that it is one of few that would be on my list if I had the need to replace my current pre.
                                      _


                                      Bill

                                      Practicing Curmudgeon & Audio Snob
                                      ....just an "ON" switch, Please!

                                      FinleyAudio

                                      Comment

                                      • Chris D
                                        Moderator Emeritus
                                        • Dec 2000
                                        • 16877

                                        #20
                                        Interesting that we've had this thread just now. I just had my third experience with Parasound service. Given that I have 10 years of ownership, and something like 17 units they make, and that one if not two of those were my fault, I guess that's not too bad.

                                        This time around, I bought a new Zcd unit about a month ago. To rackmount it in my Z stack, I took the feet off. Got everything hooked up, went to turn it on, and... nothing. Did all the troubleshooting... nothing. Dead unit. Wished I had tried it out before doing all the work to rackmount it and hook it all up. It was after business hours, so I wrote an E-mail to Parasound's customer service for help. Three different Parasound people wrote back to help, and the first one came from the company president Richard Schram. Based on where I had bought the Zcd, they shipped my unit back, figured out the problem, and shipped me a replacement.

                                        Turns out, when I took the feet off, I had put the screws back in place so I wouldn't lose them, and to plug the little screw holes. Well, without the feet in place, the Zcd casing was small enough that the small screws went far enough into the unit to touch the circuit boards and cause a short. So I unintentionally fried the unit by putting the screws back in. (go figure) But problem taken care of, quick and easy. Great service.
                                        Last edited by Chris D; 26 June 2013, 18:09 Wednesday.
                                        CHRIS

                                        Well, we're safe for now. Thank goodness we're in a bowling alley.
                                        - Pleasantville

                                        Comment

                                        • Burke Strickland
                                          Moderator
                                          • Sep 2001
                                          • 3161

                                          #21
                                          Chris, it sounds like Parasound did everything possible to keep you from getting "screwed" on that one. The more I learn about the way they treat their customers. the more I am glad I am now one of them.

                                          What you DON'T say may be held against you...

                                          Comment

                                          • Burke Strickland
                                            Moderator
                                            • Sep 2001
                                            • 3161

                                            #22
                                            Update -- bypass feature works great

                                            I finally got around to hooking up the Parasound Halo JC2 BP to my HT components to try the home theater bypass feature, and I'm pleased to report it works flawlessly. As designed, when the bypass featire is activated, the sound level (volume) for the front left and right speakers is controlled by the surround controller, not the preamp. But if you ever want to change \the bypass assignment, you'd better not lose the JC2 BP remote, because setting up a numbered input to use the bypass featiere requires pushing a couple of buttons on the remote that are not duplicated on the front panel.

                                            Is this feature worth $500? Recognizing that many HT receivers go for that figure or less, it is a valid question. Hpwever, having fought the battle of trying to balance non-bypass preamp with surround controller, and at the level of refinement that the component has, I'm glad I dropped the cash instead of continuing the battle. And I'm glad Parasound made the bypass completely transparent -- in other words, spent the time and resources to make sure that adding the bypass feature did not in any way degrade the superlative performance of the Halo JC2.

                                            I continue to marvel at how refreshingly basic the control interface is on this unit, and am quite happy not to have to turn on a TV or squint at an LCD readout to figure out what the unit is doing. Of course, that's icing on the cake, the cake being the incredible sound, which I continue ot enjoy every day when I play music (or now, watch movies) using it. But I've shelved units from other companies that had sound possibly rivalling the Halo JC2 BP (haven't been able to compare side by side, just "remembering") but which have clunky, frustrating, difficult to navigate user interfaces. In those cases, to carry the analogy a bit further, the cake may have been OK, but the icing was inedible. It's great that the Halo JC2 BP is in another league of usability as well as having great sound.

                                            What you DON'T say may be held against you...

                                            Comment

                                            • Chris D
                                              Moderator Emeritus
                                              • Dec 2000
                                              • 16877

                                              #23
                                              Sweeeeeet...

                                              I do wish I had brought along a CD 1 down here to TX to try out your JC 2. :T
                                              CHRIS

                                              Well, we're safe for now. Thank goodness we're in a bowling alley.
                                              - Pleasantville

                                              Comment

                                              • Burke Strickland
                                                Moderator
                                                • Sep 2001
                                                • 3161

                                                #24
                                                Any buyer's remorse?

                                                An HT buddy asked me recently what, if anything, do I regret about my purchase of the Parasound Halo JC2 BP?

                                                Only that I didn't do it a lot sooner!

                                                "Timing is everything." Three months before the Halo JC2 preamp was introduced in 2007, I had taken the plunge on a highly touted preamp that has not, shall we say, been fully satisfying. But it took awhile to realize how much I didn't like it. I've auditioned several others in between, hoping to find the right balance of sound, features, durability and cost.

                                                Needless to say, if the one I had bought six years ago had been "the one" meeting all my requirements, (or if any of the others had filled the bill) the search leading to the Halo JC2, and this discussion, would never have taken place. Most of these other preamps lacked the HT bypass feature, but of course the original Halo JC2 didn't have that feature either. So I guess in the long run, the seemingly quixotic search that led to the current BP iteration of the Halo JC2 was worthwhile in proving that this purchase was, indeed, the right one.

                                                Still, the proof is in the listening, and that continues to be sheer joy. As Parasound president Richard Schram "warned" me would happen, I've been spending a lot of time working my way through my music collection, hearing the recordings anew, and enjoying the process very much. Tonight I'm "rediscovering" Jennifer Warnes' album "Famous Blue Raincoat: The Songs of Leonard Cohen". This has been juxtaposed with a collection of Handel Organ Concertos, Holly Cole's "Dark Dear Heart" album and baroque-era sonatas by Uccellini with Andrew Manze on violin. All sound terrific!

                                                What you DON'T say may be held against you...

                                                Comment

                                                • Burke Strickland
                                                  Moderator
                                                  • Sep 2001
                                                  • 3161

                                                  #25
                                                  Some reviewers of the Halo JC-2 who praised it for rendering instrumental detail with stunning accuracy also stated reservations about its ability to portray the body and weight of complex music. After spending a couple of months breaking it in and then re-listening to some symphonies I had tried when I first got it, I have to conclude that these reviewers likely didn't give it enough time before making their dismissive comments, or teamed it up with the wrong power amps and speakers, or needed to clean out their earwax.

                                                  For example, Mahler's 5th Symphony in an often overlooked performance by Rafael Kubelik and the Bavarian Radio Orchestra (Bernstein,Barbirolli, Barshai, Boulez among others probably get more play) sounded pretty good when I was initially "auditioning" my collection. But now that the silence is even more silent the gravity and full-bodied impact of the orchestra really come through without diminishing the exquisite detail and finesse that help make listening via the JC-2 such a revelatory experience.

                                                  I'd write some more but that would distract my attention from the music I'm cueing up next (Herbie Hancock's "Possibilities").

                                                  What you DON'T say may be held against you...

                                                  Comment

                                                  • Chris D
                                                    Moderator Emeritus
                                                    • Dec 2000
                                                    • 16877

                                                    #26
                                                    Sweet... I'm giving a different new Parasound unit a total work-out now. More info soon...
                                                    CHRIS

                                                    Well, we're safe for now. Thank goodness we're in a bowling alley.
                                                    - Pleasantville

                                                    Comment

                                                    • WAFWARRIOR
                                                      Junior Member
                                                      • Apr 2013
                                                      • 6

                                                      #27
                                                      Originally posted by chris d
                                                      sweet... I'm giving a different new parasound unit a total work-out now. More info soon...
                                                      cd1?

                                                      Comment

                                                      • Chris D
                                                        Moderator Emeritus
                                                        • Dec 2000
                                                        • 16877

                                                        #28
                                                        Mayyyyyybe.
                                                        CHRIS

                                                        Well, we're safe for now. Thank goodness we're in a bowling alley.
                                                        - Pleasantville

                                                        Comment

                                                        • Burke Strickland
                                                          Moderator
                                                          • Sep 2001
                                                          • 3161

                                                          #29
                                                          I guess one advantage of my buying the Halo JC-2 BP several years after its introduction is that any preliminary bugs and production kinks had been long since worked out. That is one thing that helps mitigate my regret for not having made the move to the Parasound preamp a lot sooner.

                                                          However, just to be sure, I put the well-reviewed preamp that the Halo replaced back into system temporarily after it was completely refurbished and brought up-to-date to the latest factory specs and I still hate it. Its clunky user interface has not been improved at all despite the latest factory firmware updates and it still lacks any kind of unity gain bypass feature.

                                                          Meanwhile I continue to like the Halo more and more as time passes and I get in more listening time with it. Right now, I'm re-listening to Mahler’s 5th Symphony played by Raphael Kubelik and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra at fairly low volume and continue to be amazed at the resolution, detail and body in the overall presentation.

                                                          It passes muster at high volume, too, but the low volume test is the killer for the combination with Maggies -- the reviewers' objections I've read about Maggies not being able to resolve well at low volumes are hogwash -- when they are driven by this wonderful Halo preamp! Ditto on McCoy Tyner's "New York Reunion" album. It's like the jazz ensemble is in my living room (or perhaps I've been transported to the club where the music was performed without having to fly there on Delta or United). :>)

                                                          What you DON'T say may be held against you...

                                                          Comment

                                                          • Burke Strickland
                                                            Moderator
                                                            • Sep 2001
                                                            • 3161

                                                            #30
                                                            Tripped up by apparent power failure in JC2

                                                            Thought I was going to have to give Parasound Service Department a call a couple of nights ago. Pressed the remote "on" switch for the Halo JC2 and nothing happened -- then noticed the faint red logo light on the front of the unit was not on. So I went over to the unit and gently pressed the on/off switch with no response at all.

                                                            Of course I checked power cord to make sure it was firmly seated in its socket on the back of the unit, which it was. Since the house lights were on as well as my other components, I thought perhaps all my testing and music auditioning had finally tripped a protection circuit in the unit itself. But on careful retracing of the connections, I discovered that the power cord was no longer plugged into the wall outlet.

                                                            So something had been tripped, alright, but not inside the unit. Oh well, trying out Parasound's reputedly great customer service will have to wait. (Not that I'm complaining about the easy fix in this case ...)

                                                            What you DON'T say may be held against you...

                                                            Comment

                                                            • Chris D
                                                              Moderator Emeritus
                                                              • Dec 2000
                                                              • 16877

                                                              #31
                                                              That's some high-tech IT work there, Tex.
                                                              CHRIS

                                                              Well, we're safe for now. Thank goodness we're in a bowling alley.
                                                              - Pleasantville

                                                              Comment

                                                              • Burke Strickland
                                                                Moderator
                                                                • Sep 2001
                                                                • 3161

                                                                #32
                                                                Originally posted by Chris D
                                                                That's some high-tech IT work there, Tex.
                                                                Yep, didn't even need a screwdriver to fix this one.

                                                                What you DON'T say may be held against you...

                                                                Comment

                                                                • MichiganMike
                                                                  Member
                                                                  • Mar 2004
                                                                  • 39

                                                                  #33
                                                                  I recently had a service question related to a Parasound C2 Controller that I purchased in 2005. I sent an email to the Service Department on a Sunday and received a response directly from Richard Schram, the President of Parasound, within hours. He personally contacted the Service Department to facilitate a resolution of my problem for a product that had been discontinued several years ago. I have never experienced better customer service than that from Parasound.

                                                                  I also own three Parasound amps (A21, A51 and A23) that have provided trouble-free service for the past eight years.

                                                                  Comment

                                                                  • BearUK
                                                                    Junior Member
                                                                    • Jun 2014
                                                                    • 1

                                                                    #34
                                                                    I must be the unlucky one. I couldn't get a replacement remote for my first Parasound Halo product (a C2). The best they could do was send a generic programmable remote. Everything sat in a box for a year until I could find someone that would buy it with the ugly generic remote. Parasound's response was 'most people throw our remotes in a drawer and never use them', saying everyone uses one programmable remote for everything.

                                                                    I had the second Halo product about a week when I noticed a problem. Parasound said in 8 years of making the product I was the first person to mention it. I was told 'Please return your P 7 to your dealer at your earliest convenience.' I'm doing that tomorrow. I wouldn't buy another Parasound product, I find them overpriced and underwhelming.

                                                                    Parasound are a small company and I'd hoped they would be passionate about ther products. But it seems they don't really 'make' anything. They buy in parts 'off the shelf', and put them together in a pretty box. If something goes wrong, you better hope they can still have, or can buy in, the parts.

                                                                    Comment

                                                                    • Peter Nielsen
                                                                      Super Senior Member
                                                                      • Sep 2004
                                                                      • 1188

                                                                      #35
                                                                      The C2 remote is generic: It's an MX-700. Very easy to find. It should not be hard to find a genuine Parasound remote either if you're willing to pay list...

                                                                      You need to try a little harder IMHO

                                                                      Comment

                                                                      Working...
                                                                      😀
                                                                      😂
                                                                      🥰
                                                                      😘
                                                                      🤢
                                                                      😎
                                                                      😞
                                                                      😡
                                                                      👍
                                                                      👎
                                                                      Searching...Please wait.
                                                                      An unexpected error was returned: 'Your submission could not be processed because you have logged in since the previous page was loaded.

                                                                      Please push the back button and reload the previous window.'
                                                                      An unexpected error was returned: 'Your submission could not be processed because the token has expired.

                                                                      Please push the back button and reload the previous window.'
                                                                      An internal error has occurred and the module cannot be displayed.
                                                                      There are no results that meet this criteria.
                                                                      Search Result for "|||"