Survey: What Made You Choose Parasound vs. the Competition?

[DanR]

Hello fellow Parasound Fans:
Just wanted to know what made you purchase our Parasound product versus the competition i.e. Rotel, B&K, Bryston, Adcom etc.? It would be cool if we could approach the interaction the Rotel forum has because I feel, as I'm sure you do, that we have a superior product. Lets talk about what we have and why we choose it. Have some fun!

[Kingdaddy]

My decision was based on an in-home audition that Brent Huskins of Media Design was kind enough to set up, no pressure to buy, and he was also a dealer for many other competitive products like the Anthem. My early research put the Halo ahead because of the flexibility of the programmable channels and e-bass function. With the e-bass on I can run my mains full range and still have independent control over the sub crossover frequency, overlap IOW. In addition, the glowing reviews and purposed upgradeability didn’t hurt. Finally, the Halo units look awesome and have excellent interface capabilities with a great remote and RS232 port.

What really tipped the scale is when I listened to the C2 in-home. From the instant it started playing music I knew this was going to stay, it was far superior in sonic capabilities then my Sony TA-E9000ES processor. I had many DVD's that had bass passages that would cause my new subs to hit bottom and compress. After the Halo was installed I went to those problem passages and found that the subs had a lot more in them with the Halo LFE signal. With this exceptionally clean signal fed to them they could go much louder and not compress or reach their mechanical limits, in fact I could not even find the mechanical limits at all without loosing my hearing first. That really sold me.


Love the Halo gear, my best electronic purchase ever.


My Full review

http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=7651&highlight=kingdaddy

[Chris D]

Good topic!

I started my search for a new receiver or pre/pro and amplifiers with my current home theater project that started about 2.5 years ago. My previous system receiver was a Yamaha RX-V2095, which did well but was getting dated with the lack of stuff like component video at the time. At first, I was thinking about going with something like a nice Denon receiver--I think the high end model there at the time was the 3805. The more and more I thought about and got into my project, though, the more I realized and decided that I wanted to make a quantum jump in quality and performance.

This is a topic that I'll save mostly for another day, but I've realized that making a purchase of a type of product you already have (DVD player, receiver, etc) to get some new technology features usually isn't too beneficial if you buy a newer version of what you've already got. You end up paying a lot of money for just a few new features. But when you upgrade, if you can save and then buy something that's not only an improvement in technology but a step up in performance quality too, now you're making a worthwhile purchase.

Anyhoo, this led me into looking more at separates to go to the next performance level in home theater. I met with the staff at Clark Synthesis during that time to talk about purchasing their tactile transducers for home theater seating in my project. While I was there, I just asked if they had suggestions for pre/pros to go with. One of the ones Richard mentioned and specifically recommended perhaps the most was Parasound, pointing out that the new Halo processors had a programmable output specifically designed for tactile transducer output.

Of course, I didn't buy Parasound just for the TT output, but it got me looking at the Halo models and researching more info. I also looked at stuff like Rotel and Anthem, too. In the end, Parasound ended up being the right fit for me all-in-all. A lot of it had to do with reviews, user opinions, and performance received for the price. I just don't have the funds to spend a LOT more than Parasound to get smaller gains in performance, but if I had saved some money and gone with less expensive brands, I think I would have sacrificed a greater amount of performance.

No regrets so far at all. I've been pleasantly impressed with the customer service, and love what my Halo gear brings to my system. The only wish I have is some more current technology updates like HDMI audio/video capability.

[Chetk]

Several reasons I chose the C1:

• The reviews were excellent. I never read a bad review about these products. They were all glowing reviews.
• The web site was very informative and well structured. I really liked the high-res photos of all angles and downloadable manuals.
• The unit just looks awesome! Attention to detail, along with the great sound quality reviews gave me plenty of confidence on my purchase.
• The price was right! From what I've read and from what I was told by my dealer, the same sound-quality and feature set from competing products would have cost, at the very least, twice as much as I was spending.
• Richard Schram (the president of Parasound) answered my e-mails (usually the same day). Outstanding customer service before and after the sale. It's very difficult to find companies that will provide excellent customer support.
• Of course, it had the feature set I was in the market for.
• Upgradability...I can't tell you how many times I've bought things and, the very next day, something bigger and better has come along. I knew this wasn't going to happen with the C1. It had been out long enough, that there were enough people singing praises about it, but it wasn't old enough to warrant an upgrade anytime soon.
• Balanced outputs. Simple hookup to my powered speakers.
• THX certified

PS. I bought my C1 without auditioning anything. Couldn't be happier.

[NMyTree]

All I have at this moment is the Halo A21.

I had read dozens of industry and user reviews on the Halo's, which praised their wonderful sound.

I loved the aesthics of the Halo gear, but I needed to hear them.

At that time I had the Anthem MCA 50 and wasn't very happy with it.

As it turns out I was fortunate enough to have a friend of a friend with the Halo A21 and I went to audition.

It only took 10-15 miutes worth of music to convince me of the Halo A21's superiority. It seemed the sound quality was on a much higher level.

That friend of a friend even let me borrow his Halo A21, because he was coming to my area at the end of the following week, so he could pick up then.

I replaced the Anthem MCA 50 with the Halo A21 in my system, and was absolutely impressed with the sound quality. I know some people say Amps don't really make a difference in sonics/sound quality, I'm not a technical guru, but it sure did make a huge difference in sound quality, in my system; for what ever the technical reason may be.

nicholtl being the great guy he is, introduced me to another great, and helpful guy...who goes by the name of Brent Huskins; and some time after that I ordered my A21.

I also plan on getting the Halo C2, Halo P3, the soon-to-be released Halo P2 and maybe the Halo A51 (not sure yet). Not to mention the still elusive Halo Universal Disc Player (Blu-ray?) ...when it becomes available.

Brent is the Man!

[Chetk]

...Not to mention the still elusive Halo Universal Disc Player (Blu-ray?) ...when it becomes available.

Now THERE'S a product I'd buy. A Parasound Halo Blu-Ray player. :E :yesnod:

[Chris D]

You never know... wink wink. Whenever it does come out, I think it's going to be quite the full-featured model.

[bhuskins]

Thanks for the kind words guys...

Brent Huskins

[goldear]

I was just over at Secrets of HT/HiFi...and they have an article on Fouradja's new HT lab. It appears that at the heart of their system is the Halo C1 with 3 JCs and an A51. I forgot were I read it, but I think George Lucas also has some Halo components.

[nicholtl]

My reason was because I had heard so many good things, read so many stellar reviews, and then met Brent and he was the dopest guy ever.

[mariachi]

I think Parasound makes good products, but I'm dissapointed w/the prices. I used to own a parasound amp (hca855a). When I wanted to upgrade to more power, the HALO line came in and was out of my budget. So I went with the Rotel 1075. I then heard about the Classic line coming in and was hoping that would be my ticket back in. Alas, their 5125 amp is only $200 bucks less than its HALO counterpart. The 5125 should be price accordingly with its competition, such as Rotel, Adcom, and Anthem's lower end line. The 7100 processor, however, is priced perfectly. But again, it's in direct competion w/the HALO C2, and it's $1,000 bucks less. Parasound should've released a processor for about $2,000 w/less features. I just don't understand the positioning of the Classic line....

[bhuskins]

Anthem's entry level amp is not THX Ultra 2 certified nor is Adcom's or Rotel's. Not that this is the only determining factor of a good amp, but it does establish it in a different class than you suggest. In regards to the new processor, who else has a $2,000 processor that's THX certified...nobody. You're dreaming at that price point. What you need to realize is that the 7100/5125 combo is the least expensive THX package available at full retail - $4,800. Anthem/Rotel/Adcom and all the rest don't currently offer a full THX compliant system in this price point. After you factor in the street prices for the new Classic gear you’d be getting an incredible value.

Brent Huskins

[mariachi]

The Rotel 1075 is THX Ultra (not 2) and it retails for $1,000. The most they should have charged for the 5125 is $1,500. When I meant that the 7100 should be priced at $2,000, I wasn't expecting it to be THX certified at that point. Like I said, they should have released a processor w/less features to fit that price point. They would have made a killing since there's hardly any processors at that price point. Only the Rotel rsp 1068 and B&K 50 S2 come to mind. Where I live, there isn't any dealer that's going to give a good street price on the Classic gear.

[bhuskins]

If you can't get a good deal locally, buy it somewhere else. No one is forcing you to buy it locally...especially when you are doing all of your homework in advance of talking to a dealer. I guarantee you'll find a willing dealer to work with you. Just ask around on this forum.

Brent Huskins

[NMyTree]

I'm completely loving my Halo A21!!!

I'm more than happy with the price I payed. I haven't seen an Amp at this level of quality, for a similar price.

In my opinion, the only Amps that compete with the level of quality and price, are the Odyssey Stratos and their Odyssey Mono Block Extremes.

I don't know much about THX certification and how significant it is, but the Odyssey amps are not THX certified.

Both Parasound (Halo) and Odyssey make excellent gear.

...and as I said before......Brent is the MAN!

You'll be hard-pressed to find someone who is more helpful, informative and patient than Brent.