Upgrade to Parasound Halo A21?

[Peter Nielsen]

In the early 90s I was also using Accuphase and Phase Linear, Marantz, Carver and Nachamichi all of which have more or less gone over the horizon or sold out except for Carver's Sunfire.

I know what that's all about. I used to be a Technics' geek back in the early eighties when they made some truely phenomenal gear... In the late 80's they started to push out crap... and then they went into obilvion... :#

Rotel makes great gear. My first (and only) Rotel was actually an RB-1050. I bought it sight unseen, and was stunned by the price vs build quality ratio! I got this to power my computer speakers (yes, I'm a geek). As of this writing, it still serves me well and looks very cool sitting there on top of my IBM 8500R :B

When I was building my home theatre, I was seriously considering Rotel, however, somehow I felt that Rotel could not offer me what I wanted. I eventually went with the Parasound A51... which left me with the "upgradeitis" and now I have NINE (9) Parasound JC-1s :B

Peter

[nicholtl]

...(yes, I'm a geek).

I don't think any of us here are actually "cool" in the conventional sense. :P

[mitch57]

9 JC1s?!!!!! That's $27,000.00 in amplification alone! Knowing how hot those JC1s can get I bet you use them to heat the room they are in during the winter. I have no doubt that your system absolutely ROCKS!!!

Maybe some day when I win the lottery I will be able to have such nice toys like you have. ;x( ;x( ;x( ;x(

[RebelMan]

OK James, I should accompany that with some violins...lol...however, this time you are WRONG Rotel was not my "first big step".

Okay, so I stand corrected but I could have sworn Rotel was peppered along the way. Didn't you own a Rotel turntable or an amp early on? See what a big Rotel advocate your were! You had me fooled into thinking you were always with them.

[Peter Nielsen]

9 JC1s?!!!!! That's $27,000.00 in amplification alone!

Actuallythat would be $31,500 after the recent JC 1 price increase... :B (In case you didn't know, as of 6/1/05, the MSRP is $7000/pair).

Peter

[mitch57]

Actuallythat would be $31,500 after the recent JC 1 price increase... :B (In case you didn't know, as of 6/1/05, the MSRP is $7000/pair).

Peter

No. I didn't know that. Do you know what prompted the price increase? Did they add anything new? Did their entire Halo line get a price increase?

[nicholtl]

That's not cool.

[Peter Nielsen]

No. I didn't know that. Do you know what prompted the price increase? Did they add anything new? Did their entire Halo line get a price increase?

Only the JC-1 got the price increase. According to what I've heard, it's because of increased component costs...

Peter

[nicholtl]

Oh, ok. That's cool then.

[Fred31]

Just to come back to the original discussion, I had previously a Rotel RB 1080 for my front speackers (some Triangle Ventis 222). I changed this one with a Parasound A21.

The only thing I can say, it is that I note the difference ;-). I you want to make a good comparison, you should try with the Rotel RB 1090, not the 1080.

I think I know quite well the Rotel equipment, as my previous system was an Rotel RSP1066 + RB 1080 + RMB 1075... Now, I have a Parasound C2 + A21 + 3 A23 :-). And, I have no regret :T

P.S.: note that Rotel are very good component for the price!

[Aussie Geoff]

Jerry,

Let me tempt you further into the "dark side"....

(and I know I am in dangerous ground doing this in Club Parasound)...

Try one of the top of the line digital amps like the Bel Canto Evo series. They are just extrodinary and absolutely do sound different from the Rotels. The bass is soooo tight and the midrange and highs are so silky and detailed it is amazing. If you are after a different sound....

Or the Krell Home Theatre Standard (5 channel) or Krell kav3250 (3 channel)

Or Halcro HC70.... (7 channel all digital)

Of course the Parasound JC1 is also very impressive (in a different way) - but then so is the price...

I aslo know I am a co-moderator for "Club Rotel" along with Rotel's No 1 fan Andrew Pratt - but I am far from one eyed - Rotel is just great value but you can get better sound of you look carefuly and want to spend the $....

If you just listen to one amp - try the Bel Canto... Amazing... You need to hear it...

Geoff

[bhuskins]

I prefer the MC70/50/30/20 from Halcro over the Bel Canto, but the Bel is no slouch. These new digital amps are awesome.

I just received the whole Halcro line including the new SSP-100 processor. It's the C1 on steroids.

Brent Huskins
Media Design
817.300.1223
HT Guide Sponsor

[DrJRapp]

I just received the whole Halcro line including the new SSP-100 processor. It's the C1 on steroids.

Brent Huskins
Media Design
817.300.1223
HT Guide Sponsor

Brent
Perhaps you can explain that further by means of PM. This is Club Parasond/Halo after all.

[maddog]

... When I was building my home theatre, I was seriously considering Rotel, however, somehow I felt that Rotel could not offer me what I wanted. I eventually went with the Parasound A51... which left me with the "upgradeitis" and now I have NINE (9) Parasound JC-1s :B

Peter, how do handle plugging all of those amps in? Do you have to use several outlets? Is there a concern about overloading outlets?

[bhuskins]

Hi Jerry,

At some point I'll be posting an in depth look at the SSP-100 compared to the C1 mainly because they use the same Vinci Labs platform. (except that the C1's is a generation older)

Feel free to call or email anytime to discuss this stuff. I know that upgrade decisions for seasoned audio veterans can be much more difficult to make than the same decisions audio newbies make. The process becomes much more critical.

Brent Huskins
Media Design
huskins@charter.net
817.300.1223
HT Guide Sponsor

[mitch57]

Jerry,

What's up? Did you get your A21 yet? I'm dying to know what you think of it! I will be out of town until Wednesday but I can't wait to hear what you have to say about it's performance.

Talk to me "Shipmate!" I'm dying over hear waiting to hear what your findings are!

[DrJRapp]

I'm miffed. The guy on Audiogon that I bought it from said he "needed to go out of town on business" so he didn't get time to unplug it , pack it and ship it till yesterday.

I'm as anxious as anyone else. I've been biding my time feeding my disease with a "valve job" on my Shanling, and some minor touring and listening (B&K) a local dealers. It seems more and more of the A/V business is evolving into the hands of installers vs retailers. Most installers in my area don't maintain showrooms or any inventory. It is very disturbing to have to purchase such high priced items "blind" (or perhaps better said as deaf).

[mitch57]

I'm miffed. The guy on Audiogon that I bought it from said he "needed to go out of town on business" so he didn't get time to unplug it , pack it and ship it till yesterday.

I'm as anxious as anyone else. I've been biding my time feeding my disease with a "valve job" on my Shanling, and some minor touring and listening (B&K) a local dealers. It seems more and more of the A/V business is evolving into the hands of installers vs retailers. Most installers in my area don't maintain showrooms or any inventory. It is very disturbing to have to purchase such high priced items "blind" (or perhaps better said as deaf).

I've been noticing the same thing. It's harder and harder to find anyone that actually has anything in inventory for you to listen to.

By the way... what did you think of the B&K products?

[DrJRapp]

My opinion of B&K hasn't changed since I listened to it a couple of years ago when I first moved into separates. I still feel that B&K is about on par with Rotel. It was easier a couple of years ago when Sound Advice (our local Tweeter subsidiary) still had Klipsch and I could listen to their B&K on Klipsch. Now I had to listen on Mirage or Polk, which I think are OK speakers, but not in the leage I'm used to. We do get spoiled in this hobby, don't we?!!!!

[Peter Nielsen]

Peter, how do handle plugging all of those amps in? Do you have to use several outlets? Is there a concern about overloading outlets?

Yes, I installed 3 additional 20A circuits.

I use two of the 20A circuits for the amps alone. The amps are directly plugged into the wall outlets. (I use hospital grade outlets since they offer a much better better grip than regular $2 outlets).

The third 20A circuit is dedicated to the video projector.

A 15A circuit (original wiring) still handles lighting and all the original "general purpose" outlets spread around the room (I don't use any of these outlets for AV gear) .

Peter

[mitch57]

Jerry,

Where the heck are you? Did you get that A21 yet? You should have that in hand any day now. I have been chomping at the bit to hear what you have to say about that amp.

Feed us some tid bits over here will ya? I'm really looking forward to your reviews. Hope to hear from you soon.

[DrJRapp]

I'm still here, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the A21, which Fedex has scheduled for the 8th. As for me, I'm just busy and stressed out with work. One of the Luxury homes I am building is about to go to contract, and that puts a lot of heat on to finish it. Additionally, I have to deliver 30 odd Condos this month.

[tboooe]

Jerry, the wait is killing me! Any initial thoughts? I am also seriously thinking about changing from rotel 1080 to the a21.

[RebelMan]

I think we are all waiting with GREAT anticipation of Jerry's opinion on the A21 and I am sure it will be honest and fair, either way. Honestly though, a part of me is hoping that it doesn't quite measure up to him, as I am a big Rotel supporter, and another part of me is hoping that it performs admirably but not significantly better than Rotel would, as I respect the Halo series. It will be a VERY interesting read for all of us!

No pressure or anything Jerry but you have a very eager audience waiting for your act! :lol:

[bhuskins]

Just as Peter A.K.A. Ali G would say...respect! (without pronouncing the T of course) :B :B

Brent Huskins
Media Design
HTGuide Sponsor

[nicholtl]

Jerry is such a celebrity on these boards!

[DrJRapp]

Jerry, the wait is killing me! Any initial thoughts? I am also seriously thinking about changing from rotel 1080 to the a21.

The A21 still hasn't arrived. Even when it does it will probably take till the weekend to get it set up to properly a/b with the 1080. Mostly because I've got a really bad back and have a 16 yo step son who won't lift a finger to help, so I'm not sure when I can get the help I need to even get it in place.

I've been doing a bit more music listening than usual, picking my test material and memorizing, as best as possible the sound of the 1080 with my setup.

Meanwhile at work I get to do one of the cooler parts of my job. We have a contract to sell one of the spec houses under construction and the guy who is purchasing it wants a dedicated theater, so I get to help him make all sorts of equipment selections.

Rest assured, I will report back every step of the way with the A21:T

[DrJRapp]

UPDATE

I went to Fedex tracking and found that the A21 is now scheduled for delivery on the 10th. For some odd reason it sat around at the Fedex facility in Henderson, CO for three days. And all it says right now is that it is "enroute".

[DrJRapp]

OK, it arrived today :T . First thing that is obvious to everyone is that the packaging is huge and difficult to handle. It wouldn't fit into the trunk of my car so I had to borrow a pickup truck to get it home from my office. Even my ultra lazy 15yo step son helped out unloading when he saw the box and said...wow...that's an AMP????!!!!!!

Second thing I noticed was the words on the box saying: Made in Taiwan. I thought that at this price point I was getting something made in a country with higher pay rates. What makes the price so high?, certainly not labor costs!!! Perhaps it's all that packaging material...lol!

So now it's sitting on the floor in the family room till I can get some help getting it out of the box.

[mitch57]

OK, it arrived today :T . First thing that is obvious to everyone is that the packaging is huge and difficult to handle. It wouldn't fit into the trunk of my car so I had to borrow a pickup truck to get it home from my office. Even my ultra lazy 15yo step son helped out unloading when he saw the box and said...wow...that's an AMP????!!!!!!

Second thing I noticed was the words on the box saying: Made in Taiwan. I thought that at this price point I was getting something made in a country with higher pay rates. What makes the price so high?, certainly not labor costs!!! Perhaps it's all that packaging material...lol!

So now it's sitting on the floor in the family room till I can get some help getting it out of the box.

What's your address Jerry? I'll be right over! Just kidding. :rofl: If I lived within 50 miles of you I really would come right over.

I suspect the additional costs are due to higher quality materials. The case material is of a much higher grade metal then the Rotel as far as I can tell. It also appears that the numerous screws that adorn the case are stainless steel which can add to the cost. The internal parts and the encapsulated transformer might also be a factor.

Of course I don't have any hard fact information to back such claims but it would be nice to know if anything I just said is actually true or not. Does anyone happen to know what materials are used to make the Halo line?

[DrJRapp]

Well, as it turns out my wife was just as interested in what sound difference there could be as I was so we combined the efforts of our two weak backs and managed to get the A21 out of it's box and onto the floor next to my equipment rack. The differences in build are immediatly obvious. The A21 is has a rich look to it much like my Shanling vs the Rotel industrial purposfullness that seems just a tad common. Neither one embarasses itself, however. I think that the Rotel looks better in print than the Halo, but in person it's the other way around.

But this isn't a beauty contest is it?!!!!!!!!


I had worked thru a likely test protocol in my head last week which consisted of controlled listening to the RB 1080 vs the A21 on the same material sequentially. The material was selected based on it's ability to sow off all aspects of the amps performance. Now, with the A21 really here on the floor next to the 1080 I just had to hear what it was like, so, I quickly swapped cables for speaker and input and strained to read the words on the switches on the back and in the manuals. (They really need to do something about that. With a unit this big, there is no need to conserve space with tiny 5 pt print, have some pitty on those of us who are no longer 29 years old and are trying to read upside down in the back of a dimly lit equipment cabinet.) At this point I noted something about build quality. With the rest of the exterior presenting itself so well, I was surprised at the utter cheapness of the speaker binding posts by comparison to those on the Rotel. OK, time to fire it up.

First CD played was James Taylor's Greatest Hits c1976 on WB. The reason I chose this was really simple, screw the protocol, it was already in my Shanling cd player...lol ........ I cranked up the volume to a slightly above moderate level and within 15 seconds my wife and I both were all smiles. The A21s warmth by comparison to the Rotel had immediatly jumped out and grabbed us. The sound stage was absolutely huge and involving. The bass was fuller and tighter and oh the midrange was just so......right. Truely a winner by all counts...except......

Then my wife said: "why don't you turn it down and see how it sounds". So I did, and that's when the A21 fell apart. Understand that I have Klipsch Reference 7 series speakers which, if anything tend to be very critical of their underlying electronics. They can reveal any defect at all in an amplifier no matter how slight. And at low volume levels they condemened the A21 to also ran status, by revealing the A21s blurr at low levels. I'm sorry to say this in a Parasound Halo forum, but at low levels the detail and air that belongs in an amp of this caliber and cost just isn't there. This surprised me a lot with all the hype about high bias A/AB, etc etc. It seems that Parasound just didn't get the 1st watt as right as Rotel did even though they seem to have done much better after that.

I switched over to some Classical (my favorite music) just to confirm what I thought I was hearing and on track 3 of RCA Red Seal's album containing Dukas "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (Dallas Symph Orch Eduardo Mata conducting c 1982) there are some really wonderful delicate triange notes running profusely thruought the piece that with the 1080 just float in space like smoke rings in still air, very much like they do in live music. With the A21, they're just there, nothing special.

So, there you have it, my choice is mixed. Is the Halo an upgrade over Rotel, or mearly the same for a lot more money? Difficult answer. For HT use I prefer the A21 hands down. For music, at least the type of music I listen to most often, the winner is the RB1080. What a delemma! I must note that for someone with a harsher, brighter speaker than my RF7s (which has modified crossovers to make it smoother on the top end), a speaker like say a B&W 803, 804 or a Klipsch RF35 series, the A21 with it's softer focus may be a good choice for music.

I've got a lot more listening to do before I pick which one stays and which one goes. I'll report back from time to time throught the week.

[tboooe]

jerry, thanks for the review. how low of a volume did you set before you not noticed the deterioration in sound? Was it a sudden change or gradual? Was there a point when suddenly the sound changed?

I sure was hoping the a21 would stomp all over the 1080.

[RebelMan]

But this isn't a beauty contest is it?!!!!!!!!

Not really but it could be the one thing that helps you decide in the end if it's a close call.

At this point I noted something about build quality. With the rest of the exterior presenting itself so well, I was surprised at the utter cheapness of the speaker binding posts by comparison to those on the Rotel.

A quick thought came to mind when I read this..."Don't judge a book by its cover." In other words, don't let the "industrial" look fool you. It's all professional grade on the inside. (You already knew that.)

So, there you have it, my choice is mixed. Is the Halo an upgrade over Rotel, or mearly the same for a lot more money? Difficult answer. For HT use I prefer the A21 hands down. For music, at least the type of music I listen to most often, the winner is the RB1080. What a delemma!

Intresting dicotomy. This would be a tough choice given my 50/50 split between movies and music.

I've got a lot more listening to do before I pick which one stays and which one goes. I'll report back from time to time throught the week.

This is going to be an interesting ride for all of us Jerry. Nicely presented so far.

[RebelMan]

I sure was hoping the a21 would stomp all over the 1080.

You disappoint me a little tboooe. Rotel has a strong reputation for producing very musical amplifiers. Do you own a RB-1080? To my ears, it took something triple its price tag to best it and even then it was pretty close. The A21 is a fine power amplifier I am sure but don't be too surprised if the 1080 can handle its own against it.

[tboooe]

Sorry Rebelman...didnt mean to disappoint...upon reading my post perhaps my message was unclear. What I was trying to say was that I wished that there would be a clear cut winner so that my decision whether or not to change from a 1080 would be easier. In this crazy hobby of ours there is so much subjectivity and variance that for once, I would like to buy something and know in my heart that it was the clear cut right choice.

[mitch57]

Jerry,

Thanks for the review!

I believe there are some gain controls on the back of the A21. What setting did you have those set at when you did your audition? They recommend that you have them turned all the way up but you might want to experiment with their settings. Also, were you auditioning with balanced or unbalanced cables? I believe it was Audioholics that reviewed the A21/A51 and said things really improved switching from unbalanced to balanced cables. A couple of other things that I have heard that might play a roll in dynamics is the ground lift switch.

I'm sure you probably checked all of these things already but I thought I would just throw it out there for you to consider.

Keep us posted.

[DrJRapp]

Jerry,

Thanks for the review!

I believe there are some gain controls on the back of the A21. What setting did you have those set at when you did your audition? They recommend that you have them turned all the way up but you might want to experiment with their settings. Also, were you auditioning with balanced or unbalanced cables? I believe it was Audioholics that reviewed the A21/A51 and said things really improved switching from unbalanced to balanced cables. A couple of other things that I have heard that might play a roll in dynamics is the ground lift switch.

I'm sure you probably checked all of these things already but I thought I would just throw it out there for you to consider.

Keep us posted.

I have the gain controls all the way up to what is indicated as THX position. It is my intent to experiment with other settings as well as my many other setup options.

I am using the same unbalanced silver interconnect cables as I did with the 1080. That keeps it apples to apples. Besides, I don't have a source of balanced outputs to use even if I wanted to. My 1098 is unbalanced and so is the Shanling.

We don't have a dynamics isssue here we have an issue with inner detail. It's obvious that the A21s focus is on being big and that's where it really shines. My preference is to have an amp that excels on inner details because MY music preferences feature a lot of delicate instrumentals and vocals. Someone with a preference for Rock and Roll, Heavy Jazz, Rock, Rap or Hip-hop may feel otherwise and prefer the "bigger" sound of the A21. One thing that I have noticed going back and re-reading all the reviews on the A21 and A51 is that the reviewers never gave these amps great comments about inner detail as they have with other big amps. There have been carefully worded positive comments but never real accolades for this area.

[mitch57]

Very interesting. I'm sure you will let us know what you have decided over the next few weeks.

Thanks again for the review Jerry.

[Zoran]

I almost "smell" some dissapointment or alike among people who've been waiting for Jerry's first impressions... It seems all expected RB-1080 would being heavily knocked-out by Halo, first day, on first song, after first tones...

I've been following this thread very carefully, since I've already replaced RB-1080 with Halo A21. My Halo still sleeps in the (huge) carton, waiting for mating preamp - so, I am not in position to make a valid comparison. I have spent almost two years with RB-1080, mated with RC-1090 pre, B&W Nautilus 805, Marantz CD-6000KI Sign and fine cabling. All those pieces of equipment are highish-degree revealing (N805 in particular), so I think I know RB-1080's treats very, very well...

I would desagree with Jerry on "...inner detail..." or so superiority of RB-1080. OK, it's hard to criticize any Rotel as detail uncapable, but my idea goes towards the manner how Rotel does deliver the detail, and its taste/texture... My strong opinion (based on at least 2000 hours listening) is that Rotel RB-1080 delivers a bit "administrative" sound picture - means clean, accurate, OK - but somehow washed-out, workman-like, soulless, with poor picture architecture - ignoble, in one word. Freud would say "anal" - straight but without imagination. I would say, again, "administrative".

OK, this is Parasound club... Jerry, how about warming-up of Halo A21? It seems you formed many conclusions missing allow A21 get a breath and come to life properly, with at least 5-10 hours warming-up (maybe amp has been not switched on for weeks or more?).

Jerry, after all, reading entire thread, it's obvious that you've invested a lot of emotional energy in whole affair with Halo A21. Sometimes, higher initial expectations may cause some dissapointment as default, since we are prone to perceive high result as average, and average as lower, etc... Sorry, as psychologist, just forgot for a moment this is audio forum only. Regardless, HI FI exists somewhere between our ears, anyway...

Chears,

Zoran, Macedonia

[mitch57]

I almost "smell" some dissapointment or alike among people who've been waiting for Jerry's first impressions... It seems all expected RB-1080 would being heavily knocked-out by Halo, first day, on first song, after first tones...

I've been following this thread very carefully, since I've already replaced RB-1080 with Halo A21. My Halo still sleeps in the (huge) carton, waiting for mating preamp - so, I am not in position to make a valid comparison. I have spent almost two years with RB-1080, mated with RC-1090 pre, B&W Nautilus 805, Marantz CD-6000KI Sign and fine cabling. All those pieces of equipment are highish-degree revealing (N805 in particular), so I think I know RB-1080's treats very, very well...

I would desagree with Jerry on "...inner detail..." or so superiority of RB-1080. OK, it's hard to criticize any Rotel as detail uncapable, but my idea goes towards the manner how Rotel does deliver the detail, and its taste/texture... My strong opinion (based on at least 2000 hours listening) is that Rotel RB-1080 delivers a bit "administrative" sound picture - means clean, accurate, OK - but somehow washed-out, workman-like, soulless, with poor picture architecture - ignoble, in one word. Freud would say "anal" - straight but without imagination. I would say, again, "administrative".

OK, this is Parasound club... Jerry, how about warming-up of Halo A21? It seems you formed many conclusions missing allow A21 get a breath and come to life properly, with at least 5-10 hours warming-up (maybe amp has been not switched on for weeks or more?).

Jerry, after all, reading entire thread, it's obvious that you've invested a lot of emotional energy in whole affair with Halo A21. Sometimes, higher initial expectations may cause some dissapointment as default, since we are prone to perceive high result as average, and average as lower, etc... Sorry, as psychologist, just forgot for a moment this is audio forum only. Regardless, HI FI exists somewhere between our ears, anyway...

Chears,

Zoran, Macedonia

I don't think Jerry has formed any hard fast opinions just yet. As he mentioned in his post those were only his initial impressions not his final opinion. I am sure he will reserve his final judgments of the A21 until after he has done some extensive audtioning with it.

[Peter Nielsen]

DON'T FORGET: Halo amps require BURN-IN ! The amp won't sound its best until after a few months! There is a noticable difference. :T

Peter

[mitch57]

DON'T FORGET: Halo amps require BURN-IN ! The amp won't sound its best until after a few months! There is a noticable difference. :T

Peter

I believe Jerry bought the amp used from Audiogon so I would expect that it has already been broken in.

[DrJRapp]

DON'T FORGET: Halo amps require BURN-IN ! The amp won't sound its best until after a few months! There is a noticable difference. :T

Peter

Real good point. Even though it was used it's been sitting for a while allowing all the caps to drain, etc. I have been running it now for 2 days straight and it has picked up a bit of clarity at low volumes.

I think the real test is going to come after a week or two when it's time to switch back to the 1080.

[DrJRapp]

My strong opinion (based on at least 2000 hours listening) is that Rotel RB-1080 delivers a bit "administrative" sound picture - means clean, accurate, OK - but somehow washed-out, workman-like, soulless, with poor picture architecture - ignoble, in one word. Freud would say "anal" - straight but without imagination. I would say, again, "administrative".


Zoran, Macedonia

I would say that is what a good amp should be, not necessarily add character of it's own. To me, anything that changes (distorts) the character of the original signal is distortion. It may not be THD, IMD or TIMD, but it's distortion nevertheless.

The A21 is voiced to have a somewhat "fat" middle where the 1080 is voiced to be very "British" or more neutral as some would say.. This is partially what makes the A21 sound so big, and the 1080 somewhat "thin". Now connect each to a CD player with tube output like the Shanling I own and the 1080 no longer sounds thin.

It all comes down to preferences, I guess.

[tboooe]

jerry, interesting point. I too am very intersted to hear how the a21 will sound when i play cd's through player that a tube output. I am going to try this with the musical fidelity player.

i am a bit confused by the comment you made about anything adding distortion. Doesnt a tube output add distortion in way? That is how it add "character" and "warmth". Does it matter if this distortion occurs at the CDP level or the amp or preamp?

To me, distortion is not a bad thing as long as it makes the music sound the way you like it.