Hello

[kfr01]

Long time listener, first time caller...

This is my first post here, but I finally just picked up a P3 to replace my old Marantz receiver being used as a two channel preamp. I've always been lured by the look of the HALO line, but basically what made the buying decision easy for me was the features for the buck of the P3. It is difficult to find a preamplifier with tone defeat and balanced inputs / outputs for under $1,000. The Parasound P3 fit the bill.

I am very impressed. I half expected the unit to be lighter and flimsier than it is. It must have been the less than industrial look. Boy, was I wrong. The P3 is heavy for its size, solidly built, and the HALO look is -awesome- in person.

Sound quality was a big jump up from my Marantz (duh). The subjective areas of improvement were primarily in an opening up of the soundstage, a better separation between instruments, and more refined highs.

I'm impressed... now I'll be refreshing audiogon daily to see if I can find a A21 or A23 replacement for my old Onkyo Integra M-504 amplifier.

Anyway, wanted to share my enthusiasm for my new Parasound preamplifier and say hello!

[tboooe]

hey welcome aboard. I too have a P3. And for what it cost me (I got a B stock unit for cheap!) I am satisfied. However, some of the things you mentioned (soundstage, separation, etc) are enough to have me looking for another preamp. I am not sure if I want to go to tubes but right now I am looking at BAT, Classe, Levinson, Primare, Conrad Johnson.

I also have the A21 amp. I love it. For me, I prefer the slight emphasis on the midrange that this amp has. It sounds warmer and fuller to me. I will be keeping this for a while (until I have enough money to upgrade to the JC-1 and new speakers).

Check with MediaDesign Center, ask for Brent. He will give you a good deal on Halo gear. His link should be on top of this page. He is very helpful!

[kfr01]

hey welcome aboard. I too have a P3. And for what it cost me (I got a B stock unit for cheap!) I am satisfied. However, some of the things you mentioned (soundstage, separation, etc) are enough to have me looking for another preamp. I am not sure if I want to go to tubes but right now I am looking at BAT, Classe, Levinson, Primare, Conrad Johnson.

You feel that the P3 leaves some to be desired in these areas compared to higher end components? How much (roughly) are you looking at spending to attain this upgrade? Please know I'm not criticizing, just curious as I'm new to the audio world beyond mass market receivers. :-)

I also have the A21 amp. I love it. For me, I prefer the slight emphasis on the midrange that this amp has. It sounds warmer and fuller to me. I will be keeping this for a while (until I have enough money to upgrade to the JC-1 and new speakers).

Check with MediaDesign Center, ask for Brent. He will give you a good deal on Halo gear. His link should be on top of this page. He is very helpful!

Thanks for the recommendation and the quick impressions on the A21. I have to be honest, I was thinking about going with a DIY Cable Hypex UCD amp kit. I had the $1500 CES demo this past week, and it sounded very good with the P3, but my wife -loves- the look of the Halo/Parasound. Since she (a) hates diy projects that always seem to consume me and (b) likes the look of the Parasound, I think that's what it will be.

[tboooe]

Hi, i want to spend about $3K - $4k. Anything above that is not worth it to me for the incremental gain.

As for the A21, it does look great. you may be surprised the kind of deal Brent can get for you on a new A21. Make sure you give him a call.

[Chris D]

Hiya, kfr, congrats on the new gear, and welcome to the Guide and Club Parasound! :banana:

If you add your name to your user name and/or signature, we'll be able to address you better.

[kfr01]

Chris:

Thanks for the welcome and the suggestion. I called Brent and his prices are great - tboone, thanks for the tip!

I expect to start building a system I can transition to HT in the future and order an A23 soon. I can then upgrade to an A21 in the future and relegate the A23 to the surrounds or bridge it to the center.

One question: is Parasound/Halo styling expected to stay the same for at least the next year or so?

Thanks!

[r100gs]

I also have the A21 amp. I love it. For me, I prefer the slight emphasis on the midrange that this amp has. It sounds warmer and fuller to me. I will be keeping this for a while (until I have enough money to upgrade to the JC-1 and new speakers).

tboooe, New speakers? I thought you just got some 804's.

[r100gs]

Welcome Karl, The P3 is a great unit cost wise. I have a P3 and an A21. Great setup! I'm looking forward to the new JC2 preamp!

[tboooe]

Jay, as you so astutely noticed I am an upgrade fiend! Indeed, I did just get the 804S and I am pretty happy with them. But if I get the JC-1 then I have to get speakers to do them justice, like the 802D or Wilsons, or???? Who knows. I dont think this upgrade will happen anytime soon though. Maybe 2 years. Thats what I am telling my wife anyway. I am one good bonus away from Jc-1 and new speakers!!!!!

[Chris D]

Karl - I would say that yes, the existing Parasound models will likely stay the way they are for the next year. Updates are of course a possibility at any time, so who knows for sure. (we're being teased with info of a C1/C2 DSP upgrade in a few months, but guesses are that it would be an announcement of info, not necessarily the upgrade itself yet)

What you WILL see for sure in the next year, (actually in the next few weeks) is many new Parasound models hit the streets, such as the Zhd HDMI switcher, Zbreeze cooling fan, two Parasound DVD players, amps, etc.

[kfr01]

Chris:

Thanks for the information and opinion. It looks like the new dvd player will still use the Halo styling. They must not be shelving it anytime soon. Thanks!

[Chris D]

That's very true, Karl, I think the Halo line has been huge for Parasound, and I think they'll be sticking with it for a while.

Just to point out, TWO new Parasound DVD players are about to be released, one each in the New Classic and Halo lines.

[kfr01]

Need an opinion: I threw out a lowball bid on ebay and ended up winning an HCA3500 for $1050. Any opinions on this amp? It looks like a beast with the only common complaint being a bit of a dry edge in the high frequencies.

[Chris D]

Oh, cool. Yes, the 3500 is quite the monster. I think you'll be quite happy with it--the one guy offhand that I know who owns one loves it.

[Chris D]

Oh, yes, a banana for the new toy, of course! :banana:

[kfr01]

Oh, cool. Yes, the 3500 is quite the monster. I think you'll be quite happy with it--the one guy offhand that I know who owns one loves it.

That's good to hear. I was pretty surprised when the "you are the winner" message showed up on my screen. I'll let everyone know my impressions when I receive it. I'm not entirely sure the wife is going to love the monster/beast nature of the thing, but that's o.k. :-) If I/we aren't happy with it, I'm pretty certain I could get back roughly what I paid for it...

[kfr01]

HCA3500 in the house

I received the Parasound HCA3500 over the weekend. Wow. This is one beast of an amplifier. It is absolutely massive.

Positives:
+ Bass grip is nice and tight.
+ Midrange is very smooth and controlled.
+ The music sounds effortless.
+ Tonality is very neutral and natural, especially through the midrange.

Negatives:
- Heat and size. Listening at relatively low volumes (I probably wasn't pushing 5 watts) this thing could double as a space heater. I need to move things around on my rack to create some more breathing space for this beast.
- Slightly - slightly - less low level and spacial detail than the Exodus Audio UCD400 amplifier.

A universal criticism of this amplifier is that the highs have a bit of an edge to them. Fortunately, I haven't noticed this edge at all. This is probably due to the fact that the tweeter used in my speakers is an Usher audio silk dome that is usually described as being a touch on the soft side. Talk about good synergy, eh?

I'm pretty happy with how it sounds. It is almost a polar opposite from the $1,500 Exodus Audio UCD400 amplifier I recently demoed. The UCD was tiny (standard 2U) and ran very cool (it didn't get warm at low volume levels at all). It was extremely detailed and spatial, but wasn't the smoothest or most natural sounding amplifier through the midrange at low volume levels.

I think the Parasound HCA3500 provides a little more synergy with my speakers. The Creative Sound WR-125S midrange is already very detailed; and the Usher tweeter is already a touch soft.