Balanced on Parasound Halo's?

[Scarp]

Hi All,

I'm looking for some information of parasound users and their experiences when using balanced connections. I will be receiving a C2 next month and wondering whether I should get the balanced cables or not.

Who of the Parasound Halo users is using the balanced inputs/outputs?
Did you compare them to the unbalanced?
Did you notice any hiss coming out of it or was it perfect silence?

thanks in advance.

[smalone]

I am using the balanced and have no hiss. Have not tried unbalanced as my amps have only balanced inputs. Very happy with the noise floor of the C2.

[nicholtl]

I also run balanced XLR's between my C2, A51 and A52. The noise floor is incredible low - UNLESS I'm pressing my ear against the speaker. But my speakers are Klipsch and it may be in part due to their higher efficiency. Oh, and on bad MP3 recordings (128 bits or less) hiss is quite audible.

[rocasi]

Although my system has a low noise floor with XLR connections, I can still hear a hiss from my seating position. I worked with Parasound troubleshooting this issue and found that with my 103dB/m efficient Klipsch, the hiss cannot be lowered. Using unbalanced connections is the answer in my case. The system is dead quiet with the unbalanced connections.

[Chris D]

... and again, I hear this story. I too have efficient Legend series Klipsch speakers. Efficiency of 94-104 dB/W/m. So in deciding whether to buy 7 XLR balanced interconnects or 7 unbalanced RCA interconnects, I think I'll go with RCA.




CHRIS
Luke: "Hey, I'm not such a bad pilot myself, you know"

[Rags]

Sorry to dig up an old thread but I just changed the connections between my C2 and A51 from RCA to XLR's and am getting a huge (it sounds more like a test tone type pink noise)amount of hiss as soon as I switch on the C2 and the A51. The hiss is the same regardless of volume level and is there even when the DVD player is not swtiched on.

Its not just background - its nearly as loud as a test tone and is coming from all the speakers. I never had this problem with the RCA connections.

I am running B&W Nautilus 804's and a HTM1 and M&K Columns surrounds for the rears.

Any thoughts / advice etc would be appreciated.

[Peter Nielsen]

All balanced XLRs only. No hiss. Absolute silence! :T

Parasound C2, JC1, JC1, A51
Magnepan speakers (85dB/1W)

[Peter Nielsen]

Sorry to dig up an old thread but I just changed the connections between my C2 and A51 from RCA to XLR's and am getting a huge (it sounds more like a test tone type pink noise)amount of hiss as soon as I switch on the C2 and the A51. The hiss is the same regardless of volume level and is there even when the DVD player is not swtiched on.

Is the hiss coming from ALL the channels?
Are you sure that your XLR cables are good?
Did you try changing the position of the ground lift switch?

[Rags]

Guys I rehooked up everything again and whilst doing so I noticed that I had nudged the A51 input switch to the right rather than to the left for balanced connections. Must have happened whilst I was moving everything back into place. No hiss now .

With the input switch in the wrong position you still get all the sound but a lot of hiss as well. Mental note to self : double check everything!

[Bugsy]

Using all balanced between my Anthem AVM20, A21 and A52 with Klipsch speakers rated at 94-98 sensitivity....no hiss at all. Cheers.

[Peter Nielsen]

With the input switch in the wrong position you still get all the sound but a lot of hiss as well. Mental note to self : double check everything!

If this was software related, Parasound would get comments like "incredibly buggy software", "hang the programmers high", etc. :twisted:

Why is it that buggy electronics is excused? I just don't understand that... :E

If the wrong input is selected, there should be no sound! That's all I have to say about that :M

Now, if you ask me, I think that Parasound should have dropped RCA entirely. Having the RCA connector on the JC1 is almost embarrasing... :B

Peter

[dts_boy]

no hiss using balanced xlr's between c2 and a52. speakers are monitor audio gold reference and m&k colummn surrouds.

[Big Chief Notea]

Guys I rehooked up everything again and whilst doing so I noticed that I had nudged the A51 input switch to the right rather than to the left for balanced connections. Must have happened whilst I was moving everything back into place. No hiss now .

With the input switch in the wrong position you still get all the sound but a lot of hiss as well. Mental note to self : double check everything!

School boy error. How come you managed to be a senior member here?
Perhaps you would be better going for an all in one Aiwa package

[Aussie Geoff]

Rags - Excellent news. You must be glad to have it working... :banana: It's amazing how these little things...

Big Chief - In this forum we pride ourselves on being polite to each other (no personal insults please)....

Geoff

[Rags]

School boy error. How come you managed to be a senior member here?
Perhaps you would be better going for an all in one Aiwa package

Nice. Good way to make friends with your first post.

[NMyTree]

Guys I rehooked up everything again and whilst doing so I noticed that I had nudged the A51 input switch to the right rather than to the left for balanced connections. Must have happened whilst I was moving everything back into place. No hiss now

I've made similar boo-boos... :B

I've seen guys who have been into this hobby for 20-30 years make little mistakes, or have little brain-farts like that. Happens to a lot of us.

No biggie.

I guess you're human.....just like the rest of us

[Peter Nielsen]

I've seen guys who have been into this hobby for 20-30 years make little mistakes, or have little brain-farts like that. Happens to a lot of us.

Absolutely! Mistakes like that happens SO easily. While rearranging something you may inadvertently flip the switch...

Peter

[NMyTree]

Hello Peter.

I see you're in North Carolina, too. :B

Were you born and raised here? I'm a transplant ( or as the natives call me.....an Invader :rofl: :rofl: ). I'm originally from New Jersey.

[Big Chief Notea]

Nice. Good way to make friends with your first post.

Sorry big lad. It is just that sometimes I get frustrated by what I mistake to be the quest for technical/spec nirvana, rather than a pure aural experience. I mean that is what we are aspire to right?

[Peter Nielsen]

Hi Tony,

I'm originally from Finland - the country where the Halo C1 and C2 are born :B

So, if you're an invader, then I'm definitely an alien :rofl: :assimilate:

:^x

Peter

[rocasi]

I have extremely efficient Klipsch speakers, 104dB, and the balanced cables make a hiss audible. I went back to using unbalanced and get no hiss.

[nicholtl]

Which Klipsch's do you have, rocasi? I have RF7's, and the hiss is only audible when my ear is pressed up against the grill. You're sure you don't have a ground loop problem? I know some people on this forum have gone from XLR to RCA with good results. I've tried for sh!ts and giggles to switch out my XLR's for RCA's, and I have to tell you, it didn't sound nearly as good. It was kind of like a soft black veil had been placed over the speakers, figuratively speaking.

[Chetk]

I am running Balanced XLR cables (I made/soldered and ran all of the cables myself) from my C1 to the M&K 150P's. The 150P's are powered speakers, so I don't have one single amp. I suppose you could say I have 6 (if you count the amp in the sub). I don't get any hissing.