Any sonic difference between the C1 & C2

[glimmer]

Hi all,

I am about to invest in a controller, just needed some advise:

1.) is the difference between the C1 and c2 is all about that tft screen only or is there more to it? How about sonic differences?

2.) how does the C1 & C2 compare to the Rotel 1098 & 1068?

Thanking you guys oin advance for your insights.

BTW, I have the B&W speakers N803 in mind but not purchased as yet.

cheers

[Chris D]

Hi, Glimmer, and welcome to the Guide! :banana: Read through all the thread titles here in Club Parasound, and I think you'll find a lot of info to answer your questions and more. (check our FAQ, too--you asked some of them) The C1 is the C2, with a larger chassis, TFT screen, added component input, and larger power supply.

[glimmer]

Oops!

Hi Chris,

Yep..you're right- should've read more before shooting off to post this thread.

What a wealth of information - many thanks to all contributors!

However, one question:
does the C1 & C2 deploy 192khz upsampling? Something which I cannot figure...

cheers

[DrBoom]

Glimmer,

the C2 doesn't do 192 KHz upsampling, simply because it doesn't have those kind of DA/AD converters.
It uses 96 KHz / 24-bit DA and AD converters, so it's limited to that.
As to how the C2 compares to the Rotel 1098, I've written an extensive review on those 2 once, might be a bit biased towards the 1098 but that's personal opinion. You can find it at Club Rotel, may take a bit of digging but it's there
The C2 is more detailed, and has better bass, but it doesn't have all the features you find on the Rotels and it costs a whole lot more.
Especially if you compare it to the 1068 which is about 1/3 the cost of the C2.

[Swfalcon]

and it costs a whole lot more.

a big difference of price in Europe :M

[DrBoom]

Tell me about it, I'm from Belgium and I'm quite sure it's the most expensive country to buy Parasound.
For example, a C2 costs €5850, a Rotel 1098 goes for €3500 and a 1068 for €1650.
Where as the C2 "only" costs €5000 in the Netherlands, which is like a 1 hour drive from here. :roll:

[Swfalcon]

Tell me about it, I'm from Belgium and I'm quite sure it's the most expensive country to buy Parasound.
For example, a C2 costs €5850, a Rotel 1098 goes for €3500 and a 1068 for €1650.
Where as the C2 "only" costs €5000 in the Netherlands, which is like a 1 hour drive from here. :roll:

beaten :M

in france 7000 euros official price of the ....C2 :M

[nicholtl]

My God! It would be cheaper to FLY over to the US, pick it up at an electronics boutique, and FLY BACK with it!

Oh, and GLIMMER - as Chris pointed out the only differences between the 2 units were tft screen, additional component input, and the larger power supply (probably to power the screen). Parasound engineers, and several Parasound dealers have all stated that the two units are sonically identical.

[DrBoom]

Do you think they would allow that as handluggage, or wouldn't it fit in the overhead compartiment ? :B
I can really see it happening how you could be cheaper off taking the airplane to the states, and buying all of your gear at once there.
The only problem would be the voltage difference, or are there selector switches on the back of the power amps ?
I know it's not supposed to be a problem for the C2 with the switching power supply.

[Peter Nielsen]

My God! It would be cheaper to FLY over to the US, pick it up at an electronics boutique, and FLY BACK with it!

Remember that you will have to pay duty fees and sales tax when you bring in something expensive (usually >$250) into the European Union.

First you pay duty fees (typically 4-8% on home electronics), then on top of that, you pay the local sales tax (value added tax). The sales tax usually hits you real hard! For example it is 25% in Sweden and Denmark, 22% in Finland, 20.8% in France... I think you get the idea...

So, here's a worst case scenario with 8% duty fee and Swedish sales tax: Assume that you pay $4000 for a C2 and bring the unit back to Sweden. Upon arrival in Sweden, they will slap you with customs fees:

8% duty fee (0.08*4000) = 320
25% sales tax (0.25*(4000+320)) = 1080

Total= 1400 dollars in customs fees! 8O

Of course you could smuggle in the unit, but in the Nordic counties this is a felony that could easily give you jail time. (The Nordic countries are really weird: Petty economic crime involving the govenrnment is usually punished much harder than severe crimes against fellow citizens).

---

Still, importing a unit from the US might be a good idea. The problem in Europe is that there is no competition, so the vendors charge list prices. If you can get hold of a unit for, say, $3000 in the US, you will immediately save $350 just in taxes alone (assuming the scenario above.)

However, remember that you are pushing your luck. If something goes wrong and you have to send the unit back for service a couple of times, the transportation costs will quickly be eating up the money you saved. Shipping delays, 2-3 week custom office delays, and paper work hassle might quickly become frustrating too. Of course, this does not apply if the product is made by a manufacturer that offers a so-called "international warranty" as IBM does.

I'm sooo lucky to live in the US now. Living in Finland was really frustrating with all the constant shipping and customs hassle...

[nicholtl]

Glimmer, I sent you a PM.

[Rags]

Guys,

Just take a budget airline to London and pick up the C2 for £2,600 from my dealer.

[glimmer]

Thank you all!

Hi all,

thank you for your much needed inputs!

You guys should really consider visiting Hong Kong and smuggle one unit back...after conversion from Hong Kong dollars, the C1 cost about 4.5k Euros, or 3.6k British Pounds.

The C2 would cost about 3k Euros, or 2.4k British Pounds :P

In addition, the Hong Kong dollars is weakening agains the Euros...Plus hong kong is a shopper's paradise for your wife, and you could leave her there(and hopefully she got lost and never be found..hehe) and you could shop for all you want for your gear peacefully. 8)

Cheers.

[nicholtl]

Tell me about it. I lived in HK for 8 years (1985-1993) before moving to Hawaii to attend junior high. Problem is though, you gotta watch out for the knock offs.