PARASOUND HALO

[Joe DiClemente]

Hello

I was doing some research on seperates and came across parasound new line Halo. Just wondering what everyone thinks of this company. I was going to upgrade my system with a HT receiver(denon 3802) and have been giving it some thought that maybe I should go with seperates because I don't want to be upgrading every couple of years.The only thing is I'm going to need some help on seperates. Don't know to much about them. Do I need a preamp and an amp, also would I use my receiver for the home theater and tuner and the seperates for music???? Please help

Thanks

Joe

RF7s

RC7

RS7s

svs cs-ultra,with 1000 watt sampson amp

[UncleDevil]

Hey Joe

I am a Parasound owner and love the sound. However, I believe the Halo series is stereo only for now, with muli-channel coming soon. Their website does perdict a release date. http://www.parasound.com/halo/

But they still have the classic(origianl)series available. I have the HCA-855a & a HCA-1500a driving a SVS sub. Two great amps for the money. I've seen them new on ebay for about $400 and $600 respectively.

You will need a pre-amp also, however the AVC2500u is expensive ($1600+). The AVC1800 you can find for a deal. But either will not pass HD video. You might want to look into other pre-amps. Like Rotel etc.

Parasound has some great amps for the money. When I can come up with some cash I want the 2205AT to match my 2500u or the HCA3500 to help with knocking down some walls. Plus the 10 year warranty is great. There are some other Parasound owners on http://www.avsforum.com. I would buy seperates for HT and Music. They can be used interchangeably. Some pre-amps have tuners, like the 2500u.

Do some lurking at some forums and get informed. http://www.hometheaterforum.com

John

Edit:

Just went to Parasound's website. There is a HD video up to 1080i upgrade for $500.

[sthebody]

I looked into Parasound when I was researching seperates. Their HCA-* line was a little to pricey for me. The only equipment I found in the Halo line was made for 2 channel use. I don't know if you have looked at www.audioreview.com yet, but it is pretty informative. I have read great things about Outlaw Audio www.outlawaudio.com - their line of seperates sound to me like a lot of bang for your buck. I think any good seperates you buy will cost more than a Denon 3802. Outlaw has a 7 channel (200watt X 7) amplifier for $1800 and they have a preamp for around $900. I think you can get them both in a package deal for $2500. I seriously considered these....then lost my job - and had to move into an apartment. So I went out and bought an A/V receiver. My brother has Odysee Audio Seperates running his Reference Series Klipsch and it sounds very very very good to me. Of course I am used to listening to my Yamaha which I don't think really compares to a good set of seperates. The Odysee Stratos line (www.odysseyaudio.com) has had over 90 reviews on audioreview.com and it still has a 4.98 rating out of 5. So I am not the only one who likes the sound of those amplifiers. They are a little more expensive then the Outlaw stuff, but I can't imagine being able to get better sound than the Odysee line, for the price. Both companies have impeccable customer service, and there have been many posts in this forum raving about Outlaw Audio. The only hands-on (or ears-on) experience I have had recently would be with the Odysee Audio stuff and B & K. The father of a friend of mine has a B & K setup which I believe he paid around $6500 for (doesn't have Klipsch speakers). It sounds fantastic also, but I can honestly say that I think my bro got a much better deal on his equipment. I enjoyed listening to his setup just as much if not more than the B & K setup that cost over twice as much. If you do decide to go with an A/V receiver give the new Yamaha line a listen (RX-V1300, 2300, 3300, Z1). When I was down auditioning receivers I really liked the sound of the Yamaha better than the Denon when listening to the Klipsch Reference line. It wasn't super bright and harsh like the Yamies of the past. I went down there with my mind pretty much set on a Denon 3802 but changed my mind when I heard the Yamaha. Just my opinion though. Good Luck!!

[marksdad]

i havent heard the parasound, but by your sig i can see that you have great speakers, do them a favor, bring out thier full potential and buy them seperates, you will hear the difference

[danbry39]

I have the Parasound 1205A five-channel amp and COULD NOT believe how much it improved the sound of my system. I had heard over and over at places like Home Theater Forum that separates were the way to go, so, when the right deal came up, I jumped at it. Unless I lose my job and am about to have to live in a car, I'll never go back...absolutely never. Parasounds happen to be warm amps and match up very nicely with Klipsch speakers. I've seen, but haven't heard their new Halo line, but imagine they would be characteristically warm also (plus, they look sweet). Remember though, with the new Halo line starting to come out, the old line has been found for much less $$$, so you might want to shop around some seeing what price you might be able to get one for. I got mine at UBid (an authorized Parasound dealer) for $649. It's been tested at 157 watts/channel with all five channels being driven simultaneously. As for matching it up with your Denon, quite a few over at HTF did just that and proclaimed wonderful results. This included those that matched it up with Parasound's 855, which is rated at 85 watts/channel. I just believe a dedicated amp will have a better power supply than that of almost any receiver. Nonetheless, be prepared. If you really like the sound as I suspect you will, start thinking about what pre/pro you might get down the line. I just don't believe that preouts on most receivers work as well as a dedicated pre/pro. I loved the sound for HT coming out of my Onkyo/Parasound combo, but music increased to my ears VERY substantially when I bought the Rotel 1066 pre/pro. If I were you, I'd definitely try it out and I'd bet you loved it if you matched your Denon with the right outboard power amp. Just make sure that you can return the thing should you not think the upgrade is worth it. I'd appreciate it if you let us all know what you felt if and when you do decide to upgrade. I hope your face looks like this -