Parasound's new Halo integrated

Seriously considering this parasound as a replacement to my current naim 5si which is sounding more and more under powered as of late. Similarly I am also interested in the built in DAC and using my laptop as a source.

The Parasound is unavailable for a demo where I am, but there is a dealer who brings them in. I am heading to L.A. for a couple weeks in September, can anyone recommend where somewhere I could go for a demo?
 
Seriously considering this parasound as a replacement to my current naim 5si which is sounding more and more under powered as of late. Similarly I am also interested in the built in DAC and using my laptop as a source.

The Parasound is unavailable for a demo where I am, but there is a dealer who brings them in. I am heading to L.A. for a couple weeks in September, can anyone recommend where somewhere I could go for a demo?
I would just call Parasound and ask them for a dealer name. The HQ is in San Fran so I am sure they have plenty representation in So Cal area.
 
I just bought a HINT, should have it this Saturday.......It was between that and the P5/A23 combo. I really have no room for separates. I have been home demoing a Musical Fidelity M5si also, its really nice but not leaps and bounds better than my C356BEE, other than a great low end with tons of bass.

Should be fun, I have been reading everything on the HINT and it reads super nice!
congrats catcher! the HINT will be a huge upgrade compared to the C356.
 
Hey avanti/fredcohiba......The HINT is still running in, but starting to come into its own. Richard Schram told me to expect a few months for it to completely bloom.
Already has made my analog end sound much better, this amp is very quiet. Right now I still think the TubeDAC11 is better than the internal HINT DAC but again, it is still breaking in. Staging, imaging and holographic presence is already better than the C356BEE....It does need to develop the lower end better but I suspect that will be the last part to fully bloom.
I was thinking 50-80 hours......but it seems it will be closer to 200 hours.
 
Hey Catcher 10. I'm thinking about getting the Halo int. Within the next 6 months to 1year. I currently have the NAD 356BEE/pp375 phono. My question is how does the phono stage in the Halo compare to my current setup. I primarily listen to vinyl. Thanks
 
Hey Catcher 10. I'm thinking about getting the Halo int. Within the next 6 months to 1year. I currently have the NAD 356BEE/pp375 phono. My question is how does the phono stage in the Halo compare to my current setup. I primarily listen to vinyl. Thanks

I'm a big fan of the PP375, for MM carts it is very hard to beat. The MC section is locked in at 100ohms and some carts need some play, yes it will sound good but you cannot dial it in further.
The Halo phono section is pretty good, and I agree with the reviewers that it will get anyone into vinyl and higher end MC carts and one could be very happy. But it is not better than my Phonomena II.
The Halo is a highly detailed amp, very neutral much like the NAD, but not as dark. The biggest plus so far the Halo has is a super deep black background, has pushed my analog end quite a few notches. I am hearing more details now, so much that some passages of familiar songs have a different tone, which is fine you get used to the new sounds, the good thing is more is coming out.

You have the same setup I had, and easily the Halo will better it.
 
Thanks for the quick response Catcher10. Yes I do have the same set up that you had,that is why I figured you would give me an honest opinion. Thanks again
 
I just replaced a temperamental Harman Kardon HK990 with one of these gems. Must say I'm loving it.

The HK was was always going haywire. Authorized service was poor and distant. Rather than throwing more $ at it, I trashed the pos in a fit of anger.

Happy camper once again. John Curl > Matti Otala, imo. QC aside, it just sounds better right out of the box.
 
I have been listening to mine every chance I get -evenings and it sounds better every time. I am sure it's just mental, but it sounds very nice.
I am using the theater bypass feature, not sure how I ever lived without this unit...
 
I've been wavering on what to do, and finally decided my next purchase will be speakers. I'm going to have to save a while, because I'm shooting for the Sierra Tower with Raal. The Parasound will be pushed off til about next summer.
 
I have had one there tuners and CD and cd changers for about 15 years no issues with them, nothing great they just work. My Maranze SE-67 cd player killed the changer without mods but 5 disks at a time is nice so a fair trade off.
 
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