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Any impressions on the Parks Audio Puffin ?

IEHAGY

IEHAGY

Active Member
Hi !

I'm looking for any impressions that you may have on the Parks Audio Puffin.

I am overhauling my system from an integrated to seperates and have blown my budget already on amp and preamp ( Mccormack dna 0.5 Gold & Don Sachs Sp14 linestage ) and am now in need of a sub $500 phono stage.

I know its a somewhat controversial idea to add DSP to an analog chain but this one has caught my eye and the amazon reviews and very limited reviews on internet are really glowing.

Really appreciate any hands on experience .... thx
 
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not sure if there's a lot of them puffin folks on here.. i'm fascinated by the tone control options it could enable in my system for digital sources, as well as phono.. have also been tracking the Parks Audio Budgie, which come up infrequently and usually go for around $450+.

Puffin has a good price point but also 2.5x the mani. I wish that i'd bit the bullet and gone puffin as i'd prefer to have the sonic flexibility it imparts.
 
There’s a thread on the Steve Hoffman forums. I won’t link to it here but if you go over there and do a search you should find it. I haven’t checked it out in a while but I seem to remember it having a good amount of activity.
 
I have been on the look out for a budgie for a while, but the one i was hoping to get on ebay just went for 650 !!

I just bit the bullet and grabbed a refurbished puffin from amazon to play with and see how i like it. The fact that it is digital is going to take me a minute to get over, but apparently the conversion is transparent and as a phono stage its one of the best buys at that price range.
 
I hope you like it. Happy owner of a Budgie here.

I believe I read that there is one AK'er who sold his Budgie in favor of a Puffin and felt like the Puffin was an upgrade.
 
IEHAGY said:
I have been on the look out for a budgie for a while, but the one i was hoping to get on ebay just went for 650 !!

I just bit the bullet and grabbed a refurbished puffin from amazon to play with and see how i like it. The fact that it is digital is going to take me a minute to get over, but apparently the conversion is transparent and as a phono stage its one of the best buys at that price range.
Click to expand...

Very interested in your results, I am going through almost the same thing - replacing an integrated with separates right now.
 
I just picked up a Puffin. I was really skeptical of the whole DSP configuration, but I was looking for something flexible that I could use in a variety of different configurations since I like swapping carts and other components in my system. I've just had it for a couple days, but I have been very impressed by the sound and build quality of the Puffin. I read before I bought it that it is very transparent, and I would agree with that assessment. It really doesn't add anything to the sound, and it is dead quiet. I haven't had a lot of time to mess with the different tone settings, etc. but in the little bit I have done has been very simple. The settings have very subtle adjustments, and it is very easy to set up and use.

I'm using it with a Shure V15 III with a Jico SAS stylus on my Sony PS-x500 with biotracer arm, and I'd say it does that combination every bit of justice and more. Running that into a passive pre then into my Tubelab SE amp, and the detail and soundstage are excellent. I still have mixed feelings about the DSP, but it's hard to complain about the sound quality and flexibility, especially for the price. Just my initial impression.
 
Anyone else try the Puffin yet? I'm running a Parks Budgie for 2 years now, and just got a Puffin delivered yesterday. It would be great to hear any feedback or tips on this unit.
 
I'll be curious to hear your impressions of the Puffin versus the Budgie. I have had my Puffin for a few weeks now, and I have really enjoyed it. I haven't spent a lot of time messing with all of the settings, but it was very easy to set up and get running. I do really like the Air adjustment and have played with the Tilt adjustment a little but end up leaving it flat for the most part.

I run mine into a passive preamp then into my Tubelab SE amp. It's been really nice to have the wide range of adjustable gain. By adding a little bit of gain from the Puffin, I can get the volume control on my passive into a better range that matches the output of my DAC and better matches the input impedance of the amp at my listening levels. It's a versatile little preamp.
 
Well the urge got the best of me and I found a puffin for cheap so I figured what the hell. If I don't like it I should be able to pass it on without a financial loss. It should be here Monday.
 
^^ past that I got nuthin' re: Budgie or Puffin "DSP" gear, whatever those be (from the looks of things @ this thread some sort'a TTs...)
 
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