Quality Pre/pro? aka Parasound C2 vs...

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Trunkmonkee
Trunkmonkee Posts: 15
edited August 2010 in Electronics
I'm looking at primarily the audio quality. I want optical i/o, 7.1, and at least 5.1 multi-in, but I don't care about hdmi. I prefer used, because it's cheaper (e.g. I saw a Parasound C1 ($6000) go for $600). So old models are OK. What kind of contenders do you think I should consider? And which do you think is better?

So far, I've got...
Parasound C2
Anthem AVM 20
Rotel 1098

Any thoughts?
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Comments

  • dafirst
    dafirst Posts: 20
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    haven't tried Anthem nor the Rotel 1098 before. I had the 1068 and Parasound outshines it in all ways. I read lots about the Anthem which is very "tweakable" but doesn't perform. I recently bought a Lexicon MC12 and I'm returning it to get the Parasound I once let go or try to get hold of Classe. Anyway I believe many inputs will be poured and then you can make a choice. Good luck
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  • littlewoodboats
    littlewoodboats Posts: 823
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    I believe @gp4jesus had the Rotel you mention and felt his Outlaw Audio beat it for sq. Maybe he will comment
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  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,367
    edited February 2017
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    I had a Parasound C2 pre-pro. While a great sounding unit for analog audio sound, for movies it falls way short of a high quality recent model receiver that effectively deploys room correction in auto setup. Given the current pricing though, I would recommend a used C2 for a budget 2 channel analog system that does home theater as a secondary duty. The C2 was a big step up from a Rotel 1068 I had for a while, but it should have been. If I remember right, the MSRP on the C2 was initially $4K.

    I would also recommend taking a look at used Marantz pre-pros that handle HDMI and do some room correction in auto setup. A Marantz unit I had was better in every way than the C2. I eventually switched over to Pioneer Elite receivers in a system that is solely for home theater.
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