Rotel vs Parasound
Options
mopar paul
Posts: 277
I would like to preface this review by stating I'm no expert. I have played music (from the flute to the drums) and been to hundreds of live concerts, ranging from classical to Slipknot, for 20 years.
I remember getting into HiFi when I was a late teenager, and now at the scary age of 37, I love it more than ever. I've never had deep pockets and always moved up the audio chain slowly, but lately I have had the desire to invest a little in a new 2 channel system, minus speakers of course. I have some fully modded SDA SRS 1.2TL's that I have CONFIRMED, sound better than 90% of new speakers on the market under $8k, but that's a story in itself.
I recently went looking for a new CD player, Pre-amp and Amp. Unfortunately in my neck of the woods, it has been difficult to find anyone who carries higher end 2 channel stuff. So I drove a few hours and after doing much research and shopping, decided my choices (dictated by budget) would be between the new Rotel 15 series and the Parasound Halo line.
I went to 2 dealers which were more than great and went out of their way to help me, allowing me to take the components home to audition them with my speakers and room, then make a decision on which ones I wanted.
I specifically brought home a Parasound A21 Amp (250x2) and P3 preamp, and a Rotel 1550 Pre and 1582 Amp (200x2). I wont get into other associated equiptment at this point, as I will also be doing a review of some various Cd players later.
After extended listening to quite a few different material I found the Rotel stuff to have lots of detail and a good soundstage, but slightly lacking in depth on softer bass notes. I also found it to be quite bright with my setup, almost to the point of being un-listenable at louder volumes. I will say that this setup did not sound this bright in the store on another pair of speakers, all else being equal.
When I hooked up the Parasound I immediately heard, and felt, a stronger bass presence, even at lower levels. Much of the brightness went away, even though the details were still there. After extended listening at higher levels I noticed my ears were not fatigued with "harshness" I experienced with the Rotel stuff. The soundstage and depth was great with these components.
In the end I chose the Parasound setup for my application. It retailed for around $1000.00 more that the Rotel stuff ($3k vs $2k), but it was worth it to me. Sometimes you DONT get more for your money but I believe here is an example of when you might.
I would like to stress that I was being VERY picky here. I think I changed setups at least 20 times!
Even though I chose the Parasound stuff in the end, the new 15 series Rotel stuff is no slouch! In fact when I heard it in the store, I was convinced I would end up buying it, but obviously it really makes a difference what speakers you are running. I could whole-heartedly recommend the Rotels to anyone with warmer speakers and the Parasound stuff to those with brighter spaekers.
I hope this helps someone else looking at these two systems. I could not find any reviews on the new Rotel stuff, so I thought it might benfit someone like myself.
I also learned that cables can make a big difference in the way a system sounds, and I have been the biggest skeptic there was on this subject. I wont get into that here though, as it is not the point of the review.
Cheers:)
I remember getting into HiFi when I was a late teenager, and now at the scary age of 37, I love it more than ever. I've never had deep pockets and always moved up the audio chain slowly, but lately I have had the desire to invest a little in a new 2 channel system, minus speakers of course. I have some fully modded SDA SRS 1.2TL's that I have CONFIRMED, sound better than 90% of new speakers on the market under $8k, but that's a story in itself.
I recently went looking for a new CD player, Pre-amp and Amp. Unfortunately in my neck of the woods, it has been difficult to find anyone who carries higher end 2 channel stuff. So I drove a few hours and after doing much research and shopping, decided my choices (dictated by budget) would be between the new Rotel 15 series and the Parasound Halo line.
I went to 2 dealers which were more than great and went out of their way to help me, allowing me to take the components home to audition them with my speakers and room, then make a decision on which ones I wanted.
I specifically brought home a Parasound A21 Amp (250x2) and P3 preamp, and a Rotel 1550 Pre and 1582 Amp (200x2). I wont get into other associated equiptment at this point, as I will also be doing a review of some various Cd players later.
After extended listening to quite a few different material I found the Rotel stuff to have lots of detail and a good soundstage, but slightly lacking in depth on softer bass notes. I also found it to be quite bright with my setup, almost to the point of being un-listenable at louder volumes. I will say that this setup did not sound this bright in the store on another pair of speakers, all else being equal.
When I hooked up the Parasound I immediately heard, and felt, a stronger bass presence, even at lower levels. Much of the brightness went away, even though the details were still there. After extended listening at higher levels I noticed my ears were not fatigued with "harshness" I experienced with the Rotel stuff. The soundstage and depth was great with these components.
In the end I chose the Parasound setup for my application. It retailed for around $1000.00 more that the Rotel stuff ($3k vs $2k), but it was worth it to me. Sometimes you DONT get more for your money but I believe here is an example of when you might.
I would like to stress that I was being VERY picky here. I think I changed setups at least 20 times!
Even though I chose the Parasound stuff in the end, the new 15 series Rotel stuff is no slouch! In fact when I heard it in the store, I was convinced I would end up buying it, but obviously it really makes a difference what speakers you are running. I could whole-heartedly recommend the Rotels to anyone with warmer speakers and the Parasound stuff to those with brighter spaekers.
I hope this helps someone else looking at these two systems. I could not find any reviews on the new Rotel stuff, so I thought it might benfit someone like myself.
I also learned that cables can make a big difference in the way a system sounds, and I have been the biggest skeptic there was on this subject. I wont get into that here though, as it is not the point of the review.
Cheers:)
Post edited by mopar paul on
Comments
-
Congrats,,,,The A21 amp is Awesome!Linn AV5140 fronts
Linn AV5120 Center
Linn AV5140 Rears
M&K MX-70 Sub for Music
Odyssey Mono-Blocs
SVS Ultra-13 Gloss Black:D -
Congratulations on great purchases. You also did it the right way, meaning you didn't F the guys who assisted you in your search by using them and then buying through the internet. Good for you.
Thanks for the write up too! -
Congratulations on great purchases. You also did it the right way, meaning you didn't F the guys who assisted you in your search by using them and then buying through the internet. Good for you.
Thanks for the write up too!
That is a good point!! When I went to these dealers, I knew their prices would be a little higher than what I could find on the internet. What I found out in the end is you can't put a price on customer service. The store owner had 25 years experience and knew his products, even how different cables would make my system sound! I spent the whole day at his place and in the end, I made a new friend.
While at his store I found out he was going to drive 50 miles to help a customer the next day-someone that had purchased equipment from him YEARS earlier!
He then proceeded to cut me a great deal that I was surprised to see! What more could you ask for?? -
Outstanding
Paul, your my hero of the day. -
May I ask what the original (retail) price on the A21 was? (you don't need to give me the discount price, as I know that may be a private matter between you and the seller). I just want to get a ballpark idea of what they are going for these days.
Right now I have its little brother, the A23, and I love it (also use it in conjunction with the P3, but with Lsi9s not SDAs). In fact, we're living in an apt right now and I know I'll be making a long-distance move some time in the next 6-18 months and will want to move up to the A21 once I settle down and have long-term employment secured. Since the A21 is the same design but more power (from 200 wpc to 400 wpc), I feel pretty secure that this would be a great move for me. I don't really feel the need to test new pre's but I guess I might consider it.
The speakers that I''m thinking of (way down the line) are Quad 988s. Those would be the dream speakers and that would complete the dream system for me, but since those run for something like 6k, it probably won't be 5-10 years before I could even think about making that move. In the mean time, I'd have to figure out if they play nice with Parasound Halo gear.
All that said, I'm quite certain that the Lsi9s could handle more power and that the A21 would do the job very well.2 Ch.
Parasound Halo A23 Amp
Parasound Halo P3 Preamp
Parasound Halo T3 Tuner
Bada HD22SE tube CD Player
Magnum Dynalab Signal Sleuth
Magnum Dynalab ST-2 antenna
polkaudio Lsi9s (upgraded cross-overs)
MIT Shotgun S-3 Bi-wire Interface Speaker Cables
MIT Shotgun S-3 Interconnects (3)
IegO L70530 Power cords (3)
HT
Denon 2808ci AVR
polkaudio RTi A5s (fronts)
polkaudio RTi A1s (rears)
polkaudio Csi A6 (center)
Signal Cable Ultra Speaker Cables
Signal Cable Analog II Interconnects -
Nice review... interesting to read. Thanks!SystemLuxman L-590AXII Integrated Amplifier|KEF Reference 1 Loudspeakers|PS Audio Directream Jr|Sansui TU-9900 Tuner|TEAC A-6100 RtR|Nakamichi RX-202 Cassette
-
mopar paul wrote: »I would like to preface this review by stating I'm no expert. I have played music (from the flute to the drums) and been to hundreds of live concerts, ranging from classical to Slipknot, for 20 years.
I remember getting into HiFi when I was a late teenager, and now at the scary age of 37,
37..what are you talkng about? You're a baby! Not even 40 yet...relax!
I recently went looking for a new CD player, Pre-amp and Amp. Unfortunately in my neck of the woods, it has been difficult to find anyone who carries higher end 2 channel stuff. So I drove a few hours and after doing much research and shopping, decided my choices (dictated by budget) would be between the new Rotel 15 series and the Parasound Halo line.
I went to 2 dealers which were more than great and went out of their way to help me, allowing me to take the components home to audition them with my speakers and room, then make a decision on which ones I wanted.
I specifically brought home a Parasound A21 Amp (250x2) and P3 preamp, and a Rotel 1550 Pre and 1582 Amp (200x2). I wont get into other associated equiptment at this point, as I will also be doing a review of some various Cd players later.
After extended listening to quite a few different material I found the Rotel stuff to have lots of detail and a good soundstage, but slightly lacking in depth on softer bass notes. I also found it to be quite bright with my setup, almost to the point of being un-listenable at louder volumes. I will say that this setup did not sound this bright in the store on another pair of speakers, all else being equal.
When I hooked up the Parasound I immediately heard, and felt, a stronger bass presence, even at lower levels. Much of the brightness went away, even though the details were still there. After extended listening at higher levels I noticed my ears were not fatigued with "harshness" I experienced with the Rotel stuff. The soundstage and depth was great with these components.
In the end I chose the Parasound setup for my application. It retailed for around $1000.00 more that the Rotel stuff ($3k vs $2k), but it was worth it to me. Sometimes you DONT get more for your money but I believe here is an example of when you might.
Great Review...I couldn't agree more...the Halo 21 is on my short-list..it's been there for a while because of the cost but it's easily worth it.
Nice stuff...
cnhCurrently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!
Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
[sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash] -
Paul, what dealers did you go to? I need to start checking out CDPs.I don't read the newsssspaperssss because dey aaaallllllllll...... have ugly print.
Living Room: B&K Reference 5 S2 / Parasound HCA-1000A / Emotiva XDA-2 / Pioneer BDP-51FD / Paradigm 11se MKiii
Desk: Schiit Magni 2 Uber / Schiit Modi 2 Uber / ISK HD9999
Office: Schiit Magni 2 Uber / Schiit Modi 2 Uber / Dynaco SCA-80Q / Paradigm Legend V.3
HT: Denon AVR-X3400H / Sony UBP-X700 / RT16 / CS350LS / RT7 / SVS PB1000 -
Well oddly enough, Tone Studio (Mark) and Audio Solutions (Graham), both in Indy. Tone Studio had Rega (which wouldn't read several of my CD's though it sounded great), Simaudio (Awesome!), Cary and some others. A/S had McIntosh $$$, Jolida, Rotel, and Classe. Both places were great to deal with. Mark is a 30 year musician and plays for the Indy Symphany Orchestra and knows his audio! I spent 8 hours between the 2 stores and had a great time.
Oh, the retail on the A21 is around $2300 -
The Parasound A21 originally retailed for $1999, but they've since increased the retail price to $2300.
The A21 is a very nice amp. But if you want to buy used, I would also consider the Rotel 1090 and the Parasound HCA 3500. -
Don't give up the ship cause of your age. I will be 51 in July and rocking my **** off with a ROTEL RB-1090 feeding A9's. Enjoy yourself. That's what it's all about!
-
Congratulations on great purchases. You also did it the right way, meaning you didn't F the guys who assisted you in your search by using them and then buying through the internet. Good for you.
Thanks for the write up too!
Yeah you got soaked .Just kidding ,i went the same route . Its the right thing to do.
