** ROTM Award May 2018: Parasound Halo Integrated

newlash09

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Hi all :)

My first review of sorts. I believe that in audio, no product is great in isolation. Everything is comparative. And after breaching a certain price point, the law of diminishing returns kicks in. So to judge, how a amp actually sounds by review alone, it is important to know the reviewers exposure to other kit in the field. And since I haven't heard much, I will briefly detail my audio journey to give a perspective of my reference point for this review.

I was always a music buff, but never a audio buff. The difference between both is that I enjoy music played on any system. Iam yet to hear a system sing, and not be moved by the music, as long as the track itself is not a dud. Pretty lame ears I must be endowed with then :)

Anyhow my first tryst with a 2 channel music system was the harman kardon sound sticks, which I still like very much.

And looking for a upgrade took me to the bluesound power node. This was my first proper hifi separates system, driving a pair of qacoustics q7000i satellites and a sub. The external sub was crossed over at 80hz, and the sound was really very good. The bluesound control app was trouble free and was very easy for my wife to use too.

At this point, I bought a yamaha yht-400s for HT. And later upgraded to a Sony str-dn850 AVR and a audiopro 5.0 surround system. The sound here was decent. But the sony's room correction was always more miss than hit for me. So I again upgraded to a marantz sr6011 and the qacoustics concept 40 + concept centre system. I was finally happy with the sound of my HT system both for movies and music. I really could have left it here and not have any regrets. But over a period of time, I felt that the concept 40's and the marantz were both sounding a bit safe, and not really letting loose. The concept 40's are great speakers, no doubt. They have exceptional clarity and refinement , but they are slightly laid back. And driving them with the marantz was only adding more refinement and warmth, when I needed more neutrality and excitement in the mix.

So started my hunt for a new amplifier. And I wanted the amp to be as versatile as possible, and powerful too. Having used a sat+sub combination with the bluesound power node, I was aware of the benefits of having a sub in a 2 channel system. So easy sub integration was a must for me.

After ploughing many nights on audio sites, I centered on the parasound halo integrated. Every review ended in a high praise. And the amp seemed to have more flexibility than I could ever use. So the amp was decided. But couldn't figure out where to buy. My email to the parasound dealer in india enquiring pricing, didn't solicit any response. And I didn't feel like sending a second email, as the dealer might mistaken my persisting interest for desperation and Jack up the price. So I decided to wait.

Luckily, I had to go to the USA for a trip, and the rest as they say is history :)

So I now have my brand new amp driving the concept 40's. And for the first time, after going through bright and warm kit, I can sense what neutrality is all about. There is a sense that nothing is added or taken from a track. The parasound follows the track honestly to a T.

And that honesty, mated to its brute 160W @ 8 ohms power, makes the concept 40's croone exactly to a track. These same tracks when played through the marantz sr6011 or the bluesound power node in comparison, give the impression that the concept40's are just gliding over the finer nuances in a track. The parasound here, makes the speakers stop, skip, hop and jump all as the artist intended. Such is the control the parasound exerts on the speaker, that every small change in rhythm and nuance, is honestly exposed. The excitement I was previously missing, is back now. The concept 40's just needed a proper kick in the teeth I guess :)

Since then, I have added a chord 2qute dac, and a yamaha wxc-50 to my setup. And the inbuilt dac of the parasound almost equals the chord dac in my system. In fact I find the parasound to sound more punchy through its inbuilt dac, than its analogue inputs.

So low is the distortion even at high volumes, that iam now listening at silly volumes , and only realising the actual volume when my better half gives me a solid whack on my head :)

So all in all, iam really happy with the parasound halo integrated. And really can't think of any negatives. This is a really powerful amp, and can reach mind blowing volumes with absolutely no distortion. No loss in composure or clarity. No hardening of the sound at any volume level. Couldn't really ask for more.

Thanks for reading my rather long post, if you've followed it so far :)
 
Lovely write up. Please share some pics as well. The parasound is lovely. It’s just ridiculously expensive here sadly.
 
I was recommending Halo here in the Past. It is perfect one box solution with ample power, control, with sub out, theater bypass,excellent DAC , Phono input. No other amp out there with same features and lowest distortion available in market at this price point.
 
Job integrated with built in dac is around same price point. It does not have phono input though
 
Job integrated with built in dac is around same price point. It does not have phono input though
there are many other features Halo is having , which is not available in JOB, first among them is power and rest is here(copied from website)-
Though new job amp has the capability of 384Kz USB input
  • Asynchronous USB 2.0 supports PCM up to 384kHz/32-bit
  • USB input decodes Native DSD64, DSD128, DSD256 and DoP DSD
  • Analog bass management with high & low pass crossovers
  • Home theater bypass input for surround sound integration
  • Dedicated high current headphone amplifier (TI TPA6120)
  • Phono for MM & MC with 100 Ω or 47k Ω load
  • Front panel Aux input with automatic +12 dB gain stage
  • 5 pairs RCA line level Analog inputs
  • 1 pair XLR balanced Analog input
  • Balanced XLR and RCA left and right preamp outputs
  • 1 balanced XLR and 2 RCA subwoofer outputs
  • 160 Watts x 2 @ 8 Ohms (RMS, both channels driven)
  • 240 Watts x 2 @ 4 Ohms (RMS, both channels driven)
 
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Many times it’s just not the features. Quality also counts:)

I have heard the plain Halo integrated. I have owned the JC1 Mono blocs which is Parasounds top of the line offering. I have heard Job. In terms of sound quality my guess is Job will be a cut above.
 
Thanks all for your encouragement. Much appreciated. Sorry for the delay in my response , I am travelling on work and have a restricted access here. So not easy to reach the forum :)

I really don't have too many pics on me. So I am posting what I have from the past. Please bear in mind that I got the parasound amp in Oct 2017. Though waited so long to post my impressions so that I could be sure about what I write.

Thanks..IMG-20180513-WA0035.jpgIMG-20180513-WA0031.jpg
 
The above are the pics of my HT setup (5.1.4) and my 2 channel setup.

Subsequently I have added a concept centre speaker to my HT setup. Though the above is an old pic with the qacoustics q7000i center speaker in use.
 
Hi sunand...thanks for noticing :)

I bought the parasound around the same time I bought the PMC's ( I am the 2nd owner. Got them for a good price ). The parasound was a step gap arrangement , as I needed to recuperate the funds for a matching amp. But honestly the parasound does a very good job with the PMC twenty 26 too :)
 
as per what Hi-Fi--- The speakers can be tri-wired and it is worth experimenting to get the best out of them .
If you have two pair of speakers output in amp..atleast you can biwire them...keep low frequecy separate and join HF and Mids.
 
Thanks dheerajin....i was almost down that route and almost bought a pair of benchmark AHB2 to use for the HF &MF, and keep the parasound for the bass. Plan was to use the mini DSP as an active cross over.

I already bought new, perfectly matched drivers from PMC UK, in case I blew them off in the process :)

But ultimately wisdom prevailed. I don't want to be a tweaker all my life, and keep worrying about cross overs, cable and interconnects. So have shelved the whole idea. As can be seen in the pics, I don't have a dedicated room to myself and my system resides in the dining. And I like to keep my system unobtrusive. So I bought a devialet ( used ), and I am out of the box swapping game for now. I will sell off my present streamer, DAC and amp and settle with one small box. And fondly hope that I can just sit back and enjoy the music, instead of the incessant upgrade worries :)
 
Thanks dheerajin....i was almost down that route and almost bought a pair of benchmark AHB2 to use for the HF &MF, and keep the parasound for the bass. Plan was to use the mini DSP as an active cross over.

I already bought new, perfectly matched drivers from PMC UK, in case I blew them off in the process :)

But ultimately wisdom prevailed. I don't want to be a tweaker all my life, and keep worrying about cross overs, cable and interconnects. So have shelved the whole idea. As can be seen in the pics, I don't have a dedicated room to myself and my system resides in the dining. And I like to keep my system unobtrusive. So I bought a devialet ( used ), and I am out of the box swapping game for now. I will sell off my present streamer, DAC and amp and settle with one small box. And fondly hope that I can just sit back and enjoy the music, instead of the incessant upgrade worries :)

Mind over heart prevailed. :) So, you're almost there, except the placement and room acoustics to deal with.
 
Thanks helium flight...

Yeah I've changed a lot of stuff in the last one year, and the incessant upgraditis gets a bit tiring. I've realized that it is not possible to get a system to do everything I want. So I've learned to live with the compromises :)

Will probably start looking at upgrading my digital sources. And may be just may be, try some vinyl.
 
And regarding the placement and room acoustics, I really can't do much here. As this is my dining room, and aesthetics sadly take priority over placement. I know that I am not getting the best from my kit. But perhaps the best I can do is add some digital room correction :)
 
@newlash09- Congratulations on getting the Parasound Halo integrated amplifier and I am sure that you would love it for a long time. I use mostly Parasound components in my 2 channel audio system. I don't own Halo integrated but I have a Halo A-21 stereo amplifier and from my experience I can suggest two ideas which can great improve the performance of this amplifier.
1. This is easy and doesn't cost any money. Take the top hood of the amplifier out when you are playing it and you would immediately experience a big improvement in the soundstage. Beside that it would help the amplifier run cooler which is always a good thing for any solid state amplifier. You could build a top cover made out of very thin plywood which would be easy to place on top of the unit when it is not playing such that there is no dust accumulation inside the unit. However if you have kids in the house then it is not a safe option. But you can try it once to see if this option brings any improvement in your system.
2. This enhancement would cost money and time. Get a very good power cable for the amplifier. In my experience the biggest improvement in any audio component could be achieved by using a good aftermarket power cable that matches the synergy of the entire system. However it is not a plug and ply type option and you have to spend some good time experimenting with power cables in your system.

Thanks.
 
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