Upgrading my system - scared!

Right.

 

I see that almost everyone beat me to this.

 

By "Oppo 105 Darby Dan," do you mean the Modwright-modified BDP-105D?

Oppo is known as having among the best customer service and tech support in the industry. If something breaks, they will fix it.

Full disclosure: I have been an Oppo beta tester for years. I don't sell any Oppo products, though.

 

This is the reason Richard is able to keep the cost of his products down. If you took a poll, I'm sure you would find the majority of the buying public would rather work with a well managed company in the United States that has their act together with a Taiwan manufacturing plant that is closely monitored for quality control, and parts used in their products. I cannot stress that my experience over many, many years has been exemplary with Parasound. I'm not here to say that Parasound will outperform other extremely expensive equipment made in the United States, but I would like to say it meets the needs of many people, including me. I have been so very impressed with their continual GREAT reviews, year after year. I actually sold two very expensive Jeff Rowland pieces, the Rowland Concentra and the 8Ti-HC, both exceptional pieces of equipment. I could not hear a dimes worth of difference in my amplifier that listed for $17,000.00 and the Parasound that listed for $2,5000.00 and honestly, I think the Parasound HALO pre-amp, the JC-2 BP is much more robust than the Jeff Rowland Concentra as a pre-amp which is what I had, because I started with the Concentra as an Integrated amp, and moved up a few steps to the 8Ti-HC. Do I miss the beautiful face plates and ultra solid cabinet builds with no venting at all, you bet I do, they were the best in the industry! There are several indisputable facts about Parasound, they win awards on almost every product they produce, especially the HALO series, their products are affordable for normal people, it is aesthetically pleasing to look at, and the sound reproduction is wonderful, as is the built quality, Taiwan or no Taiwan. You can bet Richard keeps his specs tight, his equipment fit and finish is top shelf, an ULTRA performer at and well above their price point, due in part to that overseas connection. I'm just real sold, and thousands of other customers are sold on Parasound as well, and this comes from a SOLID Jeff Rowland customer for over 17 years, so I have been there and done that, as well as Mark Levinson, Krell, and several others. You will find that many people purchase very expensive high end equipment to get that pride of ownership feeling as much as reach a given level of sound reproduction, I know I did. With Parasound equipment, you can have the pride of ownership, great reproduction, and you won't loose your a-- when selling it, if you don't purchase from one of these online retailers that do not discount their products at all, and I'm sure I don't need to name them. There are some beautiful deals to be had on Parasound if you are willing to search for them. Happy listening!

 

Funny that there is so much emphasis on the Halo power amps. I like my P5/A23 combo a lot, but I must say that on a whim, I plugged my D240 in to the P5 and it really sings. Much less grain at the upper mids. But then, the D240 probably cost 5X new. The point is that the P5 is just outstanding and maybe the best value I have run across in a preamp.

 

It is indeed, I was going to purchase the exact same thing but changed my mind at the last minute and tried the Integrated, since they had never made an integrated before. The HALO products are just outstanding, the P5/A23 is a great combo.

 

I actually went into the dealer to see if he had gotten the integrated in. He had not, but made me a deal on the combo I couldn't pass up. I know the integrated has a better DAC but it would have been a full grand more than the P5/A23.

I'm wondering how you like the Sony? I've heard great things about them, but don't see much online about them here. I use BlueSound to stream my digital content.

 

I'm not sure which Sony you are talking about. I have the SCD-1 SACD player which is a beautiful player indeed, but let me say this, I cannot hear 5 cents worth of difference in the Oppo 105D and the Sony SCD-1, I already sold my Sony 5400 and 9000 SACD players, as they will no longer have parts available for even the 5400 after this year, which is why anything Sony will never be an option for me again. The other Sony on my smaller system is just an old DVP-S7000 DVD player, a nice one, but older unit, which I am using for a transport only, going into the SABRE DAC in the Parasound. I know dealers like to say they cannot discount the Parasound Integrated, because it is so new, and many like to move existing stock and therefore give you a better discount on what they have at the store, I also have run into that many times. The beauty of Parasound is there are lots of dealers across the United States, I worked with 3 to get what I have now. When you are talking list price, apples to apples, the Integrated should cost $405.00 more than the P5/A23 combo. The combo lists for $2,090.00 and the Integrated lists for $2,495.00. You would almost have to have a 30% discount applied to the combo VS no discount on the Integrated to have a $1,000.00 spread, however, they probably sold you a demo set, wow, do dealers like to move those demo components. Buying these components is much like shopping for a car, you just have to work for your best deal, and it sounds like you got a good one, and that is good for you!

 

Sorry. I didn't look close enough to see that was the SCD. I was thinking it was one of the media players.

 

From your pics are you running the Integrated into an A21? I know this isn't the most economical approach but I am considering doing the same after purchasing the Integrated and then hearing the A21.

 

Nevermind. I see now you are not. Assuming that is the JC2 in the bottom pic?

 

Now you have it, Integrated in the small system, top pic and JC-2 BP with the 21 amp in the bottom pic. All of the Parasound I have purchased have been exceptional.

 

Klipsch floorstanders; loud, clean and clear

 

So surprising that you got so many replies without your room description being mentioned. No matter what you buy when it comes to your home it becomes part of a system. In that system the room is greatest variable in what you will hear. It is also the most accessible to modification and improvement. An unfinished basement (bare walls uncovered floor of concrete, wood or whatever) and a ceiling height of (please fill in the blanks) will not usually support good quality sound. Add in filled with boxes and you have described the absolute worst environment for Magi's. Speakers like Magnepans radiate front and back and do not tolerate obstructions and overly reflective surfaces well. I suggest as part of this upgrade you start by clearing a comfortable area of obstructions. Figure where you can put the hardware and where you can have a comfortable listening location. Then see if you can get some floor covering. Can you move the boxes to the rear or along the walls in some sort of even distribution? As to what to buy, start with the speakers. Take your time and go to as many demonstrations as you can. Trust your ears and try to narrow a selection to a few that make you smile when you hear them. There are many good speakers available today. Parasound Halo is one of the best bang for the buck around today. Do not worry so much about where it is built. What is important is how does it sound and does it have a good user record of satisfaction? If it needs service then it will be done locally. I recently upgraded my amp. The Halo was on my final list. I bought a Bryston because I got a great deal on a demo model. If not for that then I would have gotten the Halo. Integrated are excellent in today's market. I would not buy a receiver as internet radio is available if you listen to broadcast content a lot. Rouge has many followers and a reputation for great sound. For myself I prefer solid state but we could fill the forum with a discussion about the virtues of each. So from my point of view in order of importance; define and do what you can to your room, speaker choice, amplification and interconnects. The sound you hear is predominantly the combination of your room-speaker interactions and the quality of the recorded source.

 

. Isn't that Cambridge Audio player made in China?

 

Of course it is. We were discussing the amplifiers.
-Bill

 

So Chinese players are okay then, but not amps.

 

If there are members who want to discuses the merits of where a product is made, what parts are used, and who designed it, please start another thread. Great topic but not helpful to the OP's needs.

 

It is relevant if it is about the amps he is considering. But I agree that bickering and or baiting an argument is silly, especially when it does not concern the OP. Threads can and do take turns to open new discourse, of course, and that is why forums exist. It facilitates open communication. If we wanted only closed-loop, two way communication, we'd simply post our contact info and remain silent.
-Bill

 

If that's your take on it, then it is OK with me. Of course that is not what I said, nor what we were discussing.

Since you choose to bring it up, try and think of a player of any type of optical disc that is in current production which does not use a laser mechanism that is made in China. That will severely limit your options of a disc spinner of any type. There might be a small number of Korean made transports and a very small number of Japanese made units, otherwise most all production of video gear or optical drives, even when used in audio only devices, has been moved to China. Even USA made, UK made, and German made players use a few components from China, such as these laser assemblies, and of course resistors, capacitors.

Making a list of US made amplifiers would be much easier and much longer. It would also be a bit more relevant here.
-Bill

 

I am all for open discourse so..If anyone knows an amp, pr-eamp, crossover, tuner or any other component that does not rely on world wide sourcing for the parts please tell me. Just because the chassis is is stamped "Made in XYZ" does not make that a product of that country. The excellent sound of the products named depend on the careful selection and assembly of quality parts produced world wide. Is the assertion the a product assembled in America is better than one from Taiwan valid? Is say a Rouge assembled with world wide parts in America better than say Bryston assembled in Canada from an assortment of world wide parts? Is the Parasound assembled in Taiwan inherently inferior to a Carry made in America? I would suggest location is not as important as factory management, supervision and brand attention to quality control. There are many good brands with excellent sound at every price point. As a consumer I review user reports, forum feedback, published reviews and do my best to audition what I consider buying. Often I have a short list of acceptable products and it is the dealer who makes the difference. Getting back to the OP, he is considering a quantum jump in quality. His current setup might approach mid-fi. The hardware he says he is considering is so much more refined that the change will be far from incremental. Given some attention to his room and speaker selection first will make his need and choice of amplification easier.

 

If you fear spending $$$ on this particular hobby, then don't do it. Just stay with what you have. The dollars you spend (unless what you have now is crap... and I don't think it is) will only give you a marginal improvement but will impact your bank account in a material way.

 

This is what he listed as his current set:
Harmon Kardon HK hk440
Bose 301
Toshiba DVD/SACD player
Sony duel tape deck

 

Paragraphs are great things.

 

I put "unfinshied basement full of boxes of crap" in my original post. Since my original post I've made my purchases and I'm happy. Marantz PM8005 and ELAC B6 speakers. This will hold me over until I have a dedicated room.