Can you tell me what the regular minimum input capacitance of the zPhono/XRM amps is? I think I've searched several times. Thanks!
Very very cool that the Parasound XRM has dropped in price. I wonder if they are having a hard time selling these ? That would surprise me …..
I have used it with both XLR and RCA. I seriously love the XRM. It is on the more detailed and lean side, for sure, but it also is incredibly dynamic. The bass is fast, and deep without ever getting muddy. The thing is just so punchy and lively while retrieving lots of detail. I love it. I hear very little difference between RCA and XLR, but I will say that the XLR outputs definitely lean more into that detailed and lean sound. The RCA seems a little softer overall. I’m running this baby with a Nagaoka MP-200 on a Technics 1500c into a Yamaha AS-2200 and KLH Model 5s. The Yamaha has a atrocious phono stage btw. Thin, super v-shaped frequency response. Truly baffling, especially since the headphone amp in there is surprisingly good.
Thinking of getting a XRM to go with my AS2200 and a Denon DL301mkii… for my new Technics 1200G. I agree about the phono stage in the 2200. Seriously sub par which makes no sense because the rest of the piece is freaking great including the headphone output !!
I highly recommend it if you enjoy a lively and detailed sound. I got it off Amazon US and was happy to see that they have a special return policy around the holidays (I think you can return anything until the end of Jan 2022), so I decided to give the XRM a shot and I fell in love with it and am definitely going to keep it.
A pal lent me one...Here's my experience with it after unit burned in. I only tested the MM on my second system as my MC is currently being re-tipped. I think this pre is kinda made for those exact systems (mid level Pro-Jects, Regas etc). With my MM system I usually use a Schitt Mani. Also used a Sumiko "Moonstone" on a Pro-Ject table. 01: Tighter low mids, and a generally less "smeary" low end. It does add some nice low end note definition. Impressive! 02: Depending on your speakers (I'm using Forte III's) the upper mids can get pretty damn aggressive. This may be the "analytical" deal killer for some. 03: Quiet! My place is always kinda buzzy, and many of those sonic irritants were calmed. 04: The Hi-pass switch (it's really not a rumble filter) didn't impact the low end in a head turning way. I find the low end is still solid/musical/. 05: Great build quality and the power supply is clearly a huge bang for buck bonus. 06: It does remarkably well being fed lots of dynamic/complicated information (fed it "Imperial Bedroom" from Elvis Costello and the track "Aja" from some band no one knows about). 07: Mono switch works great . I was really impressed with the mono sound from "Only The Lonley". Nice staging and great low end. 08: The set MM gain switches were a tad limiting. Not a deal killer though. My "guess" is this unit will start to show it's price point on the MC side of things? How much? I'll jump back in after I get my MC back. My vote. Great bang for buck for those who are happy in MM land. It trounced the low end of the Mani, which surprised me actually but the mid range bump may make those Led Zepplin LP's a bit painful? In conclusion,: I'm impressed! It's punches WELL above it's weight and if one is willing to carefully pair this Pre with the right components I could see it kicking some serious MM ass.
I forgot to mention that in my system the XRM is also a little quieter then the JC3 Jr. That was surprising.
I am still enjoying my Zphono XRM, but I can't help but wonder if it would benefit from capacitor upgrades. Does anybody know if anyone else has upgraded an XRM? Maybe I'll try an upgraded IEC inlet. That looks simple enough.
Killer deal on these: Parasound Zphono XRM MM/MC Phono Preamplifier-Audio Advisor I would gladly pay full price for the capability of the XRM but at this price they are a steal.
Hm....I've had my eye on the JC3 Jr., but at that price willing to give the XRM a shot. With re-sale of my Alva Duo (assuming I like the Parasound) it'd be a next-to-nothing change cost-wise, but could open up my system to MC carts while using the money saved towards speaker/cart upgrades I have in the pipeline. If I don't like the XRM I know the JC3 Jr. is the right move and can just send it back.
I sold my JC3 Jr. after buying the XRM. In my system the XRM is actually quieter and sounds just as good.
MC Update. I used a new AT ART20 on a SME 30, graham arm. Solid low end. Punchy! Mid range is still a tad harsh for my tastes. I'm finding that the MC is leaning to a more analytical sound, which I consider a limitation. Still, it's very acceptable but when compared to something like the EAR 324, well...one can really hear the musical differences. I know, that's an unfair comparison, but I'm always hoping for a lower priced MC Pre that astounds. I don't think this is it. My vote. Awesome MM. Solid MC. For the money it's well worth the investment.
I am using the XRM with my Rega P6 with Ania Pro cartridge. Its quiet and sounds really good. The output with just the 60db is a little low, I am going to about 45% on my preamp when my streaming and CD's are at about 38% with the same volume. Thinking about getting XLR cables or adaptors so I can get the extra 6 db from the XLR output.
If you’re at only 45% of volume travel on your preamp then the 60dB on the XRM is plenty hot. You would probably benefit from lower gain of all your sources actually.
Well, it’s probably your line-level preamp or amp that has way more gain than necessary. That’s common even for integrated amps these days. With phono preamps, the rule of thumb is to use the lowest gain setting you can get away with. You generally want the volume control on your line-level preamp to be >/= 75% at your typical listening level. Regardless, I strongly recommend looking up some vids or reading some posts about system gain matching. They can explain it better than I (and I’m too lazy right now).
I have the same turntable and cartridge as you. But am using a rega pre amp mc mk4 just wondering if parasound would be step up. Any experience with the rega pre amp ? Thanks in advance
Just my 2 cents. I have a Parasound P6 and A23+ amp - technics sl1200 mk7 turntable with AT vm95ml cart. The XRM is not better than the built in phono pre on the P6. Using xlr cables or rca cables, the sound is much lower. I used a couple of phone apps to try to level match the volume. Volume on the P6 was usually set a lot lower to play at the same level vs using the XRM. The sound is also a little more compressed and confined using the XRM. I checked and played around with the settings on the XRM but the sound was just always lower and less refined. I emailed Parasound to inquire if there was a comparison of the P6's phono preamp vs the XRM (Good luck getting a response from these guys - I actually sent 3 before finally getting a response). The email response was only that the P6 was the superior product and that I should contact my local parasound retailer for more info. There may be more of a difference using a MC cart. I also didn't notice that 6db increase using xlr cables. It was slightly louder than using rca cables, but still much lower in volume than the internal preamp of the P6.
By chance did you record these tracks to confirm that volume/detail differential? Curious to get a visual representation of your findings.
That seems odd since the specified gain on the P6 is lower than the XRM on lowest MM setting (38dB vs 40dB), assume that is the setting you are using. The balanced connection should be quite a bit louder, but without measuring, hard to say, most would find a 6dB increase substantial. Do you have both RCA and XLR outputs connected at the same time? Supposed to be OK, they are both active, but only one will be routed in the preamp. Both of those issues together seem to indicate something is wrong with your unit.
