It is a demo record and the music is good, good enough for me to keep it in my rotation. There is nothing groundbreaking about the music, but it is very good. The bass player and drummer shine here all thru the record, Kirsten is a good sax player but her playing is subdued more in the back ground it seems, I said before I would have preferred a trumpet over the trombone, but i'm nitpicking there. I paid $39.99 from In Groove, but I understand it is sold out everywhere, maybe a repress will happen.
Quick A21+ question. Right now I'm using the unbalanced RCA inputs from my Icon Audio PS3 MkII phono stage. The phono does not have XLR balanced outputs. I noted in the manual that it states a 6 dB higher volume level compared to using the RCA inputs. Is there any point in using XLR to RCA adapters in the A21+ inputs and sending the RCA output from the phono stage to the A21+? It's a short run, so I'm not dealing with any signal issues using RCA, merely curious. Thanks!
I was browsing Audio Advisor yesterday, and noticed a few Parasound models on sale. At first I was afraid they might stop carrying Parasound, but it's not everything. And, Music Direct has some on sale, too.
If anyone is thinking purchasing Parasound gear...(which I highly recommend doing!) consider making your purchase soon...as we don't know how long supplies will last... Best wishes
Parasound was sold a few months ago. I assume they're examining distribution or cycling out existing SKUs or something. Or it's just a sale to move stock. I don't think there's any reason to be overly cautious or impulsive with buying choices.
What is going on? Sadly the Chinese ongoing threat on Taiwan....any attack on Taiwan will most likely destroy much of Taiwan's industry....a grim picture.... Would Parasound be able to shift production from Taiwan to other countries? Might be good to keep up on those types of current events... Hopefully none of that happens.. Best wishes
I knew Parasound was sold, and China has been threatening Taiwan for a long time. Production is snafu all over the world for various parts. It affects my company too. Any news on Parasound in particular? I guess not.
How much space do I need above an A21+ for good ventilation? The amp is open on all four sides. If I do what I am planning, there will be 3" or so clearance above the amp.
I think mine has that much space as well. Running for a couple years, no issues. Mine’s the A 21, but should be similar.
Good Evening (PST time). Been a long time lurker and just wanted to add my admiration to the Parasound brand. I've owned the JC1's since around 2006 and I honestly can't say that I grew to really appreciate them until about a couple of years ago. Funny statement but let's just say that it's all tied to system synergy and my own ignorance and lack of understanding. I had them plugged in to some Richard Gray power conditioners who were unbeknownst to me, actually robbing my babies of some much needed current. On a whim and after reading some comments elsewhere on this forum, I decided to plug them into the wall. Behold, let there be light! Angels, rainbows, epiphanies, the whole bit. Unfortunately the relays developed an issue that I still have to figure out as it may be an issue with my home's power so I ended up removing them from my system, which brings me to the point of this post. As providence would have it, I came upon a used Halo A51 surround amp on The Music Room for far less than I had seen it listed elsewhere. I bit. And was rewarded with some audio Wagyu. This amp is basically an A21 and A31 rolled into one. Yeah, the faceplate looks like it got into a fight with Wolverine and lost, but the sound! The sound! This amp not only exposed the mismatch with my Musical Fidelity amp, but it transformed my system's balance. Multi channel music and movies sound equally dynamic, smooth, powerful, yet subtle when called for. When I first got the amp, my idea was to pair it with my JC1's but I have to say that the A51 has me rethinking my original plan. I am actually considering parting with my JC1's. But not just yet. Going to enjoy this part of the journey and I'll eventually cross that bridge if and when its built. Love my Parasounds!
^ Yea @Slippers-on sent me the news on Parasound.......I think that's very cool addition to the design team at Parasound. Wonder what Darren and Curl come up with together?? I have my eye on a new phono preamp as well a dedicated preamp. If I get a JC2 BP then I lose the DAC and bass management features of the HINT or possibly the P8 preamp prototype I saw last year at PacAudio Fest. The P8 was supposed to come out by now so I figure they scrapped it and maybe will do something different.......oh the excitement!!
I bought the JC2 BP 4 months ago now, together with a JC3+ and a JC5. I had a HINT 6 and a JC3 Jr. that I traded in, so I know what you mean RE: a DAC and bass management. I was told the DAC was left out as well as the sub out, the LED readout and all the volume presets to keep the S/N ratio as low as possible. I have found I don't miss the volume presets and LED readout as much as I thought. I can add an outboard DAC. As far as the subwoofer goes. the JC2 BP has both RCA and XLR jacks and can output to both. I feed my JC5 via XLRs and set the switch on the JC2 BP to XLR which feeds the JC5 . The RCA jacks are also live and these I use to drive my subs. You have to use the bass management features on your sub to set levels, rolloff and the like. I just use the SVS app on my phone to do that set up. I will add also that the JC3+ is a great preamp and the JC3 Jr is a damn fine preamp. They both are almost bargains at their price. So I you get tired of waiting for the new products, they will probably be at least a year (or two) away. Like you said who knows the P8s fate.
As posted earlier, I put a new A23+ in my main system, this was over 2 months ago now and it is still there. Sounds really excellent with my other equipment. Seems to be a perfect match for the McIntosh C2300 preamp. Currently using Linn Keilidh (Kay-Lee) speakers and they are really singing nicely with this input. I bought the A23+ (actually ended up buying 2!) over the A21+ based on Parasound recommendations stating I would only need more power with a bigger room. And they were right on. Also, 27 pounds instead of 70 pounds so I can change it out easier. I highly recommend the A23+! Not "better" than my McIntosh MC275 VI, but very, very enjoyable. Surprising.
Certainly been following your journey, a great one! I'm not too concerned with losing the DAC, I'm not a huge digital person and I do have a DAC I could use although that one does not play DSD files. I can connect my subs to the A21+ loop out, so again not too concerned with that, I also use SVS subs. So overall the trade off in what I lose I gain more with the JC2 BP is my guess.....I'm just in a waiting mode see what they do with the P8 if anything and then what the reviews on it come back. I am sure I would better prefer the JC2 BP.....We will see.
My whole system is so incredibly quiet now I really don't miss the HINT 6. Don't get me wrong, it is a great product at its price point. My guess is the P8 will have more inputs and somewhat better performance than the HINT 6, but its place in the product line will still be below the JC2 BP. You also have an A-21+ and I imagine this will also have better performance that the P8. One thing you neglected to mention is no headphone jack if that matters to you. But I am using the REC OUT loop to feed a Topping A90 Discrete Headphone amp. The headphone amp is amazing which is a plus. You need to mute the speakers while using headphones which is a bit of a minus.
Amen bro !!! I had the A 21 for a couple of years, with a P 7, saw a pristine C2300 for sale with several spare tubes for $4000, couldn’t resist. AMAZING. Hopefully the last preamp I’ll ever need. MIGHT delve into alternate amp(s) at some point but for now I’m very happy. If I do it’ll likely be also speaker upgrade time. The A 23 would have likely been enough for my room and needs, but I couldn’t resist the A 21’s charms. Got an open box unit after the + came out at substantial savings. It looks very sexy in the bottom of my rack.
