Parasound Zphono: a very brief review

I have the Vincent PHO 8 in my system now. Both the Parasound and Vincent are sitting, side by side, and ready for review. I will post the results in a day or two. I'm not going to disclose the cartridges I'm using as they're no more or less relevant than the speakers I'm using, my interconnects, or the rest of my system. This is about the phono preamps, not my other gear. I will say that the cartridges are nice, world-class stuff and I will also be trying some good-sounding 'lower end' cartridges for comparison, both moving coil and moving magnet.

 

Can hardly wait for the results of the shoot-out!

Have fun!

 

Some impressions:

Vincent PHO 8: thick, liquid midrange but highs are unrefined and a little coarse while not being harsh. Unsophisticated, is what I keep thinking when I hear the PHO 8. Sometimes it doesn't even sound like analog and more like a cd player in that there is an unnatural, compressed quality to the sound that is probably intended to tame the brighter cartridges on the market. The PHO 8 is not unpleasant to listen to. Not even close. It's just that it has limited resolution and is definitely a 'first preamp', starter piece. The Zphono is a more serious piece of gear. The PHO 8 is also very noisy, contrary to claims by those who sell them.

Parasound Zphono: much more refined and natural than the Vincent. Doesn't have the thick, 'doctored', liquid midrange, but more dynamic and extended from top to bottom. It sounds more alive and more like music. Voices sound more like voices. Horns sound more like horns. Even though the PHO 8 is a little muted in the highs by comparison, the Vincent still calls more attention to the roughness in a worn record while the Parasound just focuses on making the music happen. The Parasound is more detailed, but not in aggressive way. Parasound has deeper bass. Sometimes there is a little stridency in horns with the Parasound that may be less so with the Vincent because the Vincent tends to thicken the midrange. I also hear a slight pinched quality to the upper mids at times. I'm not sure what that's about. Could be the recording or my speakers as the Parasound is more expressive and revealing. Also sometimes have the feeling that the mids and highs don't blend seamlessly with the bass, but this is, again, probably me hearing speaker or room issues. The Parasound has some noise/hum as well, but not as much as the Vincent.

Basically, I would say that the Parasound is the better of the two. It's more neutral, not that neutrality is the be all end all, but it's neutral in the sense that it gets out of the way more so than the Vincent and allows whatever is on the record to shine. Is it the perfect preamp? No. And to be truthful, I'm not sure I like either of them compared to the phono stage in the Conrad Johnson preamplifier I've been playing for a while. In another sense, they're all very, very good and it's hard to choose between them. Like everything else, there are strengths and weaknesses. Honestly, the Parasound sounds like it costs twice the price of the Vincent and not the other way around. I would say that the Zphono is the better value (This is the standard Zphono I'm testing, not the USB model. They claim to be identical, but I would be suspicious of that.). I think the Vincent is a poor value and should it be half the retail price that it is, it would be a more sensible purchase. It's still a decent and likable preamp, though.

Another minor complaint that might make a difference to some people is that the lights on the Vincent are very bright and can be pretty annoying when you're kicking back to listen to vinyl in low light.

If you have a very bright, mid-fi system, and just want something to kick around and listen to, then buy the Vincent. It does a decent job making vinyl sound smooth and listenable.

If you have a pleasing, well-balanced system with decent resolution and you really want to hear what's on your grooves, buy the Zphono. It has a big, bold, natural sound and doesn't hold back, though as I said before, I wish it were a touch more liquid and romantic sounding, but that's personal preference more than a fault in the gear.

Both preamps have issues related to the fact that they're inexpensive, solid state phono preamps though I can't tell you how much you would have to spend or what you would have to buy to do better. Part of the reason I even have these is because I never stop searching for the perfect phono pre. Haven't found it yet!

Budget phono score card (1-10 scale)

Vincent:
Highs 6
Mids 9
Lows 7
Resolution 5
Soundstage 7
Depth 5
Dynamics 4
Value 2
Voicing 8
Musicality 7

Zphono:
Highs 6
Mids 7
Lows 9
Resolution 9
Soundstage 8
Depth 7
Dynamics 10
Value 9
Voicing 7
Musicality 8

 

Wow! Thanks for the detailed write up! I didn't want to say anything before your review, but my local hifi guy is a Parasound dealer and much of what you say, from the detail to the dynamics, was confirmed by him. I am picking one up this week. I have a Musical Fidelity V-LPS II and a friend has the Cambridge 651; maybe I'll post my thoughts here so people can get a better idea if the Parasound is at the top of the sub $300 preamp category.

 

Thanks Ardenhifi for that wonderful comparison and review...most helpful indeed!

Dr. J., I think we'd all benefit from your comparison of the Parasound, the Musical Fidelity and the Cambridge.....please do post your impressions!

 

Absolutely. That would be great!

 

UPDATE: Having lived with the Zphono and for months and blowing through interconnects and cartridges trying to dial in the sound just right, I've concluded that in spite of the merits of the Zphono, it is a nasty sounding piece. The problem is an incurable edge in the upper midrange. I've been chasing this issue for a long time, not wanting to blame the Zphono, but after finally swapping out a Radio Shack battery powered phono preamplifier along with doing many, many A/B tests with cd, the problems with the Zphono are obvious. The Zphono, in it's stock form, is irritating and becomes fatiguing to listen to over the long term. When I say stock form, what I am referring to are the disgustingly cheap, garbage op amps they use. I am not sure why they do this, considering with a $20-30 parts upgrade per unit, they could transform the machine into twice the preamp that it already is in addition to smoothing out the harshness. In brief, I've just spent the last week playing with various op amps, including the famous OPA627, which wasn't the best in this machine, though not bad either. I am still exploring, but thus far I have come to a resting point with two devices. Believe me when I say that changing op amps will COMPLETELY TRANSFORM this unit. All of these op amps that I tired successfully eliminated the harshness. The best two thus far are:

AD8597 - choose this op amp if you want extraordinary detail, depth of soundstage, pinpoint image location, incredible pulse, rhythmic drive, and amazingly natural tonal color and richness. This op amp sounds very analog and is therefore comes across as smooth and uncannily 'right'. However, it is open sounding. It's not bright, it's just transforms the Zphono into an extremely high resolution phono preamp that sounds much more expensive and sophisticated than it actually is and you therefore hear exactly what's on the recording, for better or for worse. The AD8597 is full, natural, clean, and balanced from top to bottom.

OPA604 - choose this op amp if you want to darken the Zphono significantly or you need help in taming brightness elsewhere in the system. It's not going to fix the problem, but it will help. Compared to the AD8597, this op amp is lo-rez and a bit grainy. It highlights the overall performance vs the individual details, voices, and instruments that make up the performance. It does not have the resolution nor quite the bass slam. It is, however, warm and easy to listen to, though it tends to place a gauze over the sound field making things sometimes sound artificial if you pay close attention. Think "MOSFET mist". It's possible that the midrange of the OPA604 may be a little thicker than the AD8597. The OPA604 is very 'just listen and enjoy' musical while the AD8597 draws you into the inner workings of the performance. Because of the fact that a great many lps tend to sound thin and bright, I may end up preferring the OPA604. It just comes down to personal choice: hazy warmth and musicality vs naturalness, extension, and resolution.

If you do end up modifying your Zphono with one of these two devices and vinyl bliss results, you are welcome to say "thank you" as I put about 30-40 hours of research into this, none of which I was paid for, and all of which I have just given you for free.

If you would like me to perform this work on your Zphono, I may be willing to do it, but it's not going to be cheap because it's a bit of a pain. You're better off doing it yourself if you're willing to do some finely detailed soldering work. Each of these op amps will run you about $20-30 per pair, which is nothing. Good luck!

 

[QUOTE UPDATE: Having lived with the Zphono and for months and blowing through interconnects and cartridges trying to dial in the sound just right, I've concluded that in spite of the merits of the Zphono, it is a nasty sounding piece. The problem is an incurable edge in the upper midrange.][/QUOTE]

It was in part your original favorable review that made me check out the Zphono in the first place. I was able to trade in some speakers to my dealer, which got me the unit for around $100, so I'm not complaining. I agree somewhat with your final analysis, but just wish it had been your first analysis, and maybe I wouldn't now be getting the upgrade bug. Lesson learned. I can solder but not fine soldering that op amps require. So I'm stuck with it as is.

That said, I hardly would say the Zphono is "nasty sounding piece." I feel my system is a little dark in the midrange so the extra transparency isn't a bad thing for me. It has a lot of punch to it and the extra gain serves me well since I am only using 3.5w SET amp for my amplification. I have the original Musical Fidelity V-LPS and prefer the Zphono.

 

The lesson is to not put your faith in user reviews. They are for entertainment purposes only. Use them as a loose guide, but whenever I'm reading reviews on a particular item, I read many, many of them and see if I observe patterns before I start to trust the commentary. In any case, perhaps calling the Parasound "nasty" was not what I meant. The stock op amp is nasty. It injects nastiness into the sound that isn't really part of the Zphono itself. It's the op amp. The Zphono is still better than most of the budget phono preamps I've ever heard and it can be awesome and deserving of all my original praise if you just change the op amp. Sorry I didn't catch the edge in the beginning. I made a mistake. That's why I went out of my way to update the thread. Because I care about you guys on this forum and I want you to be happy with the way your music sounds.

 

Thanks for admitting that! If I get courageous, I may PM you for some help or guidance on changing the op amps.

 

I will help you. Send me a PM.

 

Dr. J., I'm sitting here with a Vincent PHO 700, which is a beautiful sounding piece, that is loaded with a vintage Brimar 12AU7 side by side the Parasound Zphono with AD8597 installed and the Zphono is holding it's own, and in some ways bettering, a tube phono preamp that cost three times the price. Zphono is a little more open sounding with just a slight solid state coldness, but more natural, more tonal accuracy and realism (and I'm not talking about 'air' and 'artificial detail') with better imaging and cleaner, more focused sound, otherwise tonal balance is very comparable. The Vincent has significantly more bass and is fuller, but it's also much grainier. I think I prefer the PHO 700 because I like a dark, warm, full sound and the bass sucks me in, but I can also imagine that the PHO 700 would get on my nerves because it doesn't sound as 'real' as the Zphono/AD8597. In fact, the PHO 700 started to do just that as I was listening. The point I'm trying to make is that we need to get your op amps changed. You won't believe the difference. What I would like to buy for myself is a PHO 700 and change the op amps in that one and compare, but that purchase is going to have to wait for now. On the other hand, I believe that the modified Zphono may well be the finest phono preamp on this side of $500. Wish I still had the PHO 8 here to tear apart.

 

Correction: the PHO 700 has a bit more bass (loose and boomy, that is), but fullness elsewhere is about the same between the two, I think. The Vincent is smoother on top and a little more lush and easy to listen to, but this is all splitting hairs. The similarity of the Zphono performance-wise is an embarrassment to the PHO 700 considering it's price tag.

 

UPDATE: the PHO 700 is basically a solid state phono preamp with a tube buffer. I opened it up and they're using OPA37GP for the input. That's a very old op amp from 1984. I'm going to order a pair of those at $3.50 each and try them in the Zphono.

 

UPDATE: been listening to the PHO 700 for hours. Absolutely ZERO fatigue. Just switched back to the modified Parasound. I can no longer say that the PHO 700 has more bass. I think what it is is that the PHO 700 is not as open and extended, and therefore creates the illusion of more bass. The Zphono actually has superior slam and bass definition. They're obviously so close in this department that I can't decide. Here's another thing I can tell you: the PHO 700 makes me want to turn up the music. The Zphono makes me want to turn it down. Again, this is probably a tonal balance thing, but it is what it is. I'm going to switch back to the darker, OPA604 and do some more listening. Will report back. Parasound is definitely no slouch though. I am seriously having a hard time deciding which of these I think is the superior machine.

 

Unless I'm mistaken a phono stage should have no sound, it shouldn't be exciting or dull, it has one and only one purpose and that is to accurately apply RIAA decoding to the signal fed from the preamp and pass that decoded signal on to the preamp. Anything else and there is a problem with the phono stage coloring the signal. If you are using a phono state for a tone control rather than what is was made for you are using it incorrectly.

 

Unfortunately, it's a difficult circuit to tackle due the small voltages involved and the way the RIAA EQ is applied. Small errors due to variance in components can end up effecting multiple octaves of music.

 

You're mistaken. Everything in the signal path effects the sound. All components color the signal to one degree or another. And why would be using something as a tone control aka because you like the affect it has on the sound be "incorrectly"?

 

This is amusing...I emailed Vincent UK to inquire about the input capacitance of the PHO 700 and received this response:

"Hello

Thank you for your e-mail regarding our best selling hybrid phono stage PHO-700.

I forward your question to the chef engineer in Germany hopefully to have the answer the latest by Tuesday.

Audio Consultant

Kyri

Vincent Shop Uk & Classic Hi-Fi"


It would seem that these people are a Chinese company masquerading as a British company with some mysterious, thus far unnamed, German engineer, who is also a cook (chef), guiding the process. I don't care who makes the preamp as long as it sounds good, but I still think it's pretty funny. My reply:

"非常感谢你"

 

No you're mistaken, the purpose of the phono stage is to pass, unencumbered by it's own colorations the decoded signal from the turntable/cartridge system. It should have no sound of it's own and if it does it is broken.

 

I'm sorry we've been doing this since the mid-50s. There is no mystery involved, it is a straight and simple task that has been well known and dealt with for years. It isn't something new, it isn't some deep task that only adepts can accomplish. If it the signal from the phono stage isn't the correct EQed signal from the cartridge/turntable then it isn't working correctly.

 

Ah, I see. All phono stages sound the same. Thank you for clarifying. Looks like every one I've ever owned has been broken. That's amazing! Who knew?



Perhaps the moderators would be so kind as to delete this entire thread...

 

He obviously knows so much more than the rest of us.

 

Did I just see the "bits are bits" argument in an analog thread? So there is no mention, whatsoever, of how the cartridge and phono preamp work together, electrically? They all just magically mate together in perfect harmony?

Guess I could have saved a lot of money and just used that phono preamp from my old Yamaha stereo receiver - you know the one from the 90's where they really had phono preamps down pat in $100 stereo receivers. Maybe 2 decades of non-use "broke it" and that's why it sounded so dead and lifeless compared to a decent phono preamp.

 

Just got a Vicent preamp, and the Pho 700, 2 weeks ago just waiting for my Clearaudio bluemotion to show up, the Pho 700 paired with the Vincent Preamp sound great with my Technics can't wait for my Bluemotion to show up. The Pho 700 is by far an improvement over any I have had before.