ByeBye Rotel ~ Hello Parasound

[MickeyVee]

Well, almost.. to make a long story short..

My Rotel RSX-1067 cacked out on me last week (when I took it in for repair, they thought it was the power supply.. no biggie). The good thing is that I got it in the spring of 2003 and found out that it had a 5 year warranty. Good news.

So, I decided to try the new Rotel RSX-1560 receiver. After a week of playing, the class D amps are nice, run cool but got the same sound as the Class A/B with a little tighter bass. Also, the firmware is a little buggy on the HDMI side so my setup went all HDI to the TV with the Rotel doing the sound processing. In the end it was the same as my RSX-1067. I'm sure that they will workout their firmware problems but at best, it would be a sideways move.

Took it back today and we discussed options. The place had one last Parasound C2 Controller that he was practically giving (less than half his cost) away and gave me a great price on a Parasound A52 amp. Wow I though, this should really blow me away. Got home, looked at the sheer size of the amp and guess what, it doesn't fit in my cabinet. Oh well.

The long and short of it is that I think I got an amazing processor in the C2 and will end up with the new Rotel 5x100 Class D amp. (They will order it on Monday). If the amp is anything like to 1560, I know I will be happy with the way it drives the Logans. I'm hoping the Parasound Controller will make the difference in the setup and that I will have appreciably better sound on the 2 channel side. All in all, the C2 and Rotel RMB-1565 combo came in a about $100 more than the a/v/receiver.

Anyone have any experience with the Parasound C2? Would like to hear some opinions.

 

[gregadd]

Ouch!

Spring of 2004
Spring 0f 2005
Spring of 2006
Spring of 2007
Spring of 2008
I so hope I missed something.
Gregadd

 

[DTB300]

I thought Parasound quit doing any updates or enhancements to the C2? Make sure it fits all your needs and codecs you want to use.

 

[DrJRapp]

I thought Parasound quit doing any updates or enhancements to the C2? Make sure it fits all your needs and codecs you want to use.

Probably all he really needs to do is buy a top notch Bluray player that decodes everything and has 7.1 analog output.

 

[MickeyVee]

Yes.. I understand some of the limitations and yes, I'll be looking at the Oppo BRD when it comes out and run the analog outs to the C2. The PS3 gives me Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 via Optical which is OK for now. So this covers off all of my needs for now (and covers pretty much what I'm used to with the Rotel AVR)

The big thing I'm after is 2 channel sound quality. I've always been happy with the video/processing side.

 

[Brian Walsh]

As a Parasound Halo dealer I can fill you all in. The C 2 AV controller, as well as the C 1, have been discontinued. The C 3 AV controller will be introduced this summer, I believe, and has several new features, notably HDMI compatibility. I have been in touch with Parasound president Richard Schram as we have been discussing his visit to Chicago next month, when I am pretty sure (but can't guarantee) he will be showing a finished pre-production C 3. Anyone interested in further information can contact me offline.

 

[MickeyVee]

I hooked up the Parasound A52 amp this morning just to give it a try. I have to say that out of the box with no break in it's pretty nice. It seems richer, fuller and more dynamic than I'm used to and gone is the Rotel mid/high sharpness that plagued me.. much smoother with the Parasound.

If I decide to keep it, it's just a matter of cutting out some of the back of my cabinet so I can push the amp back enough to close the door.

Spent the last couple of hours running through a bunch of my favorite CD's and am now watching Phantom of the Opera on Blu-Ray. Even in normal Dolby Digital, it's pretty awesome.
I'll give it a few more days but I think it's a keeper.

 

[lhpcope]

I have two of the Parasound A23s that I'm biamping My Prodigies with, and I'm very happy with them. The're very musical and articulate. :music: The only problem that I've had was the left volume pot on both amps became intermentent. The factory fixed both with no problems and quick turnaround. Good customer service. :rocker:

 

[MickeyVee]

Funny you should mention the A23..

I have decided on my final configuration. I am going with the Rotel 1560 for the technology upgrade (HDMI, HD audio decoding and cable simplification mostly) and the dealer has a display A23 at a good price which I will also be picking up.

Using CD or iTunes through the PSA DAC as the source, the Rotel in bypass mode with the A23 driving the Clarity's, it should be pretty good.
I have always been happy with mys system for movies and will now have full BluRay sound decoding.

Also, Jim Smith's 'Get Better Sound' just arrived a few days ago.. man, am I doing everything wrong.. lots of experimenting to do over the next little while.