kamran said:
Hmm, Thats interesting cause from reviews Parasound does seem to stand above all you mentioned including arcam, outlaw and B&K. I have heard good things about outlaw and B&K but didn't think they were better than Parasound.
I listened to Arcam side by side with Rotel at comparable specs on ML Vantage and found arcam to be dull and lacks bass. That is why I ruled it out.
All I can question here is the source and settings. Because the Vantage has its own amp for the woofer. You shouldn't have heard the difference you claim to have heard. My guess is the Arcam Pre-Pro was incorrectly set up.
The Arcam should have sounded very articulate not dull. There should not have been a bass issue because again the Vantage powers the woofer itself.
This leads me to believe the Dealer you visited isn't good at properly demonstrating equipment. Which in the high end field is tough.
I've been around a lot of amps, and I've never been a fan of Parasound. It isn't that I don't think they're good, because I do. It's just that at their price points I can always find better. It is like BAT and Boulder, I love their sounds. However I'd rather have a great amp and a nice car. So I don't have an over the top outragiously priced slightly better than great amp.
Bryston amps last forever, but I've never been all that impressed with their sound. I also know that reviews mean very little. I know too many professional reviewers and magazine editors. I know Reviews get bought and get edited after Manufacturer feedback. Unfortunately their adverts still pay the bills. So in a review you have to look for what they don't say. Which is tricky.
I trust my ears, but I don't trust very many Dealers to have things set up the way I do. After hearing your experience with the Vantage/Rotel/Arcam situation it justifies that feeling. There should have been no reason for a lack of bass, unless it wasn't set up correctly.
The Outlaw amp definately doesn't lack in Bass. It is one of the most powerful clean sounding amps out there. For its price it really has little to no competition.
If you go Outlaw Separates you get 3 benefits: 1. Great amp, you won't be replacing it. 2. Good Pre-Pro at a stunning price (about $1k), that will allow you to benefit from current technology, but also not be such a major investment that when DTS-True HD, etc. become mainstream in Pre-Pros it doesn't hurt your wallet so much to replace it. 3. You have money for that Audio Research Tube Amp.... which shines with Martin Logan.
I would suggest if you continue to go out and listen to different amps, that you don't use the Vantage or Summit as the speaker. Have them hook up the Vista, which needs the woofer to be powered. That will give you a much better idea on the sound.
Also have them go thru the menu setup with you so you can see bass settings, etc. For all we know that Arcam unit was setup for "small speakers," or something just as silly.
If you're interested in Aragon, contact Martin Logan and ask to speak to Paul Rosenberg. He created Aragon, and has very good knowledge about amps. He can tell you which models to search for and where. He is a very good guy too. Aragon was sold to Klipsch. Paul was hired by Martin Logan. So you can find out a lot by talking to Paul.
The ULTIMATE reason. Keeping the spouse happy. Some might say the most important "component" to any home audio/theatre system.
