Parasound's New Halo Integrated

One of the trends in amplification this year is the large number of stereo integrated amplifiers with digital inputs. Among these, the Parasound Halo Integrated stands out for its impressive feature set. It is based on the successful P5 preamplifier that Art Dudley reviewed in April 2014. Indeed, it looks like a taller version of the P5 with two pairs of multiway speaker terminals added to the back panel and a front panel with a new sculpted Parasound logo, an illuminated volume control and nicely overall styling.

In addition, the entire digital input module has been re-engineered for higher performance. Somehow, Parasound has also managed to include a John Curl-designed 160Wpc power amp with a 40,000µF power supply filter and offer the whole package for $2500.

COMMENTS
xsipower's picture

The title of this article seems to imply that this is a new P7. Shouldn't the title rather be "Parasound's New Halo Integrated"?

xsipower

Arealistener's picture

There are a slew of new high-end integrated amplifiers on the market touting DSD and 24 bit digital processing. I guess I am getting along in years because I can remember the sound of proprietary twin 18 bit digital processing DACs in the Grand Integra AG-10 integrated amplifier. The sound of the AG-10 DACs is still superior to some of the best high-end digital to analog converters of today. That was the era in which the likes of Sony, Pioneer, Denon, Onkyo, Hitachi, McIntosh, Mark Levinson, Krell and many others were all competing for the very best sound at a price point unequalled by today's standard. Too many of today’s designers are relying on the technology (24 bit at 192khz sample rates or higher), instead of squeezing the optimum sound from the available technology of today. I would like to hear the Parasound Halo Integrated or its sibling the Halo CD-1 to see how they compare to high-end stereo of old.

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