Parasound New Classic Range: Any owners here?

[raghupb]

Prelude:
So after a 13 year journey to build up my current rig, the thought of "different sound" has crept in.
It is not a case of full blown "upgrade-itis" yet, but it may very well turn out to be.
The trigger for this were chats with a couple of FMs who are looking for power amps.
In the process, they mentioned some names, some of which I have heard out earlier and some heard of in HFV and other review sites.
So in return, I suggested to them take a look at Parasound products. I had heard their high end products, oh well 20 years ago.
Was sufficiently impressed with their performance, but then I could only afford to do window shopping.
The Halo line is well spec'd, reviewed favorably and pretty much well respected.
They have John Curl's blessing and are expensive (something I cannot justify on a whim of "different sound").

Meat and bones part of this post:
Digging deeper, I found myself reading up about the New Classic line.
Seems like there has been a refresh in this range very recently. One of the products that caught my attention is model 200 Pre

Model NewClassic 200 Pre « Parasound

It is a DAC/Pre with a host of possibilities. And it is very low profile for the features crammed into it.
The real interest in this unit is to replace my current DAC/IA (in preamp mode) and keep the rest of the chain as is.
The chain is CC-Audio --> "Modi-2 Uber --> Marantz PM7001" --> Outlaw M2200 (monoblocks) --> KEF R300s
I will be able to re-purpose the "deleted" gear for more more effective someplace else.

Posted on "Amplifier" forum as there is also a cute little 90-Watter in the same range.
Summer birds are coming from US; can ask them to carry a couple of items.
Just don't know what

Anyone on the forum with experience or exposure to similar products from Parasound?
Would like to hear your views on it.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[prem]

I have owned the JC1 monoblocs almost a decade back. Excellent amp. If the new designs are trickle down technology of JC1, they should definitely be worth a look at

 

[raghupb]

I have owned the JC1 monoblocs almost a decade back. Excellent amp. If the new designs are trickle down technology of JC1, they should definitely be worth a look at

Thanks Prem.
As far as I know the NewClassic range are not JC designs. They may have some trickle.
The preamp I am looking at has the DAC section borrowed from an earlier Halo product.
While I am not in the market for power amp, this line has some neat models (at least on paper).

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[raghupb]

Update:
Bit the bullet and ordered Parasound NewClassic 200 Pre. It is yet another blind buy for me.
http://parasound.com/200_Pre.php
I am hoping that this unit will effectively integrate the 2-ch and movie/TV rigs.
Will post user impressions once the unit lands and starts playing in my setup.
Should come in the first week of July, 2019

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[drkrack]

Update:
Bit the bullet and ordered Parasound NewClassic 200 Pre. It is yet another blind buy for me.
http://parasound.com/200_Pre.php
I am hoping that this unit will effectively integrate the 2-ch and movie/TV rigs.
Will post user impressions once the unit lands and starts playing in my setup.
Should come in the first week of July, 2019

Cheers,
Raghu

Congratulations.. Eagerly waiting for your impressions.
The advantage with Parasound pre is, it gives an option for proper 2.1 setup, both digital /analog preamp and most of the usage scenarios very much taken care along with a decent on board DAC.

 

[rikhav]

Congrats Raghu
Did you purchase it from the India distributor of parasound?

 

[raghupb]

Congrats Raghu
Did you purchase it from the India distributor of parasound?

From US. A friend is coming down for summer break.
When I spoke to the local dealer in Bangalore, I felt the markup was high.
It is a light weight item and has universal voltage; so decided to get it from US.
US pricing is reasonable.
Cheers,
Raghu

 

[raghupb]

Congratulations.. Eagerly waiting for your impressions.
The advantage with Parasound pre is, it gives an option for proper 2.1 setup, both digital /analog preamp and most of the usage scenarios very much taken care along with a decent on board DAC.

What got my attention were:
HT bypass - can share the 2-ch chain effectively without switches (this was a grouse from family members)
Bass management - may actually try the sub to get 2.1 (have been unsuccessful in the past due to various limitations)
DAC - company claims it is a trickle down from Halo P5 (should be good enough for me; not really a DAC hound)
Utilities - tone/balance controls (I am a big fan of these), aux input (convenience to hookup a phone or something)
Others - MM/MC phono input; will it make me try vinyl? Who knows what the future holds

Check boxes are ticked; hoping it sings.
Cheers,
Raghu

 

[newlash09]

Hearty congratulations raghu

Welcome to the parasound club. Fondly hoping you love your new sound

Parasound make some of the best preamps around their price. And their flexibility is what keeps them apart from the crowd. Lots of functionality in any kit, ensures future proofing and longevity in my opinion.

Coming to the sub part. I tried integrating my concept 40 speakers with a small Qacoustics sub with the parasound halo. Youd have to tune a lot by ear on tracks you know well. I tried different high pass / low pass cut offs and different sub levels. I think I managed to nail it in the end. But it was a long drawn process as there was no Eq involved and I was sitting in a small bright untreated room with absolutely no absorption due to wooden and leather furniture. So it can be done eventually

Wishing you all the best

 

[sunand777]

Hi @newlash09 , usually ,what amps that you using for music listening?, in your signature i can see that a lots of integrated, power, pre amps and Dacs with preamp, ...total confused....

 

[newlash09]

Hi @newlash09 , usually ,what amps that you using for music listening?, in your signature i can see that a lots of integrated, power, pre amps and Dacs with preamp, ...total confused....

Haha..even Iam confused at the moment

Most of my stuff is not being used at the moment. Iam presently running just the krell through the pmc speakers. I got stuff for my experiment this time with bi amping, and subsequently triamping. So will post a clearer picture in my signature, once I've finalised what stays and what goes . Thanks for asking Sunanad

 

[raghupb]

Hearty congratulations raghu

Welcome to the parasound club. Fondly hoping you love your new sound

Parasound make some of the best preamps around their price. And their flexibility is what keeps them apart from the crowd. Lots of functionality in any kit, ensures future proofing and longevity in my opinion.

Coming to the sub part. I tried integrating my concept 40 speakers with a small Qacoustics sub with the parasound halo. Youd have to tune a lot by ear on tracks you know well. I tried different high pass / low pass cut offs and different sub levels. I think I managed to nail it in the end. But it was a long drawn process as there was no Eq involved and I was sitting in a small bright untreated room with absolutely no absorption due to wooden and leather furniture. So it can be done eventually

Wishing you all the best

Sub Integration for 2.1 is an experimental thing.
Will give it a spin; if it works good, if not no worries.
Cheers,
Raghu

 

[spaace]

Raghu what other preamps did you compare it with ? The emotiva xsp-1 seems much better specd from the numbers perspective ..of course its pure analog and does not come with a dac build in. Have you had a chance to audition any preamps ...?

Also for bass integration is a line out at 12db octave all thats required ? How does that compare with using a dedicated active crossover ?

When i was on the lookout for a preamp with a subout i rcvd advice that it would limit what i could do ....and obviously preamp with sub outs are far and few between and might hamper the upgradeability .....

Also going directly from dac seems to give a better clarity compared to having preamp in between ....

For all these reasons i have been personally trending towards a dac with volume control and 4 outputs if possible and adding an active crossover once the budget is available ...eg rmi adi 2 or a nuprime dac10

What does your readings say about all this ?

 

[raghupb]

@spaace
I chose Parasound NC 200pre as a blind buy. Had to pull the trigger now or wait another 6/12 months for US mule service
Very few reviews on the product so far; it is only 6 months into the market.
I have not given serious thought to the numbers/measurements. From a preamp perspective, it is just another run of the mill component
Neither have I considered a DAC/pre with volume and other control features.

My situation is very different from yours in the following areas (I guess):
- need HT bypass feature to simplify and combine AVR and 2-ch (space and ease of use issues)
- analog bass management, if I were to add a sub for music; really want to check how that full range summed L+R works
- if sub for music is added, there is a choice of directly using speaker out; but may not work in a single sub + monoblocks
So it is an evolving/confusing situation. Though I have completely moved to digital music format, not knowledgeable in DSP products.

Since you are local, may be we can hookup after the unit comes in and is settled in my rig.

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[spaace]

Thanks Raghu. Sure we could do that. I would be really interested to listen to how it sounds like in your setup, with and without it.

 

[raghupb]

The preamp landed at home today.
Hooked it up to the monoblocks and gave it a run.
I felt a definite upgrade from Schiit Modi + Marantz sound.
There is overall airiness and good control.
Tried opt and USB. USB sounds better.
Dac passes the ear test.

FM @MaSh was here for bit in the afternoon for a quick listen.
FM @anirudhchandrashekar was here later and tweaked the positioning and added my old sub into the chain.
Thanks for dropping by and helping out.

As it was a blind buy, was a bit apprehensive. Now I'm convinced it is a good upgrade.
More later ..

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[raghupb]

Some quick updates:
Played a variety of music genres at the new rig. New DAC/pre with sub addition.
Surprisingly, my wife sat down and listened to music after a long time.
She threw some really hard hitting numbers from bands like Rob Zombie, KoRn, Disturbed, etc last evening
Also piled up some western classical orchestra and violin solos. This morning she has been playing Carnatic and devotional.

Her verdict till now:
- sub makes a difference; good to have it (more on this in a bit)
- rock/metal is nice to sit and listen at sweet spot (loves the kick drum)
- western classical orchestra and solos sound small (she's given me a task to fix this)
- vocals on Carnatic and devotional are very good
- feels that the high frequencies have opened up quite well

Consensus is that DAC in the Parasound 200Pre is better sounding than Schiit Modi sound. Yet to do a A/B
DAC chip is Burr-Brown PCM 1798

Regarding the remote, got to give to the guys at Parasound for the convenience. It has:
- dedicated buttons for 3 analog, 3 digital sources and HT bypass
- volume up/down button with mute button in the middle
- has turn on volume and favorite volume setting
- sub on/off and level control when on (very thoughtful)
- left/right balance; bass and treble controls
- tone flat gets bass/treble to 0; does not affect sub level
- all controls are negated when in HT bypass
- back light on remote and front panel dimmer

Cheers,
Raghu

 

[newlash09]

Hearty congratulations Raghu

Very glad to hear that it proved to be a upgrade in the end. Happy for you and happy listening.

Please do keep us posted as you continue with your tweaks with the sub. I bet the sound will open up as you log more hours of usage

 

[lalit09]

Is outlaw shipping to India?

 

[raghupb]

Is outlaw shipping to India?

As far I know outlaw ships only within continental US
Many of their products are 110V only too.
FYI, I got my units 6 years ago when a friend was relocating back to India.
Cheers,
Raghu