Accuphase Vs Parasound

Have you considered any of the Class-D Hypex Ncore or ICEpower monoblocks? Apparently these have come a long way with sound quality and handle more difficult loads well.

There are many good Class-D options to consider today ... some with huge price tags. I am considering the PS Audio Stellar M700. This seems to be getting rave reviews for sound quality, provides plenty of headroom, runs cool and can be had for a reasonable price.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/ps-audio-stellar-m700-monoblock-power-amplifier

https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/1138-ps-audio-stellar-m700-mono-power-amp...

http://v2.stereotimes.com/post/ps-audio-stellar-m700-mono-amplifiers/

For a Network Streamer + Preamp combo take a look at the new NAD c658 which is expected to ship this month. It has reasonable specs and features for a decent price.

https://nadelectronics.com/nad-announces-versatile-c-658-bluos-streaming-dac/

The Naim separate streamer + DAC + integrated will be on another league of sonic quality and musicality than the Parasound. Naim is much superior sounding than the Parasound. The Parasound will have more power.

dont forget about luxman

Hey guys! Thanks for all the feedback. 

I'm now deciding between:

A) Parasound Hint 6 or Parasound P6 pre and perhaps A21 / A21+

B) Naim DAC + Naim NAC 282 + NAP 250.2 (used)

Do share your thoughts on the differences between these 2 set ups. Much appreciated. 

Thanks! 

at 85 db efficiency, you shouldn't consider any amplifier less than 100 watts into 8 ohms. You should also look at the impedance curve of your speakers and ask how well the amplifier performs at the lowest impedance of the speaker. The Anthem STR integrated amp is quite compelling at $4500, especially with its built in room correction capability for bass. The negative of course is if you already have a good preamp... the room correction option requires you to use their preamp section
https://www.anthemav.com/products-current/model=str-integrated-amplifier/page=overview

This is the response I got from parasound on the preamp

"the P6 and the HINT 6 preamp sections are the same. As you recall, this was not the case with the P5 and the Halo INTegrated." 

@erik_squires - that's interesting that they would say that.  Based on pictures, it doesn't look like the preamp boards in the new HINT 6 are any different that what is placed in the normal P5/P6.  I suppose the preamp section would be better because it's fed by a linear power supply from that big transformer instead of the normal switching power supply in the P5/P6, unless Parasound decided to move to linear power supply on the P6.  There is additional circuits for the resistor-ladder volume control, of course.  However, the P6 weight is exactly the same as P5 weight, so I find it unlikely.
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The Zdac also has a full linear power supply, so it also makes sense that it would sound good, and probably better than the DAC/preamp in the P5/P6.

isn’t the DAC on the P6 the same as the one on the parasound integrated?

According to the president, no. In an e-mail to me he wrote that the P6 DAC was there for convenience, but he was quite proud of the DAC in the integrated. I haven’t looked at them close up though.

I will say, kind of related, the Parasound ZDAC is a very nice performer for price. :)

Best,
E

The HINT 6 integrated is basically the P6 preamp combined with the A23 amp boards plus a larger transformer.  That's why the power output is higher than A23.  The same goes for the original HINT and P5.  However, Parasound has made some changes for the P6 that include a new DAC chip (Sabre) and things such as updated volume stage and improved USB input.

Thanks everyone for your responses. 

@erik_squires isn't the DAC on the P6 the same as the one on the parasound integrated? 

I am a big fan of Parasound, and the amp is a great starting point. I think you'd be pleasantly surprised.

The P6 however is not all that either as a pre or DAC. The P7 is a much better Pre, and the Parasound integrated has a better DAC.

Best,
E

I agree with Andrew Jones.

I would recommend the Accuphase E 470 or the other less expensive class A/B integrated amps in that series for these speakers. The previous generation of Accuphase would be ok also.

Sometimes it pays to wait for the best. 

I agree with the people who've said the Accuphase is in a different class altogether than the Parasound, I've listened to lots of models of both manufacturers and found they are both excellent choices at their price points.
I bought a pre-owned Yamaha A-S1000 for my future son-in-law, and that high-end Yamaha equipment is very very good as well.

The Parasound Halo line is very very good equipment.  My JC1's go toe to toe with the best of the best.

Just get the Parasound JC5 and get a separate preamp

Oh shoot, I did not catch that.  If you are using ELAC speakers (which sound excellent, but are very inefficient), you need serious amounts of power.  Yeah, go with the Parasound Integrated.

adn_abdat

Also have a look at the new John Curl designed Parasound Hint 6 Halo Integrated, being Bi-polar and not mosfet like the E-560 it should be able to drive nastier speaker impedance loads should you ever need it.
And as a big bonus, it has a ESS Sabre32 Reference DAC (ES9018K2M inside it, got  a love that.
http://www.parasound.com/hint6.php

Cheers George

I had been using Accuphase DG28 digital equalizer for room correction for 18 years with no problem at all.

Thus I agree with other people that Accuphase makes excellent product.



But tube amplifier makes speaker sound alive.

I had been happily using Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum 2 for 5 years.

https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis96cjc-rogue-audio-cronus-magnum-2-tube

I have nothing to do with above listing.

But that appears to be almost new and good value to me with additional tube valued 100$ at least

100W tube power will be enough to drive your speaker.

I'm pretty convinced that accuphase is in a different league when compared to parasound. And so I emailed ELAC asking this question as I was concerned that the pure class A amp rated at 30W of the E-560 wasn't going to be sufficient. Here's the reply from Andrew Jones:
"The accuphase is way underpowered. Go with the Parasound." 

If you want to do yourself a favor before you spend your money, see if you can get some dealer to play a recording with which you're familiar through the Parasound Halo, then have him take the signal from the Halo's pre-out connections and feed them into a McIntosh or some other such amp, and power the same speakers through the same speaker cables.  When I did that, it was unmistakably clear that the Halo's preamp section was good, but the amp section was not worth listening to.

No comparison. Apple and oranges.

adn_abdat

Corrected.

and_abdat

Yamaha does make a very fine integrated amp in their A-S series as above.  Happy Listening!

Thanks so much for all your feedback. Yes from what I've been reading, Accuphase is a superb amp. And the one I'm considering E-560 is a pure class A amp rated at 30W. I've been toying around with an SPL meter app to check the loudness of my listening levels. Want to know if 30W amp is going to be sufficient. To my surprise, the loudest I normally listen to is about 80dB. Unless this app is not accurate. 

I borrowed a yamaha a-s2100 from the dealer for about a week. At that time my Adantes were still new so I wasn't really able to get a proper assessment as I was still unfamiliar with the sound. 

Accuphase is excellent - However you already have Yamaha so take a look at their A-S series integrated amplifiers,  excellent sounding machines.

Good Listening

Peter 

The Accuphase is engineered much better - discrete analog stages, fully balanced throughout, etc, etc.  Much better part components.  However, it is full Class A into 30 watts.
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Parasound INT is a jack-of-all-trades integrated that has every single feature you could think (phono input, bass management crossover, DAC, etc.).  It is Class A/AB, with a Class A bias somewhere in the 5-8 watt range.  It probably has more power than the Accuphase, but lower sound quality preamp for sure.  Parasound is going to be warm sounding as well, so it's difficult to tell which would "sound better" or "have more resolution".  I would probably hedge my bets on the Accuphase, unless you did not want such a heavy weight into the Class A sound.

Counterpoint being the Parasound is a much more modern amplifier and its possibly also class A/B. They'll sound very different. 

Accuphase is a whole different level of audio equipment.  They are built to last forever and use the best parts inside.  Parasound is good for the money but in no way is it in Accuphase league.