Rives PARC parametric equalizer

I have been using a PARC for well over a year now. Certainly the PARC improves the bass and I prefer less bass bass attenuation then the Bare software recommends. In my system the midrange and treble sounded slightly flattened (2D) and less lucid when processed by the PARC. But I like what it does for the bass.

My speakers support passive biamping and the bass section crosses at over around 300 Hz. So, I ended up biamping with the PARC between the preamp and the bass amp. The preamp signal sent for the midrange and treble amp does not pass through the PARC. I find the midrange and treble sound better this way versus biwiring or using jumpers on the speakers.

Certainly there may be some advantage to biamping and also avoiding processing the midrange and treble through a second set of cables and additional connectors.

Bob

Bob,

Biamping should certainly give you huge improvment in clarity in the mid range, as you will reduce interaction from the crossovers and drivers being in one shared complex hard to drive circuit (read much easier load for each amp and way lower IMD, which is very audible)

=> I am not sure this improvement has necessarily a lot to do with the PARC however...surely it should be transparent in the mid and treble range...whereever it is placed?

Shadorne, in my system and to my ears, the PARC is not transparent in the mid and treble as some reputable magazines have claimed. In addition, in my system, it takes some life out of the sound. However, I must hasten to add that using good quality power cord and i.c. to feed the PARC will reduce the gaps to a subtle level. The PC i use on the PARC costs the same as the PARC (isn't it ridiculous?) but it does help to put most of the life back into the sound again. Before that i used a much humbler PC, and the sound was dissaponting.

Shardone

Passive biamping of my speakers does offer a slight improvement in dynamics (mostly in the bass) and imaging. I am told that using an active crossover would have a more profound effect. This setup allows me to bypass the PARC for the midrange and treble and preserve the dimensionality and lucidity that I believe the PARC slightly messes with.

In the biwire configuration without the PARC, the dynamics and overall imaging are not quite as good but I did not experience the 2D effect and loss of lucidity in the midrange and treble.

When using a full range signal from the PARC, I agree that the effects of different PCs can be heard. At 300 Hz and below, PC choice is less critical in my system.

If the PARC was the ultimate solution, there would be little market for acoustically designed listening rooms. The cost of such a room could easily exceed the cost of an additional amp, cables and crossover.

Have either of you tried the PARC set flat and compared it with the bypass function?

Of course, if you have dirty power then adding any powered device may add complications. My experience is that digital devices seem most sensitive to power...