Parasound vs. Bryston

According to John Curl, the designer of the Parasound amp in question, the HCA-3500 was "cut cornered" by the bean-counters. The parts that he spec'd for them to use were ignored and cheaper, more easily available pieces were substituted. Even with that being done, supposedly just changing two resistors will produce a completely new level of performance in these amps. I've been thinking of picking up one of these myself to play with, but i've got to get some other stuff straightened out first. As to the Bryston stuff, the 20 year warranty is AWESOME to say the least. After that, all that i can tell you is that you better listen first before buying. Sean
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I am currently using a 4B-ST with Paradigm Studio 100s, highly recommended and tough to beat that warranty to boot.

I had the Parasound 3500 in my setup for about a year with the same speakers, then decided to upgrade from Paradigms to B&W's, and after the speakers (CDM 9NT's) were burned in, there was a huge difference in the sound, with better, less sterile mids and much silkier highs, less grain in the top end. I agree with Treyhoss about the sterility, but IMHO it is due to the pairing of the amp with the Paradigms and not to the amp itself. It could also have to do with the speaker wire?
Anyway, in my current setup I find the Parasound to be very transparent with no sound of its own, very accurate.
Just my 0.02.
Good listening

After auditioning both the Parasound 3500 and the Bryston 4B-ST about a year ago, I bought the Bryston. It is an outstanding amp with first-class build quality, excellent power and soundstaging, and the unmatched 20-year transferrable warranty. Bryston also provides customer service that is the standard for the industry. If you decide to buy the Bryston, I suggest you contact Danny Oovlin at "Bestofdeal", who operates a clicks-and-mortar audio dealer in Santa Clara, CA. Danny offers excellent prices on Bryston equipment, and I found his service to be prompt and professional. The easiest way to reach Danny initially is by E-mail at: bestofdeal@aol.com. Send him a note with your phone number and he will call you back.

I have heard the Parasound and own a 4BST. IMO, the Bryston is better in every way I can think of.