Parasound or Rotel separates? (1 Viewer)

[Doug Z]

I'm looking to upgrade my current setup while trying to stay under $5K, I don't even want to go that high but seems like a good round number. I currently have a Denon 3300 and would like to possibly use as preamp or maybe go for the 2805 for the AL-24 processing along with the 2900 DVD player. Is the whole AL-24 setup with the denon really worth it over the separates or would I not need it? I will use the 2900 for the DVD regardless or wait for the 2910 but the question is whether to use the Denon as the preamp? I'm currently looking at the following separates; In the Rotel line the RMB-1075 (5ch)+ the RMB 1070 (2ch) with the possibility of the RSP-1068 as the preamp.
In the parasound line the HCA-1205A + the HCA 1000A or the HALO A52 + A23 with the remote possibility of the C2 preamp. Both sets are around the same power but is the HALO really worth the price increase. I know this is alot to consider but this list is much shorter than what I started with.

 

[Rachael B]

I have one of the 125 wpc Halo amps and it acts like a bigger amp. One of the big attractions to the Halo line is that it has balanced inputs, if you needed them. I think you should move to seperates if you can. I haven't seen the latest Rotel stuff since there's no longer a dealer here but it looks nice. I think Parasound is a bit better stuff but it costs more. I also own several Rotel power amps and I'm happy with them. For the money, they're a real value.

Audio Advisor has had B-stock Parasound stuff on sale this summer including the 2 Halo pre-pro's. You ought to take a look atleast for fun-see. I was tempted...

 

[Pamela]

I've had my Parasound Halo A52 for more than one year, now, and I'm very pleased with it. If I had to do it all over, however, I might have gone with the regular Parasound line. From doing a lot of reading, I have found that any performance increase doesn't equal the price increase. Even John Curl, answering posts on Audio Asylum. said there wasn't much difference in performance (except, of course, the JC-1 mono blocks).

 

[Drew_W]

Halo is more expensive than Rotel. You should go auditioning and see if you can differentiate between the two. Both are very solid brands, you can't go wrong with either.