2. amps-preamps
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Amp Preamp Advice

I am fairly new to the forum and perhaps someone has already had this discussion. If so, please forgive me.

I currently have a Parasound Halo A23 amp, Parasound New Classic 2100 preamp, Marantz 8006 CD player which can also be used for streaming, and Focal Aria 926 speakers. Overall, the system sounds pretty good. But are we ever really completely satisfied with the sound? I have been considering various options to improve the sound quality-more depth and clarity, bigger soundstage, etc. and wanted to see if I could get some advice before I make another purchase. Here are some of the options that I have considered:

1) Upgrade to a Parasound A21 amp which will increase the watts from 125 to 250 and the amperage from 45 to 60. If I go with this option, I will eventually upgrade the preamp, probably to a Parasound P6.
2) Upgrade the preamp to either a Parasound P6 when some are back in stock or to a Musical Fidelity or NAD C165BEE now. I would keep my current amp at least for now.
3) Gift my current amp and preamp to my son to start his first "real" stereo system and purchase an integrated amp which would replace both my amp and preamp at the same time. I know that there is a whole conversation to be had about which are better separates or integrated. But the integrated amps that I am considering are the Parasound Hint 6, the Musical Fidelity M5si and the Musical Fidelity M6si. In a way, I feel that the first two might be lateral moves from where I currently am although they would increase my wattage slightly and probably give me a better DAC than I currently have. The last one is probably more than I wanted to pay for an integrated at the moment, but I might could swing down the road.

What do the people say who probably know infinitely more about building a good sound system than I do? Or should I go with my last option and just be content with what I have? Thank you for your responses.
bcool57

Showing 1 response by hshifi

hshifi
572 posts
 
Hello,
MC is right. The raven is nice but it sounds like you want solid state not tubes. If you are ok with tubes I would say replace your preamp. The preamp is the signature sound, bar none. I like Rogue and PS Audio, but unless you buy used it’s out of your budget for the bigger models like the PS Audio BHK or the Rogue RP5. You have a strong amp you just need to get the finesse back which will NOT happen with the Hint6. Your whole budget should go to a preamp. You need to demo this in your home. I chased the watt dragon for years until I tried a new stereo preamp. It made all the difference in the world. You can run those speakers with a 2.5 watt Decware and it will sound amazing. A Rogue Sphinx v3 for $1599 would also sound amazing. Plus it has a nice phono stage. It’s about the preamp not the watts. If you are in the Chicagoland area this store lets you try stuff out in your home before you buy. https://holmaudio.com/
Add a couple of subs and you are done. 
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