Aragon 8008bb/Mk. 2

Can't speak for that model specifically but guessing it sounds very similar to the previous Mondial owned I believe was the original company name

Good powerful amp that has a big sound. Can probably handle any speaker you're going to throw at it. Not the most neutral or refined amp but was a fun amp that has control if not a little too much. An example would be my big Pass doesn't sound like a big amp but has finese and gets out of the way. The Aragon is there and it lets you know. 

Find a smooth preamp not too revealing. The Araogn a little harsh when you open it up. 

Speakers. They love older Magnepans. Really opens them up. Avoid speakers with hot tweeters. 

The Aragon is a workhorse of an amp. If you don't have speakers that are power hungry you can find a Parasound Halo A23 that is more refined for probably the same money used.

AZ no but AQ yes. Hear plenty of positive comments and reviews on the AZ's. AQ makes fine cables but like a lot of the bigger name companies I feel their top tier stuff has gotten out of control on price and their entry and more affordable cables are ok but I think there's better value out there personally. 

I'd look at the Acostic Zen if those were my two options primarily because they seem to be getting a lot of press which I bet is because they're doing something right. 

A great cable line is Clear Day Cables. They're affordable and you have to spend much more to better them. They are fairly revealing so if your system is bright you may find they're too much. Their cables are not bright but they do reveal the rest of your system. 

If you are strongly looking at those two lines look at Kimber too. Kimber has a large line and their entry and affordable cables are very good value as well. 

I'm moving over to WyWires which are very good cables. I've not heard their Blue series but I bet they're very good for the money. I've gone to their Silver series which are much more than Clear Days but they are more refined. The get out of the way better and breath music and don't draw attention to themselves. The Clear Days are really good cables and I agree with other users that you have to spend 2-3X the money to outperform them. 

The Halo A21 is definitely a better amp than the Aragon. I have dragged my Clear Days to our local Parasound dealer and they work on the Halos very well. One of the salesperson was so blown away he now uses Clear Days at home. There's a group of guys that hang out at this shop and many are using Clear Days too. Paul of Clear Day only sells direct, so that's pretty cool an Audio Store is plugging his cables.

I use Kimber PK10 Golds and WyWires Silver PC's. The Kimber's are really good but the WyWires are more open. WyWires has really won we over. I have a pair of WyWires Silver speaker cables with Silver jumpers on the way; should have them any day. 

As far as other PC's go I've listened to the PS Audio's, Shunyatas, Synergistics, WireWorlds and Audio Quest in the $600 and less cords and the Kimber's were better IMO, and the WyWires is even better. Both are very good. The Kimber is very neutral, and just gets out of the way. At first it seems laid back compared to others but it's not; it just gets out of the way. The WyWires does the same, but has a little more size to the stage but what it offers over the Kimber is it has depth and a little more air... it just breathes a little more. I have not heard the JPS's but the Shunyatas didn't do much for me; maybe their pricier offering are much better.

What ARC preamp are you considering?

The LS17SE is a very nice preamp. If you're looking at a new Parasound A21 I'd suggest an older Pass X250 for about the same price. The A21 is a really nice amp but it doesn't compete with the Pass. No doubt the LS17SE and A21 will mate well but the LS17SE is such a better preamp. Reno HiFi doesn't show much of the older Pass they have on hand on their site. I'd check with them to see what they have before you make a decision. The LS17SE will definitely bring out the best the A21 has to offer. Definitely use balanced cables if that's what you end up with.