Is the Rives Audio Parc an audiophile component

Yes, it truly is! I added it to my $80k (2 channel only) system with reservation. I had an 18dB peak at 42Hz and a 16dB peak at 63Hz. Buy the time I had enough tube traps to kill the boom I had deleted all the life from my music. I thought I was going to have to move or just live with it. Then, I read the article in TAS or Sterophile (I forget).

You can't tell that it is in the chain - really! I have Spectral/Wilson/MIT/VPI/Audio Research equip and it is very ruthless when it comes to bad sounding additions. I was amazed at how much clearer and more accurate the music became. Never mind the fact that it's way more fun to listen. Your head bobs, your feet tap - just like a live presentation.

Get it and try it. They have a 30 day return policy. I found takes about 2 weeks for break in but, that could have been the new interconnects as well.

Good luck, Greg

Adding to Greg's post, I have a friend who has a system including Dynaudio Evidence Masters, Levinson 33 monos and the Levinson 32 pre and top of the line digital. He can hear every change to a component, cable, power cord, you name it, in that system. He's been trying out a Parc, and is very seriously impressed--to his ears, there's only improvement, and it's sonically not present in the chain (save for the obvious equalization it does, of course). The biggest difference he's noticed is how much more open and transparent the lower midrange became once the bass peaks were attenuated; and this in a system that sounded pretty damn good to begin with. He's got me seriously considering trying one out in my system as well.

If you're going to do active room correction, look at the TacT RCS 2.2X, also recently review in TAS.