Hello 213runnin,
Ah, the Parasound P5 preamp sure brings back memories. I used one in my system for a few months as a temporary dealer loaner, while my VTL preamp was in the shop for a manufacturer’s internal upgrade. Overall, my reaction was the same as yours, a Big Sigh!
I would describe it as awkward and annoying. Its presentation,was neutral but in the worst connotations of that word. It oddly made all the recorded music played through it sound neutral, like all the life, beauty and soul of the music had all been sucked out of it rather than letting it flow through unaltered and sounding naturally as good as the music and recording allowed.
Here are a few other annoying and awkward qualities that I noticed about this preamp:
- While it had an attractive appearance, the component’s chassis seemed strangely to be about 50% larger than it needed to be.
- It had interesting and effective bass management controls but they were all awkwardly, inconveniently and annoyingly located on the rear panel of the unit.
- Apparently the remote was designed and made in Russia around the 1930s, based on its bulk, cheapness and lack of useful features
Other than the exceptions noted above, I really enjoyed my brief time with this preamp. I’m just grateful that I spent no money on this preamp, it’s gone forever and that you so thoughtfully and kindly reminded me of my experiences with it.
Tim
Ah, the Parasound P5 preamp sure brings back memories. I used one in my system for a few months as a temporary dealer loaner, while my VTL preamp was in the shop for a manufacturer’s internal upgrade. Overall, my reaction was the same as yours, a Big Sigh!
I would describe it as awkward and annoying. Its presentation,was neutral but in the worst connotations of that word. It oddly made all the recorded music played through it sound neutral, like all the life, beauty and soul of the music had all been sucked out of it rather than letting it flow through unaltered and sounding naturally as good as the music and recording allowed.
Here are a few other annoying and awkward qualities that I noticed about this preamp:
- While it had an attractive appearance, the component’s chassis seemed strangely to be about 50% larger than it needed to be.
- It had interesting and effective bass management controls but they were all awkwardly, inconveniently and annoyingly located on the rear panel of the unit.
- Apparently the remote was designed and made in Russia around the 1930s, based on its bulk, cheapness and lack of useful features
Other than the exceptions noted above, I really enjoyed my brief time with this preamp. I’m just grateful that I spent no money on this preamp, it’s gone forever and that you so thoughtfully and kindly reminded me of my experiences with it.
Tim