Parasound Halo Integrated Silver - Awesome performance!

Excellent Parasound Integrated Amplifier - Silver.  The sound quality of this integrated is way beyond its price point. The DAC is top quality as well as the phono input. Highly recommend!! Info from Parasound listed below. $25 shipping in the 48 states and I pay the Paypal fee! Check my feedback. Box, remote and manual included. 

• Frequency Response: 10 Hz - 100 kHz, +0/-3 dB


• Total Harmonic Distortion: < 0.01 %


• Power Output RMS, All Channels Driven (20 Hz - 20 kHz): 160 watts x 2 @ 8 ohms; 240 watts x 2 @ 4 ohms


• 45 amps of current per channel


• Input Impedance: Unbalanced: 24k ohms; Balanced: 100k ohms per leg


• Output Impedance: Unbalanced: 100 ohms; Balanced: 470 ohms per leg


• Hi & Low Pass Crossover Slope: 12 dB / Oct


• XLR Pin Identification: 1 = Ground (Shield), 2 = Positive, 3 = Negative (Return)


• Power Requirements: Standby: 0.5 Watts; Power On: 70 Watts; Maximum: 750 Watts; 110-130 VAC 60 Hz or 220-260 VAC 50 Hz (AC mains voltage is set on rear panel)


• Dimensions: 17-1/4" wide, 5-7/8" high with feet (5-1/4" high without feet), 16" deep


• Weight: 33 lb.

REVIEWS

"It Stuck Close to the Facts

"Throughout my listening for this review, the Halo Integrated played with generous measures of the aforementioned neutrality… which made it easy to hear the sonic qualities of every associated component I used with it," notes Herb Reichert in the November 2015 issue of Stereophile.

According to Herb Reichert, "The Halo played tunes and sang songs as if it mattered. It stuck close to the facts. It was never boring. It frequently enhanced my feelings of devotion and mindfulness." 

"Pretty much anything you pump through the Halo Integrated's speaker outputs sounds downright sumptuous," raves HomeTheaterReview.com, which honored the Halo Integrated with a Best of 2015 Award. 

"Superb Sound"

"The Parasound Halo Integrated stands out for its impressive feature set," reports Kalman Rubinson in his Stereophile.com CES post on January 11, 2015. "The entire digital input module has been re-engineered for higher performance. Somehow, Parasound has also managed to include a John Curl-designed 160Wpc power amp with a 40,000µF power supply filter and offer the whole package for $2500." 

"Full bass management is a rarely found feature in stereo integrated amps, but the Parasound Halo has it, along with superb sound," notes Steve Guttenberg, The Audiophiliac, CNET.com, June 13, 2015. "Really dynamic recordings, like Antonio Sanchez' drums solos on the 'Birdman' soundtrack amply demonstrated the Halo Integrated's muscle." 

"At the Top of My List"

"If I were looking for an integrated amp to put together an ultimate budget system, the Parasound Halo Integrated would be at the top of my list," writes John Kanno in a SoundStage! CES post, January 9, 2015. 

"What Parasound is offering on the digital front is very impressive and shows that Parasound is serious about making the Halo Integrated a force to be reckoned with when it comes to high resolution digital audio," reports Theo Nicolakis, Audioholics.com, April 2, 2015. 

"Recommended! Superlative and affordable. In the price range… this is the amplifier that currently reigns, and I have difficulty seeing any other integrated amplifiers, or for that matter preamp and power amplifier combinations which can deliver the same capabilities and the same sound," notes Håvard Holmeval in Norway's Stereo magazine, February 2015

An Underpriced Masterpiece

"Creating the Halo Integrated amp required Parasound to virtually redefine what a modern integrated amp should be. It was a given that its sound quality had to match our acclaimed Halo separates. Thus, its 2.1 channel analog preamp stage with its unprecedented feature set is taken verbatim from our popular P 5," reports Richard Schram, founder and president of Parasound. "Its power amp stage employs the same John Curl circuit topology and high current design that has made our A 23 and A 21 power amps perennial favorites." 

"We went to great lengths to eliminate power supply contamination that com­promises audio purity in some of the most expensive high power integrated amps. Newly released parts enabled us to leap ahead with an all-new DAC to provide flawless reproduction of the highest resolution digital audio. 

"We've streamlined our Halo design concept and you might have noticed the slimmer panel end caps. They are now milled solid aluminum. There's also a new die-cast metal nameplate and an illuminated position indicator in the volume knob." 

"One more thing," adds Richard. "Our dealers tell me that I’ve underpriced the Halo Integrated and they’re probably right. But I doubt if many Parasound customers have trust funds and I far prefer the challenge of creating audio products with a stunning value proposition. The Halo Integrated is the most recent example of a philosophy that hasn't wavered in over 30 years." 

Powerful Amplifier Section Designed by John Curl

The powerful amplifier section of the Halo Integrated was designed by the legendary John Curl, who is responsible for the design of Parasound's award-winning flagship JC 1 monoblock amp and the JC 2 stereo preamp. Power delivery is 160 watts RMS at 8 ohms, both channels driven, and 240 watts RMS at 4 ohms, both channels driven. 

The dual-mono power supply and power ampli­fier boasts a direct amplifier input to bypass the preamp section and high-bias class A/AB opera­tion. It uses an oversized shielded toroid power transformer with 40,000uF power supply filter capacitance. The input stage uses matched JFETs, the driver stage uses matched MOSFETs and the amp stage employs 12 high voltage/high current bipolar output transistors. 

Wide Range of Analog Connections

The Halo Integrated's analog audio inputs consist of a front panel Aux input with automatic +12 dB gain stage, five pairs of RCA line level analog inputs, one pair of XLR balanced analog inputs, and a phono input for MM and MC cartridges. It also provides balanced XLR and RCA left and right preamp outputs, one balanced XLR output, and two RCA subwoofer outputs. For your speakers, it provides heavy-duty 24k gold-plated five-way speaker binding posts. 

Digital Inputs

The Halo Integrated’s built in 32-bit DAC uses a very high resolution 384kHz ESS Sabre32 Reference DAC IC. Since the Halo Integrated’s DAC is superior to the DACs in most source components, they will sound better if you connect one of their digital outputs to the Halo Integrated's DAC instead of connecting their analog output jacks. The Halo Integrated decodes DSD128 (1x) and DSD256 native (2x), plus DSD over PCM [PoP] at 384kHz (4x).

The optical input is a high speed Toslink receiver. It accepts PCM digital signals up to 192 kHz with 16 or 24 bit word lengths. The coax S/PDIF input connector is an RCA jack. It accepts PCM digital signals up to 192kHz with 16 or 24 bit word lengths. 

The USB input is used to connect your Halo Integrated to your Windows PC or Mac computer. This allows high quality playback of any music files that are stored on your computer and streaming music services you access over the internet. The USB input connects your Halo Integrated to your Windows PC or Mac computer. This allows high quality playback of any music files that are stored on your computer and streaming music ser­vices you access over the internet. The USB input accepts PCM sam­pling rates up to 384 kHz with 16, 24 or 32-bit word lengths. The USB input also accepts native DSD and DoP (DSD over PCM). The Halo Integrated uses USB 2.0, which requires Windows® users to first download and install drivers on their computer, available for download on the Halo Integrated’s web page. 

Adjustable Low-pass and High-pass Crossovers

Among the Halo Integrated's many benchmark features is the ease with which it allows you to integrate audiophile stereo speakers with a home theater surround system. The Halo Integrated and the Halo P 5 are probably the only audio components currently on the market that includes switchable and adjustable low-pass and high-pass crossovers. Infinitely variable rear-panel controls let you set both crossover points exactly where you want them. 

Home Theater Bypass / Amp Input

The Halo Integrated’s Bypass/Amp input makes it suitable for both the highest quality stereo reproduction and for powering the L and R channels in a surround sound system. 

This unique feature benefits your system in a number of ways. It will improve the performance of the front left and right speakers in your surround sound system because the power amp built into the Halo Integrated is superior to any receiver’s amp. It will also relieve your receiver of the bur­den of driving the left and right speakers, so that more power is available to drive the center and surround channels. This feature also enables your subwoofers to operate with the sub channels in your surround sound system and your stereo sources. 

The Halo Integrated Theater Bypass function routes the incoming L and R (front) channels from your surround receiver’s (or processor’s) L and R pre out jacks directly to the L and R inputs of its power amp stage, bypassing the preamp stage. When the Halo Integrated is connected this way it functions as a pure power amplifier. 

The subwoofer outputs from your surround receiver are routed directly from the Integrated’s Bypass Sub In jacks to its Sub Output jacks. When you select the Bypass input the Halo Integrated preamp circuits and controls are totally out of the signal path. 

Phono Stage with Three Position Selector Switch

The Halo Integrated is equipped with a high quality phono stage. The Phono input has a three-position load/cartridge selector switch. MM is for moving magnet cartridges. It provides a 47k ohm load and the appropriate gain for all MM cartridges. This is the most common cartridge type. 

MC 100 ohm is for most moving coil cartridges. It provides the higher gain required for even very low output MC cartridges and a 100 ohm load that is ideal for the majority of MC cartridges. 

MC 47k ohm provides the appropriate gain for MC cartridges with an alternative 47k ohm load. You can try both the 100 ohm and 47k ohm settings to see which sounds best in your system. The MC 47 k ohm setting is also the load which Soundsmith and Grado recommend for their MI (moving iron) cartridges. 

Audiophile Headphone Stage

The Halo Integrated is equipped with a dedicated high quality current-feedback headphone amplifier based on the top grade Texas Instruments TPA6120A. This superior design allows for an extremely high slew rate preventing odd order distortions which are responsible for listening fatigue. The virtually instantaneous response to musical dynamics doesn’t raise the noise floor or degrade the s/n ratio like typical headphone amps. The headphone amp circuit was also designed with a low 10 ohms output impedance and high gain to drive headphones rated up to 600 ohms. 

The headphone jack accepts a 1/8” (3.5mm) stereo mini plug. The Left and Right Speaker Outputs and the Preamp output jacks (RCA and XLR) are muted whenever a headphone plug is inserted into this jack. The L and R Record out jacks are not muted. 

Front Panel Aux Input

For your convenience there is an input jack on the front panel for a portable MP3 player or mobile phone. Connect the included cable with 3.5mm stereo plugs between your portable player or phone’s headphone jack and the Halo Integrated’s Aux input jack. The Aux input has an additional gain stage that boosts the input signal by 12dB so that the volume level remains consistent when you select your other audio sources. For the best result, set your portable player or phone’s volume to at least 75% of its maximum level. 

Defeatable Tone Controls and Much, Much More

The front panel has a headphone jack, controls for source selection, level, bass, treble, tone defeat, balance, and subwoofer level. There is an auxiliary input with an additional 12-dB gain stage to compensate for typically low output of portable devices. An included remote control duplicates these functions. The IC volume control uses a premium Alps motorized potentiometer. 

In addition to upgrades to the analog audio circuitry, the Halo Integrated features a 0.5 watts standby power consumption to meet the new Energy Star requirements. A 12-VDC trigger circuit and a IR connection and loop-out make it easy to interface with sophisticated AV systems. 

-Jim E, CA Ecstacy!

The best component Ive ever owned. Ive owned a $10K amp, $5K pre-amp, $6K digital source, and I dont miss any with my Halo. It delights me every time I listen, and I no longer think about upgrading. It possesses tremendous power with incisive leading edge transients, a warm engaging midrange, and has the ability to allow a natural tube-like decay of acoustical instruments. My Harbeth SHL5 speakers now sing beyond what I thought possible. I would have been very happy just to have it as an integrated, but the DAC, MC phonostage, and headphone amp are all superb. The bass management feature for a subwoofer was a bonus I never considered, but I now enjoy that as well. Im blown away!

- Jerry S, WI Amazing amp

This amp really has some power, and is very versatile. I utilize it with my Mac as a digital music source and the dac is very resolving and transparent. I finally found a capable , powerful, high end amp that I have been looking for. The guys at Audio Advisor also are a pleasure to work with.

- Timothy S, VA Just Like Being There

It is amazing how it handles live material - using its amp section for Blu-Ray playback included. I immediately noticed an improved sound quality. Several of my friends have commented excitedly on how good it sounds. The Aux input makes an iPhone sing. Digital MP3s using the USB cord can sound awesome too. I am re-discovering my CD and vinyl collection!

- Tracy A, IN Awesomeness

I have admired the sound of their amps for awhile so when I became ready to ditch the receiver to get back to a quality two channel amp to handle my triton 5s this was a no brainer. The detail and clarity is exceptional and the feature set is almost overkill. This integrated stands out from the pack and well worth the price. Its almost too good to be true.

- Miles S, NY great sound

Sounds great with my b&w 804n. I hear a lot more details that I didnt hear with a Yamaha AVR. My first unit had a defect and Audio Advisor sent me a replacement right away. Awesome customer service. Thanks!

- Jon H, CA