Smooth character. Very musical, Gorgeous good looks, Soundstaging and imaging are impressive

Gorgeous good looks are distracting making them look more lifestyle items than serious components. May be irritatingly too nice for audiocrats who paid USD5000 for their swanky amps and still not able to enjoy thier music

Actually I first comtemplated buying an old showroom model of the pld1500. Not bad but when I couln't get an owner's manual, I wrote to the local dealer and he said he'll try to get it from the US while suggesting that I audition more current parasound models. Went to the dealer and listened to the Halo P3. Thought it looked gorgeous and sounded more detailed and full bodied than the pld 1500, but then at the shop they were using XLR balanced connections so of course the sound was better. Had it not been for the high asking price of the pld 1500, I would not have decided on the p3. So last Saturday night I brought it home and was advised not to expect too much during initial listening as it requires at least 72 hours of continuous play for effective running in. Even with the first CD I played,Anita Baker's Greates Hits,the P3 was already displaying potential. Still on that first night, the sound that came out was slightly veiled and thin.Now, after one week of only between 2 to 3 hours of buring in nightly, the P3 is beginning to blossom. With Prince's Musicology, this baby funks oh so sexily. Vocals regardless of how shrill the singers sounded with other systems sound more natural never forced or coloured.Bass is fast , to the beat accurate and agile, goes deep to thump your heat when and whre needed. Treble is sweet and never piercing. This is an amp for people who never strayed from the objective of owning a good system ; the enjoyment of music. Audiphiles and so called purists may accuse it of being too smooth and they could be right as it does display a glossed over effect on poor recordings. This amp makes all songs sound nice and never fatiguing. It may not be the purest in terms of accuracy. But then, they may be missing the point, music lovers want to listen to all of their favourite music in a way that seduces them, inspires them, excites them and could not be bothered with listening to a singer swallow his/her saliva in between phrases.

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previously used a Marantz PM6100SA integrated amp as preamp/ Still using Marantz 6100MA monoblocks as power amp/ Looking to upgrade to the Halo A23 soon.CD player is Marantz CD6000SE LE and speakers are ProAc Studio 125, Interconnects are Tara Labs Prism 22 for amps , Moster mk400i for CD and QED profile 12 bi-wires for speakers

Deep Bass, smoth midrange, clear and detailed highs. Loaded with features and is real nice to look at. Remote Control

none

First off let me say in the the last 2-1/2 years I've had the same power amp ( Parasounds HCA-1500A )which I love but have used no less than 5 other pre amps starting with Parasounds P/HP-850 and PLD-1100, Cambridge Audio C500, Perreaux EP and then the Creek OBH-12. All had their strenghts but also their weeknesses and was never happy with the overall sound they provided. When the Halo came out I was hesitant to give it a try with the experience of the other Parasounds Pre-amps which I thought were on the dry side. So I waited but felt I was missing something with the passive Creek now in the chain. Then I read a few positive reviews about the P3 and finally decided to give it a try, after all you do get a 30 day money back trial with it thru AA. The minute I hooked it up I realized I was hearing things that I could'nt from the other pre-amps. It had deep bass, a smooth midrange, and a clear and detailed high end. Instruments were now easy to pinpoint and had much more accracy during complex passages. After 3 months and fully broken in I can say the sound has only gotten better and my system now sings regardless of volume setting. It can play loud ( reasonable levels ) without distortion and find myself listening and enjoying my music much more playing CD after CD than ever before. In closing let me say this is the best pre-amp I have ever owned and don't plan on changing pre-amps again for a long, long time. If your looking in the under $1000 range, or over for that matter you must audition this pre-amp , I think you will be as impressed as I was. Highly Recommended! Associated Equipment: Parasound HCA-1500A Parasound Halo P3 Pre-amp SonyKA2Es Cassette Deck Ah! Njoe Tjoeb 4000 CD player PSB Goldi Speakers MIT2 Speaker Cable Cardas Cross IC's

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Mentioned them in review

Excellent sound, build, and function. Can't do any better in this price range, and that's coming from someone who's very skeptical of products that "look nice".

Only hypothetical. Could Parasound have squeezed another 25 wpc into this product if it were a "black box" in terms of aesthetics? Otherwise, I see no flaws other than the faceplate endcaps. They should be brushed metal like the faceplate itself. The headphone jack should also accomodate a full size plug. Otherwise flawless as far as I can see so far.

First impressions: I recently purchased Parasound's Halo A23 / P3 combo. Much the same as previous reviewers, I was extremely impressed with the packaging of the product and the build quality of these units. I'd had my first opportunity to see and listen to the Halo pieces in November of last year while auditioning speakers. At the time, I dismissed them as potential future purchases, because at first glance they seemed to represent a departure from parasound's basic product line into the land of "eye candy". Prior to purchasing the Halo pieces, I've always favored products with solid build quality and "no frills". Personally, I would have preferred to see the designers at parasound build the same product with the same features in a solid black box. However, I will qualify this by saying that the pieces are beautiful. It's just the stubborn part of me that wonders how much more "performance per dollar" could have been squeezed out by John Curl and associates if they had simply taken the same minimalist functional approach that has been standard for parasound's regular product line. Having said that, I will admit that I caved in and purchased these units because they are simply the finest two channel stereo combo in their price range. Perhaps it would have been possible (in theory) for Parasound to build these units less expensively, or with a shade more power / performance had they not invested as many resources into making them look so damned attractive. In the real world, however, there just isn't any other company out there producing equipment of this caliber in this price range whether it's attractive or not. I honestly don't know how parasound pulled it off, but these pieces sound even more beautiful than they look. I currently have my A23 / P3 combo hooked up to paradigm studio 40 v3's and a paradigm 2100 powered subwoofer. The components are joined with ultima mkII balanced interconnects and the sub is hooked up through the loop outs on the A23. I'm not sure why, but this configuration sounds much better than hooking the sub to the unbalanced connections on the P3. In short, the sound is phenomenal. This system has replaced my previous preamp/amp combo that had similar power output and always sounded great to my ears. However, having listened for only a few days, I can already hear a massive improvement in detail, clarity, and imaging. Those are my initial impressions. More to come in time.

Versitility, dead quiet noise floor, amazing sound, sexy good looks, warranty, manual, remote, everything.

*N*O*N*E* -- BUY THIS PREAMP!

I purchased this preamp and the companion amp from a reputable seller on Audiogon ($1225 for the pair, N-I-B) without having *ever* heard them in a stereo salon. The reviews, here and elsewhere, have always been stellar, and I've come to believe that there is little to be learned from listening to prospective new gear in a setting other than one's own living room, anyway. WELL... I was not disappointed, from the moment I took them out of their brand-spankin'-new shipping containers. The performance of these gems has been as relaxed and effortless as the kiss on the lips from that cool chick sitting next to you at the Crosby Stills and Nash concert. Full-up power from the preamp with no signal from upstream is DEAD quiet -- as quiet as your four-year-old kid when he's drawing on the living room wall. The soundstage is deep without being gimmicky, wide without being "hey what's that in the kitchen?" ridiculous, and every bit as detailed as anything I've ever auditioned. Indeed, it was this detail I noticed first and foremost -- several technically challenging recordings by the Propellerheads and Faithless and Cold Play and Radiohead revaled details I'd simply never even *heard* on my old Audio Research SP-5 and Bryston 3B. The squeaky guitar bridges on Amnesiac's "Morning Bell," and the subdued spoken lines at the beginning of Faithless' "Sunday, 8PM" are but two examples. Both pieces have the sly, sexy good looks and flexibility on their rear-aprons that you'd be less surprised to find on chintzy mid-fi "home theater" stuff, or else on a cocktail waitress -- one or the other. The preamp's derriere, in particular, includes not one but two direct inputs, balanced and unbalanced output options, a twelve-volt trigger, and a ground lift switch, to name just a few of the "what did he just say" possibilities for future variations as your system grows. The remote (Yes, I did just say "REMOTE") is easy to use and understand without being intrusive or garish. The manual is expertly written and the company is as reputable and long-lived as your granny's Lincoln. The price of the pair, even the full retail price, makes their reference-quality performance almost impossible to comprehend; or, at the very least, it makes the $5,000+ sticker prices of those "Oooh, man" seperates almost impossible to justify. I've never heard or even looked at or priced anything that is so easy to recommend to such a wide array of listening tastes, budgets, and needs -- from college kids planning to rock their dorm; to those THX-hungry, plasma-TV watchin' fruit loops with the art deco velvet chairs and cup holders; to that creepy unshaven guy down the street with the direct wire Wadia CD-transport and no radio -- these bad boy seperates are the kings of the hill in every department. I can scarcely imagine buying another piece of audio amplification gear in my entire life. 'Nuff said.

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Audio Research SP-5, Harmon Kardon PM-665 Integrated, Onkyo A-22.

Imaging capabilities, sound clarity & accuracy, well built, and looks cool, and can be seemlessly integrated into any system.

The direct inputs should be nameable. Having your CD player hooked up to an input displayed as "Direct 1" and then having another input called "CD" is slightly annoying. And also, there is no way to dim the lights... would be nice, especially durring movies watched at night.

The sound! The look! The Features! Oh my! This Pre-Amp is amazing. I own an ADCOM GFP-750 which is highly regarded as being one of the best pre-amps available at an affordable price point, and I kid you not, the Parasound P3 Does everything the Adcom does at half the price. At times the Parasound excelled, sounding smoother through rough musical passages. And then there is the look... simply awesome! The chicks dig it as much as I do. Funky back-lit blue lights, and the parasound logo used as the power indicator. Too cool. What really takes the cake is all the features. Balanced inputs/outputs, power-on triggers, and even a phono stage. And the remote is simple, and to the point. Coupled with the Parasound A23 Amp, this baby sings!

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Cambridge Audio C500, Adcom GFP-750, Sony Receiver.

Great soundstage and depth for a product in this price range. Great looking piece of equipment.

Volume control susceptible to electrostatic discharge.

I love this preamp as far as sound goes, but I had the same electrostatic problem with my volume control as the other reviewer, except the control still works, but jumps randomly all over the place, going up to full volume. At least the remote still works. Now that I know its a known problem I will send it back for repairs. That is a QC issue that should have been discovered. I'm also heartbroken>

Good sound reproduction, allows the amp to open up to full blast.

due to metal chassie and metal volume control beware of touching if static electricity is a problem in your home.IE carpeted floors,dry weather conditions etc.

Have owned all three of the Halo pieces since august of 2002.I must agree with all the reviews posted so fat I love the equipment.BUT I must warn everyone who owns an early version of the P3.About a week ago due to static build up in my home due to carpet.I touched the volume control and static electricity knocked out the pre amp.From what I understand they use an IC chip for the volume control.The output is shot(No sound).I returned the unit to the dealer and they sent it back to parasound for warrenty repair.I'm heart broken.I talked to parasound tech support.They have become aware of the problem and the later models will or should have the mod to prevent this from happening.But like I said I love this pre amp. Will keep you posted on how I make out.Beware of static electricity in your home and ground yourself before you touch the metal volume control of the P3.

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onkyo 515proII reciever

Soundstage, depth of sound, imaging, beautiful chassis.

Headphone jack is a joke

WOW! I picked this preamp on ebay as barely a preowned unit for cheap without the remote... I have owned many preamps over the years (hafler, sansui, rotel, nakamichi, even meridian) and I was blown away by the sound stage, imaging, and depth this preamp creates. This puts any Meridian (overpriced British rubbish) to shame IMHO. Beautiful casing. My only quibble is the headphone jack is a joke. Why Parasound build such a beautiful preamp and include such a shoddy headphone jack? I of course need an adaptor for my Grado Headphones. All things considered, I challenge all of you with $8000 preamps(Hovland comes to mind)to listen to the Parasound Halo P3.

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Sansui, Meridian, Hovland, Rotel, Adcom, Hafler

Nice spacious, rich, open, and weighty sound, with unbelievable pace, rhythm, and 'punch'. Very musically involving. Ten year warranty. BEAUTIFUL to look at.

For it's price, none.

This thing's got rhythm! Compared to my Creek OBH-12 (passive preamp), the sound really took on weight and punch. Didn't really know how much punch my system was lacking, until I put this in my system. Bass began to slam, the midrange sounds wonderfully open, and highs sing without becoming hard on the ear. The sound is rich and open. Instruments and voices have very good weight and tone. Acoustic guitar strings sound wonderful snap and presence, and INCREDIBLE decay. Drums really move across the room in a very 3-D way, to the point where you can practically make out the size of the tom-tom or cymbal being hit. Where this preamp really accels, IMHO, is with drive and rhythm. Put in "Rush: Power Wondows." and, was BLOWN AWAY by the way the drums and bass guitar come out, and pull the songs forward. I caught myself tapping my foot on more than ten occasions without realizing I was doing it. I've never did that before. Billie Holday's "Songs for Distingue Lovers" has a wonderfully relaxed pace, and her voice and the sax FEEL like they're in the room, with the occasional kick of the bass drum punching right in my chest. Much to my surprise, the phono section is actually quite decent. I'm sure a dedicated phono preamp would sound better, but considering Parasound decided to throw one in as a bonus, it's pretty respectable. I can't speak for preamps costing over a grand, but I've heard alot of really good, and really bad, preamps over the years (thanks to my dad's flirtation with audio gear, and later, my own), from old Phase Linear gear to the latest from Rotel, NAD, and Sonographe, and this one sounds better than any of them. It's more open, more dynamic, and more rhythmically capable than any of them. When I saw the Halo, I hoped it would be the preamp I always wanted. When I listen to it, I still can't believe how wonderful and musical it really is. And, it's GORGEOUS! Silver face, highlighted with deep blue lights behind the buttons. And, remote control to boot! I can't imagine doing better, without spending alot more money. System... NHT 2.5i's Bryston 3B-ST Parasound CDP-1000 Theta Pro Basic III Audioquest and Cardas Interconnects Tara Labs Speaker Cable

Similar Products Used:

Carver C-2 (surprisingly good, until it died), Creek OBH-12, Nad c-160 (pretty good, but sounded a bit too muddy, returned), Rotel (brittle and thin sound, returned), Sonograph (sounded brassy and clo

Sound: Puts the low-end in, DEFINES notes; seperates instruments into a believeable sound stage. Build quality. Reputation. Warrenty. Remote. Chicks dig it (cool blue lights).

Not really esoteric, if you're going for something no one has seen or heard of. High-end, botique guys will give you slack for it 'cause it dosn't cost $2500, but to heck with them.

It was tought to find a pre amp less than $1500. Your options, dollar over dollar, are this and the Rogue 88..and I think Anthem has a nice Pre. BUT, I didn't want to deal with the hassle of tubes, and I wanted a remote control. I bought this to replace a B&K Pro 5. The difference was absolutely startling. The Parasound has a 10 year warrenty (this is very hard to pass up on a piece of equiptment that only retails at 8 bills). The real transformation came when I bought a new power cord (PS Audio Mini Lab). I now thik this P3 is probably the most neutral, solid, transparent Pre on the market for under 2 grand. The new PS Audio pre might give the P3 a run for its money, but I think the P3 might actually be a more sophistocated design, and much more flexible, for those of us who are running their DVD players into their pre. My girlfriend described it best, "with the Pro 5, I felt the instruments were right in the room, with the Parasound, I can see a stage with the musicians performing on it." So, obviously, she was picking up on the sound stage and front-to-back imaging. Equptment: Acrus A80 Amp Cambridge Audio CD6 CD Player Monitor Audio Silver 5i Speakers Cardas Twinlink/Microtwin interconnect and speaker wire PS Audio Lab Cable (into the amp) PS Audio Mini Lab Cable (into pre and CD player).

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B&K Pro 5.