Hegel H360. End of the search.
Which integrated amp would you pick?
Musical Fidelity M6 or Parasound Halo? Any thoughts would be very much appreciated.
73 responses Add your response
Krelldog, Many here are correct. Many dealers will DEAL. Don’t ever accept advertised prices as many will go much lower. I think I bought my A21 and P3 for well under $600 the asking price for the combo. Amazingly, the legitimate dealer was on Ebay! But you must be very cautious on that site. I checked with Parasound directly to see if the dealer was one of theirs, for warranty purposes. Good luck. As a side note, I think Parasound makes very good gear for the money. As I have said I think John Curl is a legendary engineer. As such the HALO gear is very well designed. I would be very surprised if you opted for the integrated by Parasound and did not think it measured up. But on the flip side of the coin, not everyone enjoys the same kind of equipment. I have a Line Magnetic Audio 216 integrated tube amp. Some have stated they do not like it at all, I think it's superb. |
Perhaps settle on your new speakers then decide? But both are great options although I think Para is a lot cheaper. If you can spend a lot more than that perhaps look at a few other options as well such as Hegel, red wine, Yamaha and Regs - just to be sure you find what you like best. Keep us posted and enjoy the search. |
I’m sure if your a good haggler at $2.5k rrp you can get them down, as many places sell Parasound in the US, in Australia no one pays rrp for anything but you have to haggle for it, isn’t it the same in the US? And there’s always used, this one was mint and boxed. And if you still have the hard to drive Martin Logan Accents, then this is the integrated for you. As ML esl's can dip down to 1ohm, and the Parasound having good current delivery because it uses bi-polar (BJT) output devices and has decent power supply will not mind this load. Cheers George |
I have a HINT in a third system and it's a great swiss army knife of an integrated. If you can use all that it packs, $2,500 (new) is a relative bargain. I have just converted to tubes recently in my main system, though, and would have to agree with freediver that a PrimaLuna would be a great option. Every now and then a a nice used/demo unit pops up here on A'gon but they move pretty fast so gotta keep your eyes open. |
topten What’s bit you since Jan 2016 that has made you a Parasound Int. Halo hater? BTW: you can get them in the US for just under $2k if you shop around. In Australia they’re over $4k Cheers George |
@2psyop - are you saying that that $3500 of Parasound (A 21 and P3) separates are as good at the $7,000 M6500i? That would certainly swing my thinking towards Parasound, although I haven’t heard the Halo Integrated. Just curious, as I’m in the market for an integrated but am also considering looking at separates. Thanks, Scott |
I have not heard the M6 but have owned the A3.2, A308, KW500, and NuVista 800. I really liked all of them. The KW500 was fantastic (still have it for when I put my second system in place). The NuVista 800 is truly world class in my opinion. However, I have not heard a Parasound amp for several years now--I did like it though I can't recall which model. I agree with 2psyop. Listen for yourself. When I started out, I spent countless hours listening to LOTS of gear at several excellent local HiFi shops. I identified a sound that appealed to me and have built on that sound, following the mantra of "same but better," as I have changed gear. It has served me well. I love my system. If you have questions about MuFi, contact Randy Bingham (in charge of US sales). He is very helpful, knowledgeable, and a nice guy. |
topten +1 stereo5 Topten, who are you to tell me what to post! "Misguided self proclaimed forum cop"? The OP asked about the Intergrated Parasound Halo, and I gave him the facts and a link to read about it’s subjective reviewed sound and measurements in Stereophile to back them up! Cheers George |
I don't know which Musical Fidelity you are speaking of. There is an M6500i and a M6si. Perhaps there was an M6 before this??? I have heard the M6500i. It is a dual mono design and it sounds truly amazing for an integrated amp. It will sound better than many mono amps paired with a preamp. I have the Parasound A21 HALO amp and P3 preamp, which should not be that different than the new HALO integrated. This combo is as good as the MF, I think. I would listen to both the MF and the Parasound for comparison using your own ears. Of course the speakers you will use should make a difference, but both amps have ample power. I would give the edge to the M6500i. |
I know you directed this at georgelofi, but I had to chime in. No one is advertising Parasound, just stating facts and opinions. Just because you do not care for them does not mean they aren't any good.. Yes, there are a lot of integrateds, but personally I wouldn't touch Class D with a ten foot pole and I have already had tube integrateds. I prefer the JC designed solid state Parasound. |
Like yourself, I use my second system the most. I am running a Parasound Halo Integrated, Golden Ear Triton 2 speakers, Sony HAPZ1ES Media Server, Cambridge Audio CXC CD Transport (for those round shiny silver things), a Magnum Dynalab MD90 Tuner all plugged into s Shunyata outlets. I use a Furutech TP-80 Conditioner and a mishmash of 2 Shunyata Diamondback Platinum Power Cords, some Pangea AC14 cords and a Furutech cord. My speaker cables and interconnects are Groneberg Quattro Reference, Digital cable is a Wireworld Starlight 7. I get a truly wonderful and satisfying sound on this system which is about 75% cheaper than my main system. Previously to using the Halo Integrated, I was using a Rogue Cronus Magnum Integrated. Although I am truly a tube guy, I like the Halo Way better. The built in dac is excellent as I run the CD transport through it. I am extremely satisfied with the Parasound Halo, and I absolutely LOVE having Bass and Treble controls. It really helps those unplayable cd's become enjoyable. I have no experience with the Musical Fidelity amp, but the dac in the Parasound Halo is light years better than the Musical Fidelity V-90 dac. |
Currently the speakers are PSB B/25's....although I'm also upgrading these also. I'm looking for a mini monitor under 1500. I'm considering Martin Logan Motion 35XT's. The source is digital files on my laptop through a Musical Fidelity V-90 DAC. This is a second system that I tend to use the most. I'll probably upgrade the DAC down the road also. Although the Parasound Integrated is supposed to have a really good DAC. |