PARASOUND

P 6 & A 21+

By Andre Marc

We recently reviewed the superb Parasound JC 3+ Phono Preamp (LINK when live), as well as the Halo Hint 6 integrated amp (https:// www.audiokeyreviews.com/the-reviews/ parasound-hint6), and were excited at the prospect of more Parasound products coming our way. First in for review was the Parasound A 21+ stereo power amplifier. It supersedes the A 21, which had enjoyed a 15 year run in the designer John Curl, whose circuits are the beating heart of many of Parasound’s products.

A quick overview of A 21+ shows us the power increased from 250 wpc to 300 wpc over its predecessor. We also see an improved power supply, lower noise and distortion numbers, as well as some cosmetic changes. Internal connections and wiring have also been upgraded. The A 21+ retails for $3150.

The A 21+ is equipped with XLR and RCA company’s line up. We also received the P 6 preamp with built in DAC module, and phonostage.

Parasound has proven that it offers extraordinary products at much lower prices than most of the competition. This was accomplished thanks to carefully cultivated relationships with factories in Taiwan. The attention to detail and the build quality are top notch, making Parasound one of the premier values in high end audio. Of course, the last piece of the puzzle is the relationship with jacks around the back, as well as gain settings for different environments. The speaker binding posts and connectors are of excellent quality. The build is pretty much over the top, with the amp weighing in at 71 lbs, a big portion of which is the beefy power supply. opinion on the character of the A 21+. To our ears, it had excellent soundstage depth, leading edge precision, and extremely quick transients. It seemed to bring us one or two rows closer to the action. There was a sense of ease as well, as if the amplifier was barely working, yet producing big, open, and transparent sound. We were quite taken by the ability of the A 21+ to grab hold of the speakers and not let go, regardless of the genre of music. Our first encounter with this was the Japanese SHM SACD of Tons Of Sobs, by the legendary

The P 6 multifunction preamplifer, which retails for $1599, is chock full of goodies. It has the potential to eliminate several boxes and cable hook ups for the prospective user with the inclusion of a world class DAC, and a Moving Magnet and Moving Coil phono input.

The USB input on the DAC, happily, does DSD256. There are also legacy coaxial and optical digital inputs, and they decode up to 24/192 PCM.

The P6 seeks to overachieve in the feature department with subwoofer outputs and control, a high current headphone amplifier, balanced inputs and outputs, and an Auxiliary input on the front panel. There is even an old school fixed line output for recording, tone controls and a 12V trigger. Of course, a full function remote is included as well.

SETUP & LISTENING

We set up the A 21+ and P 6 separately in two different systems. We then brought them together for the final stretch. We wanted to know how each performed on its own, and to have fewer variables. The A 21+ was matched with a Rogue RP5 tubed preamp, a Sonore microRendu streamer, a Bryston BDA-3 DAC, Mangenpan 1.7i speakers, and a Rega Planar 6 turntable, and Parasound’s own aforementioned JC 3+ phono stage. Cabling was Black Cat, and Audio Art Cable. After a month or so of continuous use in our system, we formed a pretty informed

British blues rock outfit Free. From the first few notes of “Songs Of Yesterday”, one had to try hard to resist jumping out of the listening chair with excitement as the propulsive bassline set the stage. When Paul Rodgers sings the opening lines, “Sing me a sad song, a song of yesterday”, his bluesy soul stylings were mesmerizing. The A 21+ lit a fire and reproduced the album with the energy and impact it deserved.

Not only did the A 21+ produce weight, impact, and drive, but it also was excellent in its rendering of tonal accuracy, something essential for our ears. We dove into the Mobile Fidelity SACD reissue of Santana’s 1969 self- titled first album. It is an album we seem to never tire of. Yet, via the A 21+ we still discovered new sonic realms even here, as well as heretofore unheard nuances on the recording. Quite a feat. We heard organ lines intertwining with Carlos Santana’s guitar and the latin percussion in ways we had not previously.

In memory of the recently passed Jeff Beck, we streamed quite a bit of his classic mid 1970’s output, including SACD rips of Blow By Blow, Wired, and Rough And Ready. These albums showcase some of his best playing and arrangements, and his knack for picking sympathetic bandmates. His arrangement of The Beatles’ “She’s A Woman” is startling, with talk box, a funky back beat, and a great Les Paul tone. Another standout is “Blue Wind”, composed by keyboardist Jan Hammer. The A 21+ made Beck’s guitar sound like it was right in the room with the listener, you could sense the cabinet moving air, and it also spotlit the rather dated drum sound.

We found the A 21+’s sense of easy and effortless power addicting. It made some amplifiers sound a bit anaemic by comparison. Coherence is another area the A 21+ excelled in. Everything seemed to be properly placed in the soundstage presentation, and I would venture to guess this may be the result of the low distortion and extremely low internal noise design.

The P 6 preamp was matched with an Audio Research VS55 amplifier, Spendor S3/5R monitors, a Sonore microRendu streamer, and a Rega Planar 3 turntable. Cabling was Black Cat and Transparent. We used an Audio Art Cable power cord on the P6 as well.

It was clear as day the P 6 was a clean, smooth sounding preamplifer. It was also obvious the internal DAC was top notch, essentially being tonally spot on with dozens of recordings we are intimately familiar with. We were not too surprised as the internal DAC in the Halo Hint 6 Integrated amp was equally as impressive. It reproduced high resolution digital files of all sample rates and flavors with precision, and is far more than an add on. It did especially well with DSD, with numerous ripped SACDs cued up for enjoyment. In fact we lost track of time as album after album, distilled by Roon, floated by with the analog like tonality DSD is known for.

The internal phono stage, used with a Rega Planar 3, surpassed all the modestly priced standalone phonostages we had on hand. We enjoyed spinning records, and the MM output was more than satisfactory. Clearly, attention was paid to low noise, and high fidelity. Having MC capability is a nice addition as well.

We also, for kicks, used the P 6 to drive a pair of Focal self-powered monitors, and the match was excellent. There was an immediacy and satisfying drive that we usually experience with high quality active speakers. For those with limited space, and prefer a more tidy set up, it is a great way to roll.

Combination Of The Two

Putting the A 21+ and P 6 together, and using the balanced XLR connections, produced spacious, open, clean sound. There is no doubt there is synergy there. I ultimately did prefer a high end tube preamplifier with the A 21+ mostly because that is how my ears are calibrated. The P 6 was definitely a tad more transparent and lower noise, however.

The pairing also offered up convincing, true to life dynamics and scale. Instruments and voices appeared with excellent holographic width and depth. Without a doubt, the A 21+ had reserves of power to allow for this impressive presentation. The P 6’s transparency and low distortion also deserve credit.

For practical purposes it was a superior pairing as we were able to leave both units on at all times for on demand peak performance.

We were also impressed with the P 6 with regard to its usable volume range. There were enough gradations in volume steps, one of our pet peeves, to satisfy. Enough steps makes it much easier to find the sweet spot for each album.

Conclusion

It is virtually impossible not to come away impressed with what Parasound has to offer with the A 21+ power amplifier and P 6 preamplifer, DAC, phono state, and overall control center. For under $5000 you get a combination that seems to me virtually impossible to beat considering the sonics and feature set. The pair will remain in my system for some time as a reference, they are that good.

The A 21+ will without a doubt drive any speaker. Its build quality and parts quality instill confidence in its durability. The P 6 preamp does everything well, and is a truly modern control center. The fact that both products are attractive, either in silver or black, is a nice bonus. Highly recommended for those who need power, superb sound, and functionality.

PRODUCT INFORMATION:

Parasound Halo P 6 Preamplifier/DAC/Phono preamp: $1599 https://www.parasound.com/p6.php

Parasound Halo A 21+ power amplifier: $3150 https://www.parasound.com/a21+.php

Silent Angel Bonn N8

Ibeyond, and one eschews stultifying ideologies that censure or block change and any new or relevant information, then one can be assured of continued growth and discovery and life. Change can happen on many levels and in many timelines—geological, generational, yearly, and immediate. Remaining open, unlike the amplifier manufacturer for example who rather interesting experience which confirmed my notion of just how much one doesn’t know and how much one still has to learn. Needless to say, the Bonn N8 Pro was eyeopening.

REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start, below, with how the equipment actually sounds and not the process of physically “undressing” it and/or laying out its various parts, specifications, etc. Think of this review then, as a non-linear movie—Memento, Kill Bill, Arrival, lead one to quite wonderful revelations. This is but a fancy way of saying that though I had exceptional experience with the Silent Angel Rhein Z1 Streamer and Forester F2 Linear Power Supply duo, the idea of a network switch bringing to bear anything other than very marginal change or any improvement, at all, was doubtful, though I remained open.

And this brings me to the review of the Silent Angel Bonn N8 Pro Network Switch, a

Queen’s Gambit, etc—that, likewise, starts at the end and winds its way to the beginning.

The Sound

I plugged the Silent Angel Bonn N8 Pro into the system, attached the various ethernet cables, plugged it into the Forester F2 Linear Power Supply, and I let it all settle for a while.

Two days later, I came back, plugged myself into the system (System 1) and experienced a bit of a shock, which led to a few minutes of