Well I got the P7 this afternoon after work. Brought it home and unboxed it, I didn't realize that they ship them in cloth bags. I just finished a listening session of about an hour of everything from Yoyo Ma to The Mission soundtrack to old 70's Elton John and more. First of all, it sounds simply gorgeous with the A21. A good step up from the NAD C372 I had been using as pre(until I recently sold it to fund this purchase) and the Oppo 95 connected directly to the amp.
Early on I got an idea and started listening to tracks that I know sounded unimpressive with my previous gear. The Mission soundtrack, from 1986, was one such example. Also this Best of David Bowie CD that was so bright and digital sounding it was really offputting. Also some Martina Mcbride which although had good production, her voice was somewhat sibilant on a couple of tracks with the Emotiva XDA/XPA combo I started my journey off with. What some others have said about Emotiva was that it revealed whatever was in the recording, and crappy stuff really sounds bad.
Not sure about that, and I wouldn't say any of the above was truly awful, but with the P7, the Mission for instance was much better. I could place sections of the choir and there was depth to the stage I haven't noticed before. There was more detail or resolution and it added to the experience. I was also impressed with the improvement of the old Elton John Best of, material from the early 70's. Piano, drums, bass all just sounded more real and better placed. I don't know what specifically made it better, but man, this thing is the real deal. From what I've read, the P5 and P7 would be pretty close, with the P7 having a better phono section. All I know is this is the second Parasound component I've purchased, and it's another winner.
I also listened to tracks that are favorites of mine for their excellent production and sound. One impression was that it was all so clean and uncluttered and clear sounding. i wasn't listening to speakers anymore, the superiority of the imaging gave that impression. I haven't tried the 7.1 capabilities or the phono section but I feel like I hit a home run with this addition. It's really well built and looks great, I'll never go back to variations of flat black again!
Many of you no doubt already have with your gear what I've been missing. I'm sure that there are many good manufacturers out there, so what I'm describing may be something you already have. All i can say is Parasound is one such option. There is really good synergy with their preamps and amps. Happy listening!
