Parasound Halo D3 player

[tlqualman]

Hi, I have a chance to get a great price on a new Halo D3 universal disc player that I would use mainly for SACD and DVD-A (as I use my HD DVD player for video) and was wondering if anyone here owns or had heard one. If so do you think it would be an upgrade from a Pioneer Elite DV-47a in audio quality. Thanks for any input.

 

[MUDSHARK]

I couldn't even find a review on the Parasound player. I have a Parasound pre-amp and can vouch for its performance and the customer service at Parasound. However, there are likely very few here with $2500 universal players. My guess is the upgrade from your current model would be quite subtle and likely not very cost-effective. Although The Absolute Sound has reviewed favorably Parasound products I cannot recall your model of interest being reviewed. Perhaps you could try some of the high-end audio sites such as Mcintosh. Good luck and sorry not to be of more help.

 

[RJKuzma]

Buy the Halo D3

I recently purchased the Parasound Halo D3 to replace my aging Sony XA777ES. On SACD the D3 is slightly more refined and detailed with a deeper soundstage. The Sony is an excellent unit, but the D3 is slightly more refined overall, especially on the balanced XLR outputs. Using the balanced outputs into my Halo C1 controller seems to lift one more sonic veil for breathtaking clarity. In my opinion, the D3 would be a big step up from the Pioneer when playing SACDs. I perviously owned a DV47a. The Pioneer DV47a never handled the DSD bitstream properly (converting it to PCM for bass management and distance calibrations) which resulted in a barely audible improvement over CD. The DV47a did however do a pretty good job with DVD-A and CD. Nevertheless, the D3 is still superior with all these formats. The only downside for the D3 in this comparison is the build quality. Both my Sony and the Pioneer are built like tanks. The Parasound Halo D3 is built more like a Japanese compact. Parasound apparently puts its money into superior electronics, not fancy or heavy weight cases. Don't get me wrong--its adequate for the task, but misses the mark when compared to similar priced components. However, it looks like Parasound is about to discontinue the D3 and you can now buy a new one for about $999, which is $1500 off MSRP. At that price it is a phenomenal value for the sound quality.