Breaking time Parasound P5 HALO Preamp

[Jamesroy]

Any one know approx. breaking time for Parasound P5 HALO? Thanks

[witchdoctor]

My Parasound Z components took around 100 hours. My gear sounds best with aftermarket power cords.

[Jamesroy]

My Parasound Z components took around 100 hours. My gear sounds best with aftermarket power cords.

2 questions, is that 100 hr's standard for all models of Parasound? I called parasound and they said breaking in is only critical for power amps not Pre amps, he also said he knew nothing about the REGEN which I haven't connected yet. Please define "aftermarket power chords. I still have my ifi nano which I haven't connected yet either since the P5 has it's internal DAC. I figured I'll start at the bottom break it in then start testing changes. Is your Z a much higher priced than my P5 HALO? Thanks

[gmgraves]

2 questions, is that 100 hr's standard for all models of Parasound? I called parasound and they said breaking in is only critical for power amps not Pre amps, he also said he knew nothing about the REGEN which I haven't connected yet. Please define "aftermarket power chords. I still have my ifi nano which I haven't connected yet either since the P5 has it's internal DAC. I figured I'll start at the bottom break it in then start testing changes. Is your Z a much higher priced than my P5 HALO? Thanks

Break-in is largely a myth. Military equipment is "burned-in" to insure against infant mortality, and to make sure that parameters don't change over time. The practice has no meaning when applied to consumer items like audio equipment. Capacitors form their dielectric in seconds and resistors stabilize in about an hour of operation. I'd say make sure that you warm-up your components for about an hour before doing any serious listening. As for "boutique" power cords costing 10's 100's or thousands of dollars, that's poppycock and does nothing. Those who say that expensive power cords improve the sound of their systems are the victims of hype and charlatanism and the difference they hear is due to expectational bias. IOW, they are told that the power cord will improve the sound of the component to which it connected. They spend the money expecting to hear that difference, and so they do. The reality is that there are many hundreds of feet of Romex in the walls of the average domestic dwelling that the current has to transverse before reaching the wall outlet, and perhaps hundreds of miles of cable between one's house and the power station. To believe that the last 2 meters of that journey could do anything is, in my opinion, pretty naive. On the component side of the power cord, one lead is screwed to the chassis for ground, while the other two go to smaller wire, which goes through a fuse (a non-linear resistor at best) an AC switch, and finally to either side of a power transformer primary winding. So, even if a fancy power cord does do "something" the component's internal mains wiring, switching and fusing, would negate it.

 

On the other hand, the Parasound P5 Halo Preamp is an excellent preamp and pretty much of a bargain at that. Good choice!

[Jamesroy]

Break-in is largely a myth. Military equipment is "burned-in" to insure against infant mortality, and to make sure that parameters don't change over time. The practice has no meaning when applied to consumer items like audio equipment. Capacitors form their dielectric in seconds and resistors stabilize in about an hour of operation. I'd say make sure that you warm-up your components for about an hour before doing any serious listening. As for "boutique" power cords costing 10's 100's or thousands of dollars, that's poppycock and does nothing. Those who say that expensive power cords improve the sound of their systems are the victims of hype and charlatanism and the difference they hear is due to expectational bias. IOW, they are told that the power cord will improve the sound of the component to which it connected. They spend the money expecting to hear that difference, and so they do. The reality is that there are many hundreds of feet of Romex in the walls of the average domestic dwelling that the current has to transverse before reaching the wall outlet, and perhaps hundreds of miles of cable between one's house and the power station. To believe that the last 2 meters of that journey could do anything is, in my opinion, pretty naive. On the component side of the power cord, one lead is screwed to the chassis for ground, while the other two go to smaller wire, which goes through a fuse (a non-linear resistor at best) an AC switch, and finally to either side of a power transformer primary winding. So, even if a fancy power cord does do "something" the component's internal mains wiring, switching and fusing, would negate it.

 

On the other hand, the Parasound P5 Halo Preamp is an excellent preamp and pretty much of a bargain at that. Good choice!

Thanks for your reply. Some say that the ifi nano DAC is better than the internal one in the Parasound P5 HALO?

[mrvco]

Once everything is up to temperature and climatized... I typically just listen, other than speakers and phono carts, any sense of "break-in" that I've experienced seems to have more to do with my ears adjusting to what I'm hearing as anything.

[gmgraves]

Thanks for your reply. Some say that the ifi nano DAC is better than the internal one in the Parasound P5 HALO?

 

Could be, but DACs are all over the place quality-wise. The $250 Schiit Modi2 Multibit DAC is one of the best I've heard, and I'll guarantee it's better than either the DAC in the Halo or the iFi Nano (one of which I have).

[gmgraves]

Once everything is up to temperature and climatized... I typically just listen, other than speakers and phono carts, any sense of "break-in" that I've experienced seems to have more to do with my ears adjusting to what I'm hearing as anything.

+1!

[Jamesroy]

+1!

I'm out of cash but I still have my REGEN and I'll connect it to the HALO and see what difference it makes. Right now my mid and hight's sound better than when I had the Parasound 2100 Classic and ifi nano and REGEN connected. I hope I didn't make a mistake exchanging the 2100 Classic for the HALO?

[witchdoctor]

2 questions, is that 100 hr's standard for all models of Parasound? I called parasound and they said breaking in is only critical for power amps not Pre amps, he also said he knew nothing about the REGEN which I haven't connected yet. Please define "aftermarket power chords. I still have my ifi nano which I haven't connected yet either since the P5 has it's internal DAC. I figured I'll start at the bottom break it in then start testing changes. Is your Z a much higher priced than my P5 HALO? Thanks

 

The 100 hours is a rough estimate, YMMV. I owm the Zamp, Zpre and Zdac. The DAC kept betting better with break in as I bought it first. The Zpre and Zamp came next and they also kept getting better with breakin. I noticed a quieter background and a presentation that seeemed to keep getting closer to live music. Your P5 is a Halo product and of higher quality than mine but I would say just let it break in for at least 50 hours before critical listening.

After market cables are a nice way to get more value from your components along with vibration control. My favorite vendor is Mapleshade but their are many others. Sites like audioadvisor and crutchfield will also give you a 30 day return period.

Talk to a sales rep as for what to test first.

[Jamesroy]

The 100 hours is a rough estimate, YMMV. I owm the Zamp, Zpre and Zdac. The DAC kept betting better with break in as I bought it first. The Zpre and Zamp came next and they also kept getting better with breakin. I noticed a quieter background and a presentation that seeemed to keep getting closer to live music. Your P5 is a Halo product and of higher quality than mine but I would say just let it break in for at least 50 hours before critical listening.

After market cables are a nice way to get more value from your components along with vibration control. My favorite vendor is Mapleshade but their are many others. Sites like audioadvisor and crutchfield will also give you a 30 day return period.

Talk to a sales rep as for what to test first.

Thanks, what brand of cables for a guy on a budget?

[rodrigaj]

I will always question, in a non-argumentative way, a person that tells me things such as, "you need 100 hrs of burn in", or "things need to settle in", or the many forms those statements can take.

 

I do have an electrical engineering degree, but that is not necessary. Just listening to the respondent and hearing what they have to say is enough for me to make an informed choice.

 

As far as what brand of cables for a guy on a budget, take a look at Blue Jeans cables. Read through the information on their website. It exemplifies what I mean.

[Jamesroy]

I will always question, in a non-argumentative way, a person that tells me things such as, "you need 100 hrs of burn in", or "things need to settle in", or the many forms those statements can take.

 

I do have an electrical engineering degree, but that is not necessary. Just listening to the respondent and hearing what they have to say is enough for me to make an informed choice.

 

As far as what brand of cables for a guy on a budget, take a look at Blue Jeans cables. Read through the information on their website. It exemplifies what I mean.

Thanks, I watched some of the videos. I have been using "MusicLink Transparent Interface cables" that I bought over 10 years ago, was wonder ing how the Blue Jeans Cables match up. The Blue Jeans look less expensive than my "MusicLink", but the Blue Jean are newer technology.

[gmgraves]

Thanks, what brand of cables for a guy on a budget?

 

mycablemart.com

 

Cheap, well made RG-59U cables. You don't need anything more expensive for RCA-to-RCA interconnects. For speaker wire, might I suggest:

 

https://sewelldirect.com/silverback-speaker-wire-by-sewell-enhanced-loud-oxygen-free-pure-copper-259-strand-count-10-ft-terminated

 

I believe that Amazon sells Sewell Silverback speaker cable too! This stuff is super high quality. it's 259 strand oxygen-free copper, 12 gauge and terminated with extremely high quality banana plugs on each end and a bargain.

[Kal Rubinson]

Thanks, I watched some of the videos. I have been using "MusicLink Transparent Interface cables" that I bought over 10 years ago, was wonder ing how the Blue Jeans Cables match up. The Blue Jeans look less expensive than my "MusicLink", but the Blue Jean are newer technology.

What significant new technology has there been in analog RCA interconnects?

[Ralf11]

I'd say that Break-in time is largely a myth for electronics or wire, but not for speakers. Dunno re tubes...

 

Of course the thread was not about Break-in time but about Breaking time ... for that I'd say about 20 years for some electrolytic capacitors

[gmgraves]

I will always question, in a non-argumentative way, a person that tells me things such as, "you need 100 hrs of burn in", or "things need to settle in", or the many forms those statements can take.

 

I do have an electrical engineering degree, but that is not necessary. Just listening to the respondent and hearing what they have to say is enough for me to make an informed choice.

Again, +1. The audio hobby is rife with mythology, misconceptions and downright lies. Human beings have very poor memories for how music actually sounds beyond making broad, sweeping generalizations. When someone tells me that their equipment (or, the gods forbid, cables) sound better as they "burn-in" or "break-in" I look at them askance. What they are doing is hearing what they want to hear. Humans can't remember, in great enough detail to make any decision about how something sounds today compared to how it sounded 100 listening hours (or more) ago! Even if burn-in were real, the only way to know would be to buy two of everything burn one in and leave the other in the box then when you think that burn-in is complete, compare the two in a blind test. Believe me, you won't hear any difference, because there is nothing to burn-in!

As far as what brand of cables for a guy on a budget, take a look at Blue Jeans cables. Read through the information on their website. It exemplifies what I mean.

While I'm sure that Blue Jeans cables are nicely made, reliable interconnects, even they are gross overkill

[Ralf11]

easy test: break in 20 sets of cables; leave 20 other identical sets alone, and then...

[One and a half]

What significant new technology has there been in analog RCA interconnects?

 

Research is ongoing especially in marketing skills and engagement with the customer. i tried to copy the Shunyata features, but was blocked. To their credit though the Venom cable for phono has specs for resistance and capacitance/ft.

 

All cables in our Bridges & Falls Series place their left and right channels in a single jacket, and feature our Asymmetrical Double-Balanced geometry with separate high-quality positive and negative conductors.

 

MIT Cables' core audio cable technology is our exclusive Poles of Articulation, named after the fact that every audio cable has a single point where it is most efficient at storing and transporting energy. At this point in the audio frequency spectrum, the cable will articulate best, and represents the cables' particular Articulation Pole.

 

Utilizing our Poles of Articulation, we can provide levels of performance for each listener’s needs, from our Oracle Series of interfaces for the ultimate experience, to our StyleLine series of interfaces for the budget-minded audiophile. Our newest SL-Matrix series of audio interfaces offers our legendary High End performance distilled down to more reasonable price points.

 

Poles apart

 

===============================================================================

 

Furutech’s Pure Transmission Piezo Ceramic and Carbon series products feature a breakthrough construction technique.

A special material in the products combines two “active” materials: Nano-sized ceramic particles and powdered carbon.

(Only nano-sized ceramic particles effectively couples with carbon powder.) Nylon and fiberglass are incorporated as well forming an extremely effective, well damped, mechanically and electrically nonresonant connector body. That’s correct, they’re electrically damped as well.

 

Piezoelectric effects are the key. Furutech’s breakthrough in design and materials is based on employing nano-sized polycrystalline ferroelectric ceramic particles exhibiting electro-generative properties; mechanical pressure creates an electrical charge forming a bridge between electrical and mechanical oscillation.

 

Carbon powder exhibits thermal-conductive characteristics that interact with the charged ferro-ceramic particles converting their energy into heat that’s conducted away and released from the surface of the connector body!

 

These carefully chosen and tested “active” materials mechanically and electrically damp connectors, receptacles and other products as they “interconvert” thermal, mechanical, and electrical energy for the finest Furutech Pure Transmission signal

imaginable.

 

An on and on.

[gmgraves]

I'd say that Break-in time is largely a myth for electronics or wire, but not for speakers. Dunno re tubes...

Yes, Speakers and in some cases even phono cartridges will improve (to a certain degree) with use. Speakers will have their bottom -ends firm-up and in some designs, will even go a little deeper. Same is true with microphones they will improve somewhat over time. This is because all of these devices are electro-mechanical transducers and their moving parts move easier with use - like taking a piece of cardboard and bending it back and forth in your hand violently. It will get easier to bend after a few cycles and if you keep doing that at an extreme rate, the cardboard will eventually tear in two. Luckily the amount that mechanical audio components "flex" is limited by design and the should never reach the point of failing like the cardboard did. Of course, after many years, the paper in speaker cones can dry out and become brittle (ask long-time owners of AR3a speakers) and cartridge suspensions can ossify and collapse, but those are other failure modes! Tubes wear out because the cathode is boiling-off electrons. Eventually so much of the filament has been vaporized that it can no longer handle the current and the filament burns out - just like a light bulb and largely for the same reason.

Of course the thread was not about Break-in time but about Breaking time ... for that I'd say about 20 years for some electrolytic capacitors

[gmgraves]

Research is ongoing especially in marketing skills and engagement with the customer. i tried to copy the Shunyata features, but was blocked. To their credit though the Venom cable for phono has specs for resistance and capacitance/ft.

 

All cables in our Bridges & Falls Series place their left and right channels in a single jacket, and feature our Asymmetrical Double-Balanced geometry with separate high-quality positive and negative conductors.

 

MIT Cables' core audio cable technology is our exclusive Poles of Articulation, named after the fact that every audio cable has a single point where it is most efficient at storing and transporting energy. At this point in the audio frequency spectrum, the cable will articulate best, and represents the cables' particular Articulation Pole.

 

Utilizing our Poles of Articulation, we can provide levels of performance for each listener’s needs, from our Oracle Series of interfaces for the ultimate experience, to our StyleLine series of interfaces for the budget-minded audiophile. Our newest SL-Matrix series of audio interfaces offers our legendary High End performance distilled down to more reasonable price points.

 

Poles apart

 

===============================================================================

 

Furutech’s Pure Transmission Piezo Ceramic and Carbon series products feature a breakthrough construction technique.

A special material in the products combines two “active” materials: Nano-sized ceramic particles and powdered carbon.

(Only nano-sized ceramic particles effectively couples with carbon powder.) Nylon and fiberglass are incorporated as well forming an extremely effective, well damped, mechanically and electrically nonresonant connector body. That’s correct, they’re electrically damped as well.

 

Piezoelectric effects are the key. Furutech’s breakthrough in design and materials is based on employing nano-sized polycrystalline ferroelectric ceramic particles exhibiting electro-generative properties; mechanical pressure creates an electrical charge forming a bridge between electrical and mechanical oscillation.

 

Carbon powder exhibits thermal-conductive characteristics that interact with the charged ferro-ceramic particles converting their energy into heat that’s conducted away and released from the surface of the connector body!

 

These carefully chosen and tested “active” materials mechanically and electrically damp connectors, receptacles and other products as they “interconvert” thermal, mechanical, and electrical energy for the finest Furutech Pure Transmission signal

imaginable.

 

An on and on.

 

Marketing gibberish. That's what goes on and on!

[Kal Rubinson]

Research is ongoing especially in marketing skills and engagement with the customer. i tried to copy the Shunyata features, but was blocked. To their credit though the Venom cable for phono has specs for resistance and capacitance/ft.

 

All cables in our Bridges & Falls Series place their left and right channels in a single jacket, and feature our Asymmetrical Double-Balanced geometry with separate high-quality positive and negative conductors.

 

MIT Cables' core audio cable technology is our exclusive Poles of Articulation, named after the fact that every audio cable has a single point where it is most efficient at storing and transporting energy. At this point in the audio frequency spectrum, the cable will articulate best, and represents the cables' particular Articulation Pole.

 

Utilizing our Poles of Articulation, we can provide levels of performance for each listener’s needs, from our Oracle Series of interfaces for the ultimate experience, to our StyleLine series of interfaces for the budget-minded audiophile. Our newest SL-Matrix series of audio interfaces offers our legendary High End performance distilled down to more reasonable price points.

 

Poles apart

 

===============================================================================

 

Furutech’s Pure Transmission Piezo Ceramic and Carbon series products feature a breakthrough construction technique.

A special material in the products combines two “active” materials: Nano-sized ceramic particles and powdered carbon.

(Only nano-sized ceramic particles effectively couples with carbon powder.) Nylon and fiberglass are incorporated as well forming an extremely effective, well damped, mechanically and electrically nonresonant connector body. That’s correct, they’re electrically damped as well.

 

Piezoelectric effects are the key. Furutech’s breakthrough in design and materials is based on employing nano-sized polycrystalline ferroelectric ceramic particles exhibiting electro-generative properties; mechanical pressure creates an electrical charge forming a bridge between electrical and mechanical oscillation.

 

Carbon powder exhibits thermal-conductive characteristics that interact with the charged ferro-ceramic particles converting their energy into heat that’s conducted away and released from the surface of the connector body!

 

These carefully chosen and tested “active” materials mechanically and electrically damp connectors, receptacles and other products as they “interconvert” thermal, mechanical, and electrical energy for the finest Furutech Pure Transmission signal

imaginable.

 

An on and on.

Sure.

[rodrigaj]

While I'm sure that Blue Jeans cables are nicely made, reliable interconnects, even they are gross overkill

Yes, that is true, but in a reasonable way. I have the skills to make my own cables. That would be the least expensive way to get what I get from Blue Jeans (i.e...exact size, high quality cables). But I don't. It's not worth my time. They are a good group of people, have honest markups, offer a fair return, have made specialty cables for me that are unavailable anywhere and have always been upfront about their pricing.

[gmgraves]

Yes, that is true, but in a reasonable way. I have the skills to make my own cables. That would be the least expensive way to get what I get from Blue Jeans (i.e...exact size, high quality cables). But I don't. It's not worth my time. They are a good group of people, have honest markups, offer a fair return, have made specialty cables for me that are unavailable anywhere and have always been upfront about their pricing.

 

While I agree about "rolling your own", (when I got into this hobby, that was one's ONLY option) but that's not my point.

 

Mycablemart.com has been supplying all of my interconnects for years, they are cheap (like <$6.00 for a 1/2 meter interconnect), well made and use real rg-59U cable.

[Ralf11]

why coax?