It’s all very strange…I really thought this would be a straight forward improvement to my system. Wasn’t expecting all these quirks.
Any suggestions for a reasonably priced dac/preamp combo that would pair up nicely with the 2350.
Also (weird question)…is there any type of “switching” unit that would allow one set of speakers to move between the receiver and the 2 ch setup. This would avoid having the two systems connected/feeding each other (e.g. speaker level input) which seems to be causing me problems.
Something like the new ifi Zen dac has a dac and a preamp out for a great price so that would work well, nice sound for a good price. I would not recommend the switcher because you seem to have issues with the speaker inputs. You could get a line level converter which takes speaker level and sends them to line level rca and then an rca switcher.
You read my mind @M0N. I came here specifically to post an update.
I applied the tweaks you suggested and also reached out to Parasound directly (btw - great customer service).
I also pulled apart my entire system to make sure it wasn’t something obvious like a ground loop, wires touching, etc. Even hooked up a different receiver. Ultimately, I confirmed that the speak level input is the problem. It’s a noisy connection. I can’t set the gain past 9 o’clock or the hum very noticeable. It’s just not enough to get the full benefit of the amp.
So I’m returning it. Back to square one.
Here’s a different question…
If I were to buy an integrated amp (e.g. Peachtree Nova 300) is there any sort of specific surround sound processing unit (not an AVR or preamp) that could be added, almost like adding an external DAC? Or is this not possible because the amp in an integrated isn’t designed to have the signal split beyond 2 speakers?
Sure, I don’t think you would have any issues, but typically you would hook them up to power amps, not necessarily another integrated. Also here are some more surround processors if you want to see some more potential options besides the emotiva stuff. Also check used markets to see if you can find a deal
Also with the peachtree imo you could get better value with just a power amp since you would not really be using the integrated functions of the peachtree
Marantz AV7005 or AV8805
Onkyo PR-RZ5100
Anthem AVM 60
Rotel RSP-1576
Outlaw Model 976
Yamaha CX-A5100
Essentially their is no such thing as a “stand-alone” surround processor. It’s either an AV receiver (with an amp) or an AV preamp that typically includes features/connectivity beyond surround sound.
Totally agree with the buying used. The Parasound was B-stock via a dealer. Saved about $500.
Hopefully I’ve said this before but I really appreciate all your feedback/input. It’s so helpful and a great resource.
No problem, sorry about suggesting the parasound as it didn’t seem to work out well, I just have had really good experiences with them
And typically those processors are preamps that handle the surround and dsp and are connected to pure power amps and the processor controls the volume as well. There are just pure dsp processors but they typically aren’t for surround setups and are also typically reaching into specialized studio gear