“The A23+ has done an outstanding job in the short time I've had it so far, with an incredible clarity and more than enough strength for the small and simple setup I have.”
“I needed a moderately power amp for my secondary system, the old amp moving up to take the place of a Mark Levinson 431; which it nearly does. The A23+ had big shoes to fill, and it does as well. Attached to a Krell Kav preamp and Martin Logan Assent speakers, the Parasound provides ample base control, an uncolored midrange, with plenty of detail and transparency, and a slightly rolled-off treble. And the price is right.”
“I was in the market to upgrade my AV receiver to a 2 channel system. My budget was $10-15,000 Canadian. I spent countless hours reading both consumer and professional reviews. I listened to what I could on you tube, with a grain of salt. Covid makes it hard to actually demo anything in a stereo store. What I noticed was the Parasound A23+ and P6 sounded good in every video, good quality or bad and paired with every speakers I heard them on. From my perspective of listening on line, through head phones, they competed with systems the were far more expensive. So I decided to take the plunge. It seemed as though they would cut my $10-15,000 budget in half, and then some. Cost was $4,500 plus tax, Canadian.
Although it is my first 2 channel system, I am not new to this sound. I spent many hours when I was younger listening to me parents, high end audio as well as extended listening with friends on their 2 channel systems. I know good sound when I hear it.
I previously had a Sony AV receiver with a Jamo surround package that I had swapped out the front speakers for a pair of 70's, Sansui SP 2000's I found at a thrift store for $12 each. I have to say, everything I have ever listened to online, with Sansui SP 2000's has never done them justice! Needs to be said. The pair I have are in perfect working order and all the components are clean and even look almost new inside. I's like these speakers were bought new, placed in a living room and remained there since the 70's, virtually unplayed.
Your probably wondering what any of this has to do with the Parasound A23+/P6 review? I'm getting there.
On my previous system, these speakers had great, stereo imaging. I heard things in music I had not heard before. Yes, I have heard Dark Side of the Moon on a system worth $30,000 Canadian dollars. For perspective, I'm talking about music I have not heard on a high end system. Although their imaging was great, they were always a little muddy in the lows. Even with the Jamo subwoofer. They are also their best, at normal listening volumes.
Once I hooked up the Parasound A23+ and the P6, I was amazed. The Sansui SP 2000's were even more smoother and detailed in the imaging and the bottom end was cleaned right up. They still were not the best at really loud volumes but that is no fault of Parasound. I swapped out the Jamo subwoofer for a Real T5i and the Halo A23+/P6 really brought these speakers to life. Wow, what a difference with an amazing subwoofer. The detail the Parasound gives, paired with what the REL T5i allow these speakers to do, is incredible. On the Beatles, Fixing a Hole, I can hear the attack of the bass strings, along with the fact McCartney is playing a semi hallo bass! I can hear the specific bass notes, in clarity, on any good recording from bands like Sade all the way to Pantera. The vocals and the harmonica on Led Zeppelin's Since I've Been Loving You, live at the BBC is like they are right there in front of you. All the instruments on live albums from the for mentioned, to Alice in Chains, Unplugged, sound like they are actually live, in your room. Even heavy music sounds great. The guitars on Corrosion of Conformity's Deliverance album sound incredibly thick, with amazing, sweet and warm midrange. I's like the best guitar tone you have ever heard coming out of your stereo. Again, the imaging the A23+/P6 provided to even heavy music, like COC is fantastic. I never new COC but that much detail into their mixes. Listen to something with a symphony or very layered music, like Radio Head and you'll love it!
The Parasound A23+ & P6 have simply far exceeded not only my expectations but anything in i's price range and even beyond. I can not wait to get my hands on some JBL 4429 speakers and maybe even pick up another A23+ and run them both off their own dedicated amplifier. I have also ordered a second REL T5i to run in stereo. Even if your budget is a lot higher, give this system consideration and save yourself a lot of money. I just did!”
“CD's that I thought were poorly recorded are now quite listenable. These blow away my Class D NAD amp on the Magnaplanars. They have the current to make them or any speaker sing. I wasn't sure how the higher current would manifest but now music sounds more like music and much less like just recorded sound. A great value.”
“Happy so far although I did blow a fuse on my Magnapan LRS speakers. This could have been caused by the REL sub wire connection touching another wire. Very clean sound.”
