rl8139

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Price Paid:  $200.00 from Ebay

Summary:
This a really nice sounding pre amp with a lot of detail. You can hear every detail of instruments and differentiate between instruments played at the same pitch. Dont know what the problem is with the previous reviewer. Never have any problems with my unit which I have used daily for over a year. I dont play it so loud that all the circuits start to clip which will damage your tweeters.

Strengths:
Detail, features, adjustments.

Weaknesses:
Gets warm after long period of use

Price Paid:  $350.00 from ebay

Summary:
Just want to update my previous review. This damn thing keeps locking up..at loud volumes, yeah I can reset it by unplugging it for a while, but I am waiting for one of my speakers to blow during one of its "lock ups". Still think the sound is good when working, but not worth the reliability issues. I am going to go with the Outlaw 950 processor, this thing simply isn't worth it.

Strengths:
Pretty good sound when working properly

Weaknesses:
Not at all reliable, I feel for those who paid even 1/4 the full retail price. A 200 dollar radio shack reciever is better buy than this trash heap.

Similar Products Used:
Can't afford anything else, but almost saved enough for the Outlaw 950, I hope its as good as the reviews.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I build cinemas (35mm film), and home cinemas. Anyway, the sales guys decided on one of these Parasound's, or as we have come to know them, paralyzed-sound, So far 3 units have been returned due to locking up (2 units) and one went up in smoke. All 3 from the same site. The menu's are a complete joke, very basic, nothing more then level setting and delay, not even a 3 band equalizer. The manual's are wrong, late manual additions are everywhere. It is imcompatable with pal when using the on screen display, has some rather odd artifacts. I'd strongly suggest staying away from this, and all Parasound products. I have a pile of dead parasound gear from mates who have wanted me to fix it. They love using capacitors rated at 52 volts at 60 volts. Rule of thumb for capacitors is never go past 80% of their voltage rating, especially when running at an elevated temperature. BAD engineering/production.

Strengths:
suppose THX certification, but it is comming to mean nothing. Does have decent amount of inputs.

Weaknesses:
Almost everything, its weaknesses more then destroy any strenghts sadly.

Similar Products Used:
Meridian, sony, Lexicon

Summary:
Very happy with this unit. Great sound.

Strengths:
Ease of use, preamp direct mode, clean sound. Upgraded power cord and use dedicated outlet and have never experienced lockups of any sort

Weaknesses:
IR strength or lack of.

Summary:
After reading all of the reviews on here I was amazed by all the lock ups that just a simple "unplugging and re-plugging" solved. This has never happened to me. I guess I should consider myself lucky. However, I have had to ship it back to Parasound numorous times because of an overload problem. Each time they said the unit had an open resister in it. The last time it was repaired they told me that I should not have to send it back anymore because they found that two pieces in the unit (a resister and something else, I can't recall what) were switched since the day it was built. I have not had a problem yet, but it has not been too long since the repair either. Another weakness, as mentioned by others, is that darn remote volume control. It is very annoying trying to get the sensor in the unit to pick up the signal that the remote is sending. As with the other reviewer, I was given the same response from Parasound on this issue-it is just how it is. Also I would have liked to see the unit with a volume knob (like the Parasound AVC-2500) instead of those two buttons. The humming noise that the unit produces (mentioned by other reviewers) is easily fixed with an inexpensive part which is placed in your cable/TV line. The fix is explained in the unit's manual. Other than those weaknesses it is a fine unit.