Parasound 2250 with RTi12s

[snake1]

Well, I've had the 2250 for a while now and think its time to share some thoughts.

The unit itself: Very clean looking piece, not flashy or lit up with a ton of signal indicator lights (which I like). All hookups are very solid and setting it up was easy!

Setup: I must admit at first I was completely unimpressed, but this however was my fault completely. Thanks to some extremely helpful people on the forum I figured out that I was supposed to re-run Audyssey and once that was done it became the daylight and dark difference I had been looking for as far as sound!!

Sound: As mentioned in the title and my sig, I have the amp hooked to a pair of RTi12s. I knew right off the bat that these things were lacking something after I hooked them up to an entry-level AVR @ 80wpc. It was all I could afford at the time and it worked. I will say though that the sound was far and away better than the Sony HTiB system I had come from!!

I'll share what I've noticed and attempt to explain it. First, I've never noticed my speakers being 'bright' so whether its a 'warmer' sound, I can not say. The only thing I can describe is that it sounds transparent and by that I mean it sounds like it did coming out of the Onk, but with way more authority! Details throughout the sound range were good coming from the Onk but are even better through the Parasound, I can actually hear the guy in the band plucking the bass guitar for instance. Highs are clear but not harsh at all and mids are fuller if you get what I mean. On to the bass department which is one of my favorite things. That said, I do NOT like over done bass (like trunk rattling which is very common here) but I do like to 'feel' it. The lows are so much better now! It actually fills the room like you'd expect with a tower thats so large. It will punch hard and quick!! I can see why some have said that a sub may not be required with good amplification, but of course for the HT aspect I will definately invest in a sub later on. I do like that my 12s can now be run at full range even with a sub to help fill the room with bass except in only the lowest freqs. Both with movies and music I am EXTREMELY pleased with the effect the 2250 has had on my listening experience!! My towers now sound like they look...BIG! When taking the volume to upper levels, the 2250 and the 12s will effortlessly go to unbearable levels and not even begin to sweat!

A couple of things to keep in mind. One is I bought this (like everything in my setup really) unheard/untested, just going on recommendations from the folks here and wasn't disappointed!! Two, if there are any questions about this setup please feel free to ask! I completely realize I'm no audio scholar and there are probably areas I haven't thought to address that would be very informative! Thanks again to all who helped and answered questions and threads during this process!!

[Irrenhaus]

Glad you are happy with the new toy. Enjoy......

Cheers

[TNHNDYMAN]

was looking at that amp in the audio direct catalog tonight and thinking about santa... glad you are enjoying it!

[snake1]

was looking at that amp in the audio direct catalog tonight and thinking about santa... glad you are enjoying it!

Def man! I highly recommend it!

[tonyb]

Cool Snake, glad your diggin' it. Now that you've dipped your toes into higher end there's no going back. Curious, you using the PS3 to spin cd's ? That might be the next logical step in the upgrade path for you. Look for a used Jolida tubed cdp for a nice bump in SQ over that PS3. Rock on....

[snake1]

I rarely use cd's. Typically i rip my music at the highest level i can and store it on the ps3 HD or i use a usb drive in the back of the AVR and listen off of it. Sacrilege Im sure but i enjoy it.

[Monster Jam]

Now that you've dipped your toes into higher end there's no going back.

Very true quote right there.

Curious, you using the PS3 to spin cd's ?

I use my PS3 to play my CDs. But then, my rig is really used primarily for HT. I rarely listen to music "critically".

[snake1]

Threads a little old but I did make a change that significantly changed the sound! This may make sense to some but surpised me after I made the change. I was tinkering with source settings on the Onk, I had my USB input (which is where I usually listen to music from) set in 'Audyssey' menu, to music and the PS3 set to movies. I did this cause it just made sense while I was setting it up and never listened to the differences much. Well, while I was tinkering and listening to music, I changed Audyssey from music (on the USB) and switched it to off. WOW, the difference in mid and bass is quite considerable!! I had to turn the bass settings down because it was more than I wanted (which is very surprising in and of itself!) Where the bass was really good, now its awesome!! The walls and floors shake in the entire house on command. Lecrae's beats are even harder and the movie Avengers was even more epic! Music at low volumes are full now just like i was hoping in the beginning because this is typically the level of listening i use. Just wanted to make this addendum cause you never know how it may help another.

[mufsoman]

Snake1 - thanks for the update on the Audessey setting. I still do not have that kind of bass response from my Rti12's even with the Rotel amp. Some day maybe I'll figure out why......settings, cables, other?

Just curious - what kind of IC's and speaker cables are you using?

[snake1]

Snake1 - thanks for the update on the Audessey setting. I still do not have that kind of bass response from my Rti12's even with the Rotel amp. Some day maybe I'll figure out why......settings, cables, other?

Just curious - what kind of IC's and speaker cables are you using?

Man, that stinks! I will admit it has taken me a LOT of time to figure things out. Even with the help provided here, there is just no substitute for some knowing person to actually be physically there to look at your stuff. That 200w Rotel sure has the ooomph to make it happen, but the only thing I can't find out is the amps it can put out.

As for IC's, I'm just using banana plugs on the end of some 12ga. walmart speaker wire. Does your Pioneer have an auto adjust like Audyssey?? I looked but it doesn't appear to.

[leroyjr1]

Snake1 - thanks for the update on the Audessey setting. I still do not have that kind of bass response from my Rti12's even with the Rotel amp. Some day maybe I'll figure out why......settings, cables, other?

Just curious - what kind of IC's and speaker cables are you using?

Because of your sc-07. Never could get my a9's right with it also. I like the features and flexibility of the onkyo much better.

[Thorton]

Threads a little old but I did make a change that significantly changed the sound! This may make sense to some but surpised me after I made the change. I was tinkering with source settings on the Onk, I had my USB input (which is where I usually listen to music from) set in 'Audyssey' menu, to music and the PS3 set to movies. I did this cause it just made sense while I was setting it up and never listened to the differences much. Well, while I was tinkering and listening to music, I changed Audyssey from music (on the USB) and switched it to off. WOW, the difference in mid and bass is quite considerable!! I had to turn the bass settings down because it was more than I wanted (which is very surprising in and of itself!) Where the bass was really good, now its awesome!! The walls and floors shake in the entire house on command. Lecrae's beats are even harder and the movie Avengers was even more epic! Music at low volumes are full now just like i was hoping in the beginning because this is typically the level of listening i use. Just wanted to make this addendum cause you never know how it may help another.

Snake, have you tried direct or pure direct mode for music? When you have the time, I would keep experimenting with adjustments, placement and settings. It's worth it. I recently had some free time and went back and reconfigured my main speakers and sub distances and locations in my room. Adjusted the toe-in. Then calibrated with the AVR and finally calibrated manually. The difference in imaging and soundstage was incredible. I started going through my library and repeated the beginning of one song about 10 times because I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Went back the next day to hear it again and it was still awesome. I'm finding it amazing how much you can optimize and change the SQ from the same system. Enjoy.

[ratster]

As for IC's, I'm just using banana plugs on the end of some 12ga. walmart speaker wire. Does your Pioneer have an auto adjust like Audyssey?? I looked but it doesn't appear to.

You need to check out Signal Cable for some affordable,quality IC's.

[deronb1]

Glad you are enjoying your new rig. RTi12s really are amazing for HT. It's interesting that your informative post demonstrates the relativity of new sound to old. Coming from a HTIB system, it is no wonder that your are highly impressed with the new set-up, and with good reason.

The Parasound is a wonderful amp for both music and HT. I owned a pair of RTi12s for a while, and although I thought they were great for HT, I wasn't sold on them for music. I had been used to a different sound sig for music through older Polks. Was really a different sound, and not for the better IMO.

Tons of tweaks still be had, if you are so inclined! Enjoy!