Home
AudioAsylum Trader
General Asylum: REVIEW: Parasound Halo T3 Tuner by AbeCollins

General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories.

For Sale Ads

FAQ / News / Events

 

REVIEW: Parasound Halo T3 Tuner

12.253.68.93


[ Follow Ups ] Thread:  [ Display   All   Email ] [ General Asylum ]
[ Alert Moderator ]

Model: Halo T3
Category: Tuner
Suggested Retail Price: $599
Description: AM/FM Tuner
Manufacturer URL: Parasound
Model Picture: View

Review by AbeCollins ( A ) on August 17, 2002 at 00:22:15
IP Address: 12.253.68.93
Add Your Review
for the Halo T3


INTRODUCTION: Halo is Parasound's new line of stylishly designed yet reasonably priced components to include high-end audio gear as well home theatre components. The T3 tuner I reviewed has a light silver finish including the front panel. The unit has a nice solid feel to it and it looks good in my euqipment rack. I was searching for a high quality but modestly priced FM tuner to replace my Adcom GFT-555II which has memory presets but no remote control capability. I needed a tuner that sounded at least as good as the Adcom but with the convenience of a remote.

PERFORMANCE SUMMARY: I would characterize the Parasound Halo T3 as having detail and clarity with good dynamics. It produced a crisp, detailed sound with clean, extended high frequency response but never fatiguing. It has a very natural sound to it with perhaps a very slight high frequency emphasis but not bright. The bass response was very good, not as deep as the Adcom but maybe more natural. The T3 produced a very good soundstage going beyond the physical width of speaker placement and the imaging was well defined... noticably better than the Adcom.

I've owned a number of tuners including the Magnum Dynalab FT-101A, FanFare FT-1A, Adcom GFT-555II, and now the Parasound Halo T3. I considered the Adcom to be "almost" the sonic quality of the Magnum FT-101A but not quite. The Adcom has a rich and robust sound to it with good bass and frequency extension but not quite the overall clarity of the Parasound. I didn't like the FanFare FT-1A at all as it sounded warm with rolled off highs and it lacked dynamcis... every station sounded compressed. The Magnum was my favorite soncially but with no remote or memory presets, I had to let it go. Call me a lazy channel hopper but that's the way I am if I'm listening to FM. As for the Parasound Halo T3, I think I finally found a tuner I can live with for many years to come. It sounds great AND it has all the features I need.

I didn't bother to evaluate weak signal performance as I live in a suburb not far from a major metro area so all of my favorite stations are "full quieting" with the outdoor mounted vertical FM whip antenna.

Details, more details, blah blah....

FEATURES : 30 FM & 30 AM station presets (60 total). Seek, manual, and preset tuning with RDS (where available), full function remote control with direct frequency access, RCA and XLR balanced output jacks, vacuum fluorescent dot-matrix status display window, 12v trigger in/out, IR in/out loop, Parasound 10 year parts, 5 year labor warranty. Dimensions: 17-1/4" w x 4-1/8" h x 13-3/4" d, 3-5/8" h w/o feet. Net Weight 15 pounds.

IN THE BOX: The T3 comes with a full compliment of accessories including a full fucntion remote with two AAA batteries, light gray IEC detachable power cord, 300-Ohm folded dipole wire antenna for FM, balun transformer adapter for folded-dipole to 75-Ohm type "F" antenna connection, clip-on AM loop antenna, and 12v trigger control cable w/2.5mm sub-mini plug on each end. You can purchase an optional "HRA 2 Rack Mount Adapter" for installing the T3 into a standard 19" EIA equipment rack (not usually done in a typical home environment).

BACK PANEL: Connections include type "F" 75-Ohm coaxial connector for FM antenna, screw connectors for the AM loop antenna, gold plated single ended RCA output connectors, balanced XLR output connectors, 12v trigger in and out, infra-red remote repeater loop in and out, RS232 control port (used with PC based controller for custom installations), IEC power socket, switch to choose between 115vac or 220vac, region select switch to choose between European or North American FM channel tuning increments and FM de-emphasis curve for correct frequency response.

FRONT PANEL: All the buttons are softly backlit with a pleasant blue glow. Controls include Power On/Off, Memory & Automemory, Mono Select, FM-AM Select, Mode Select (for the rotary knob), Memory Function light, Master Control/Tuning Knob, blue fluorescent dot-matix display.

SPECS: Don't mean jack if it don't sound good! Visit the Parasound website for details.

If you've read this far, you might be surprised to learn that the $599 Parasound T3 tuner is identical to the $995 Magnum DT-5 tuner (except for cosmetics). Compare the back panels of these two tuners and tell me that I'm wrong. ;-) The $599 price for the Parasound Halo T3 *might* still be an introductory price as of this August 2002 review. It may go up, I'm not sure.


Product Weakness: No local / distant setting... Seek tuning doesn't always seek to next strong station often landing on a weak and noisy station. No signal strength meter. Moving from one preset station to another is slow. For example, I could be on 97.3 in P1. Pressing P6 to get to 103.5 delays up to 3 seconds before the new station is heard. Not a major issue but it would be nice if it were more responsive and quick.
Product Strengths: A very good sounding tuner with all the modern conveniences at a reasonably sane price. RCA and balanced XLR outputs, detachable IEC power cord, 60 memory presets, full function remote. Outstanding manufacturer's Warranty.


Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier: BAT VK-200 100w/ch solid-state
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): BAT VK-30se vacuum tube preamp
Sources (CDP/Turntable): Cary 306/200 192KHz Upsampling CDP
Speakers: Tanny D500 (6-Ohm nom. ~91dB sen.)
Cables/Interconnects: Analysis Plus
Music Used (Genre/Selections): Classic Rock, Smooth Jazz, 80's 90's rock
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): PS Audio P300 power regenerator
Type of Audition/Review: Product Owner




This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
  VH Audio  



Topic - REVIEW: Parasound Halo T3 Tuner - AbeCollins 00:22:15 08/17/02 ( 1)