A few questions about my system and potential improvements

[drmevo]

Hi folks. You all have a really cool community here that I have been meaning to join for some time.

I have been working on building my home Hi-Fi/HT set up over the past couple of years and have a couple of questions. I'd really appreciate any advice.

Here is my current set up:
-Yamaha TSR-700 receiver (I know this isn't great - I don't care that much about excellent HT sound, I really bought it for the pre-outs and to have surround for the occasional movie)
-Parasound NewClassic 200 Integrated amp, with L/R and sub inputs connected to pre-outs from Yamaha AVR for HT bypass
-Klipsch 12sw sub connected to the <80Hz output on the Parasound
-small Klipsch surrounds connected to the Yamaha AVR (they don't really pertain to any of my questions)
-Pair of Kef LS50 Meta connected to the Parasound for L/R
- Adjustable high pass on Parasound is off
-Southwire 14ga speaker wire (from Home Depot, I'm reasonably certain it is copper and not CCA)

I have a Darlington MM5 phono amp for my turntable
For digital I mostly use via AirPlay from my phone to a Gen3 AppleTV connected via optical to the Parasound's Burr-Brown PCM1798

My questions are:
1. Is there any reason to step up to 12ga wire for my Kef's? And if so, any recommendations, since Southwire doesn't make a 12ga cable? I don't really care about looks, just proper signal/sound quality. Each wire is less than 8ft.

2. Is the DAC on my Parasound adequate or might I see some improvement from a more recent, outboard DAC? I guess it's the same DAC that was used on the Halo P5 if that means anything.

3. My understanding is that the AirPlay set up I am using is lossless (lossless enabled on my iPhone). I haven't been able to find data specific to the ATV3 but sources I have read seem to indicate AirPlay to AirPort Express of the same vintage is lossless. Are there any flaws in terms of audio quality I am missing (I'm not concerned with hi-res)?

4. I'm confused about how I should be setting the crossover on my sub and whether I should touch high pass on my amp. The sub itself is set to LFE on the dial, I have it on the <80Hz output on my Parasound, and the Yamaha is also sending only <80Hz (I've run the Yamaha room correction and set my speakers to Small). Does that cause a problem? Is there a better way of doing it?

I know that's a lot of questions and I'm sure no one wants to take a crack at all of them, but hopefully a few people might be willing to help me out. Thanks in advance! I look forward to contributing when I have some idea what I'm talking about.

 

[SIY]

Hi folks. You all have a really cool community here that I have been meaning to join for some time.

I have been working on building my home Hi-Fi/HT set up over the past couple of years and have a couple of questions. I'd really appreciate any advice.

Here is my current set up:
-Yamaha TSR-700 receiver (I know this isn't great - I don't care that much about excellent HT sound, I really bought it for the pre-outs and to have surround for the occasional movie)
-Parasound NewClassic 200 Integrated amp, with L/R and sub inputs connected to pre-outs from Yamaha AVR for HT bypass
-Klipsch 12sw sub connected to the <80Hz output on the Parasound
-small Klipsch surrounds connected to the Yamaha AVR (they don't really pertain to any of my questions)
-Pair of Kef LS50 Meta connected to the Parasound for L/R
- Adjustable high pass on Parasound is off
-Southwire 14ga speaker wire (from Home Depot, I'm reasonably certain it is copper and not CCA)

I have a Darlington MM5 phono amp for my turntable
For digital I mostly use via AirPlay from my phone to a Gen3 AppleTV connected via optical to the Parasound's Burr-Brown PCM1798

My questions are:
1. Is there any reason to step up to 12ga wire for my Kef's? And if so, any recommendations, since Southwire doesn't make a 12ga cable? I don't really care about looks, just proper signal/sound quality. Each wire is less than 8ft.

2. Is the DAC on my Parasound adequate or might I see some improvement from a more recent, outboard DAC? I guess it's the same DAC that was used on the Halo P5 if that means anything.

3. My understanding is that the AirPlay set up I am using is lossless (lossless enabled on my iPhone). I haven't been able to find data specific to the ATV3 but sources I have read seem to indicate AirPlay to AirPort Express of the same vintage is lossless. Are there any flaws in terms of audio quality I am missing (I'm not concerned with hi-res)?

4. I'm confused about how I should be setting the crossover on my sub and whether I should touch high pass on my amp. The sub itself is set to LFE on the dial, I have it on the <80Hz output on my Parasound, and the Yamaha is also sending only <80Hz (I've run the Yamaha room correction and set my speakers to Small). Does that cause a problem? Is there a better way of doing it?

I know that's a lot of questions and I'm sure no one wants to take a crack at all of them, but hopefully a few people might be willing to help me out. Thanks in advance! I look forward to contributing when I have some idea what I'm talking about.

1. Almost no difference.
2. Audible difference? Likely not.
4. There are likely better ways, but they'll require some acoustic measurement to optimize. Have you got any experience in doing that? If no, we can probably talk you through it. Ditto adding a second sub- that can make a significant difference if you can swing it.

 

[drmevo]

1. Almost no difference.
2. Audible difference? Likely not.
4. There are likely better ways, but they'll require some acoustic measurement to optimize. Have you got any experience in doing that? If no, we can probably talk you through it. Ditto adding a second sub- that can make a significant difference if you can swing it.

Thank you. In terms of question 4, I don't have any experience taking measurements, but I'm certainly not scared to learn. That said, I'm more concerned from the 2.1 side of things than HT being totally ideal. Perhaps I would be best served looking into a second sub as a starting point. One thing I didn't mention is that my room is roughly 16' x 20' (though oddly shaped) and I sit about 10-11' from the speakers. The bass certainly does vary quite a bit depending on where else you sit.

 

[Spocko]

Focus on integrating your subwoofer (placement specifically) so that at your listening position you don't have huge dips below 80Hz. You can then use EQ on your AVR to flatten the peaks. But you will need REW and the UMIK microphone to do this effectively.

 

[SIY]

The bass certainly does vary quite a bit depending on where else you sit.

A second sub can really help that. Of course, the first step is what Spocko suggested, optimizing where you have it currently.

 

[EdTice]

Hi folks. You all have a really cool community here that I have been meaning to join for some time.

I have been working on building my home Hi-Fi/HT set up over the past couple of years and have a couple of questions. I'd really appreciate any advice.

Here is my current set up:
-Yamaha TSR-700 receiver (I know this isn't great - I don't care that much about excellent HT sound, I really bought it for the pre-outs and to have surround for the occasional movie)
-Parasound NewClassic 200 Integrated amp, with L/R and sub inputs connected to pre-outs from Yamaha AVR for HT bypass
-Klipsch 12sw sub connected to the <80Hz output on the Parasound
-small Klipsch surrounds connected to the Yamaha AVR (they don't really pertain to any of my questions)
-Pair of Kef LS50 Meta connected to the Parasound for L/R
- Adjustable high pass on Parasound is off
-Southwire 14ga speaker wire (from Home Depot, I'm reasonably certain it is copper and not CCA)

I have a Darlington MM5 phono amp for my turntable
For digital I mostly use via AirPlay from my phone to a Gen3 AppleTV connected via optical to the Parasound's Burr-Brown PCM1798

My questions are:
1. Is there any reason to step up to 12ga wire for my Kef's? And if so, any recommendations, since Southwire doesn't make a 12ga cable? I don't really care about looks, just proper signal/sound quality. Each wire is less than 8ft.

2. Is the DAC on my Parasound adequate or might I see some improvement from a more recent, outboard DAC? I guess it's the same DAC that was used on the Halo P5 if that means anything.

3. My understanding is that the AirPlay set up I am using is lossless (lossless enabled on my iPhone). I haven't been able to find data specific to the ATV3 but sources I have read seem to indicate AirPlay to AirPort Express of the same vintage is lossless. Are there any flaws in terms of audio quality I am missing (I'm not concerned with hi-res)?

4. I'm confused about how I should be setting the crossover on my sub and whether I should touch high pass on my amp. The sub itself is set to LFE on the dial, I have it on the <80Hz output on my Parasound, and the Yamaha is also sending only <80Hz (I've run the Yamaha room correction and set my speakers to Small). Does that cause a problem? Is there a better way of doing it?

I know that's a lot of questions and I'm sure no one wants to take a crack at all of them, but hopefully a few people might be willing to help me out. Thanks in advance! I look forward to contributing when I have some idea what I'm talking about.

This confuses me. How is the Yamaha connected to the subwoofer? Do you have one cable from the Yamaha to the subwoofer and another from the parasound? Do you plug and unplug cables when switching sources?

 

[Slayer]

Hi folks. You all have a really cool community here that I have been meaning to join for some time.

I have been working on building my home Hi-Fi/HT set up over the past couple of years and have a couple of questions. I'd really appreciate any advice.

Here is my current set up:
-Yamaha TSR-700 receiver (I know this isn't great - I don't care that much about excellent HT sound, I really bought it for the pre-outs and to have surround for the occasional movie)
-Parasound NewClassic 200 Integrated amp, with L/R and sub inputs connected to pre-outs from Yamaha AVR for HT bypass
-Klipsch 12sw sub connected to the <80Hz output on the Parasound
-small Klipsch surrounds connected to the Yamaha AVR (they don't really pertain to any of my questions)
-Pair of Kef LS50 Meta connected to the Parasound for L/R
- Adjustable high pass on Parasound is off
-Southwire 14ga speaker wire (from Home Depot, I'm reasonably certain it is copper and not CCA)

I have a Darlington MM5 phono amp for my turntable
For digital I mostly use via AirPlay from my phone to a Gen3 AppleTV connected via optical to the Parasound's Burr-Brown PCM1798

My questions are:
1. Is there any reason to step up to 12ga wire for my Kef's? And if so, any recommendations, since Southwire doesn't make a 12ga cable? I don't really care about looks, just proper signal/sound quality. Each wire is less than 8ft.

2. Is the DAC on my Parasound adequate or might I see some improvement from a more recent, outboard DAC? I guess it's the same DAC that was used on the Halo P5 if that means anything.

3. My understanding is that the AirPlay set up I am using is lossless (lossless enabled on my iPhone). I haven't been able to find data specific to the ATV3 but sources I have read seem to indicate AirPlay to AirPort Express of the same vintage is lossless. Are there any flaws in terms of audio quality I am missing (I'm not concerned with hi-res)?

4. I'm confused about how I should be setting the crossover on my sub and whether I should touch high pass on my amp. The sub itself is set to LFE on the dial, I have it on the <80Hz output on my Parasound, and the Yamaha is also sending only <80Hz (I've run the Yamaha room correction and set my speakers to Small). Does that cause a problem? Is there a better way of doing it?

I know that's a lot of questions and I'm sure no one wants to take a crack at all of them, but hopefully a few people might be willing to help me out. Thanks in advance! I look forward to contributing when I have some idea what I'm talking about.

1) No
2) No
3) can't say, I don't use airplay
4) The preouts on the 200. For the sub outs. The top connection has an 89hz low pass filter. the bottom one sends the sub a full range signal, so that you may use the subs internal low pass filter if you desire.
The preout mains on the 200 have a high pass filter to use if you are connecting an external amp for your mains.If your mains are being powered by the 200 as I assume they are by your post. You need to use the high pass crossover on your yamaha to crossover the mains wherever you desire, somewhere around 80hz high pass would be a decent starting place. (check the 200 manual, but I don't think the high pass crossover effects the 200 internal amp)
If you don't use the high pass crossover on your yamaha, you are sending a full range signal to the 200 and full range into the mains (kefs).

Edit: just realized you set the mains to small.
Second sub never hurts or getting a larger sub. (depends on you bass habits and room size)

 

[EdTice]

1) No
2) No
3) can't say, I don't use airplay
4) The preouts on the 200. For the sub outs. The top connection has an 89hz low pass filter. the bottom one sends the sub a full range signal, so that you may use the subs internal low pass filter if you desire.
The preout mains on the 200 have a high pass filter to use if you are connecting an external amp for your mains.If your mains are being powered by the 200 as I assume they are by your post. You need to use the high pass crossover on your yamaha to crossover the mains wherever you desire, somewhere around 80hz high pass would be a decent starting place. (check the 200 manual, but I don't think the high pass crossover effects the 200 internal amp)
If you don't use the high pass crossover on your yamaha, you are sending a full range signal to the 200 and full range into the mains (kefs).

Edit: just realized you set the mains to small.
Second sub never hurts or getting a larger sub. (depends on you bass habits and room size)

Okay but I still don't see how the current system is even working which is why I asked about how the subwoofers are setup. If the Yamaha is set to cross at 80Hz, in order to get full signal, the L/R pre-out would have to go to the amplifier and the subwoofer pre-out to the subwoofer. But then the amp would have no subwoofer.

If the subwoofer is hooked to the amp and not the receiver, the receiver wouldn't have any bass output.

It has to (somehow) be hooked up to both. Unless the amp has a subwoofer in (which I guess anything's possible), there has to be some additional cabling or switches that we haven't heard about.

He also uses the 200 as a DAC for music and, in that case, there would be no subwoofer for music!

 

[Slayer]

Okay but I still don't see how the current system is even working which is why I asked about how the subwoofers are setup. If the Yamaha is set to cross at 80Hz, in order to get full signal, the L/R pre-out would have to go to the amplifier and the subwoofer pre-out to the subwoofer. But then the amp would have no subwoofer.

If the subwoofer is hooked to the amp and not the receiver, the receiver wouldn't have any bass output.

It has to (somehow) be hooked up to both. Unless the amp has a subwoofer in (which I guess anything's possible), there has to be some additional cabling or switches that we haven't heard about.

He also uses the 200 as a DAC for music and, in that case, there would be no subwoofer for music!

Agreed, for what you describe, using the 200 and the Yamaha simultaneously would cause a bottleneck in the sub area using iy how you describe.

However, For the way he describes his connection method, he is using the HT bypass method on the 200. When using yamaha and the 200 combined for HT duty. If he keeps the yamaha sub signal to full, he can use the low pass filter on the 200
For music, stereo (2.1) music, he would still be able to use the 200's built in Dac for stereo music. He would just have turn the Yamaha off if he plans on listen to his music with the Dac in the 200.
May seem a little confusing at first, but it works. HT bypass comes in handy for situations like his intended use.

 

[drmevo]

1) No
2) No
3) can't say, I don't use airplay
4) The preouts on the 200. For the sub outs. The top connection has an 89hz low pass filter. the bottom one sends the sub a full range signal, so that you may use the subs internal low pass filter if you desire.
The preout mains on the 200 have a high pass filter to use if you are connecting an external amp for your mains.If your mains are being powered by the 200 as I assume they are by your post. You need to use the high pass crossover on your yamaha to crossover the mains wherever you desire, somewhere around 80hz high pass would be a decent starting place. (check the 200 manual, but I don't think the high pass crossover effects the 200 internal amp)
If you don't use the high pass crossover on your yamaha, you are sending a full range signal to the 200 and full range into the mains (kefs).

Edit: just realized you set the mains to small.
Second sub never hurts or getting a larger sub. (depends on you bass habits and room size)

Thank you. My understanding from the Parasound manual is that the High Pass crossover actually affects both the pre-outs AND the speaker outputs. Will for sure work on placement and perhaps consider a second sub.

Okay but I still don't see how the current system is even working which is why I asked about how the subwoofers are setup. If the Yamaha is set to cross at 80Hz, in order to get full signal, the L/R pre-out would have to go to the amplifier and the subwoofer pre-out to the subwoofer. But then the amp would have no subwoofer.

If the subwoofer is hooked to the amp and not the receiver, the receiver wouldn't have any bass output.

It has to (somehow) be hooked up to both. Unless the amp has a subwoofer in (which I guess anything's possible), there has to be some additional cabling or switches that we haven't heard about.

He also uses the 200 as a DAC for music and, in that case, there would be no subwoofer for music!

Agreed, for what you describe, using the 200 and the Yamaha simultaneously would cause a bottleneck in the sub area using iy how you describe.

However, For the way he describes his connection method, he is using the HT bypass method on the 200. When using yamaha and the 200 combined for HT duty. If he keeps the yamaha sub signal to full, he can use the low pass filter on the 200
For music, stereo (2.1) music, he would still be able to use the 200's built in Dac for stereo music. He would just have turn the Yamaha off if he plans on listen to his music with the Dac in the 200.
May seem a little confusing at first, but it works. HT bypass comes in handy for situations like his intended use.

My amp has two sub inputs (which can come from sub outputs or pre-outs on a receiver) and also two sub outputs for the sub to connect to. One sub output on my amp is <80Hz and the other is full range. I have one RCA connecting the sub output from my Yamaha to one of the sub inputs on my amp, then my sub connected to the <80Hz output on the amp. I know this isn't a common feature, but it's actually why I bought the amp. I don't have to turn the sub off for anything - it works with anything connected to either the Yamaha AVR or the Parasound amp. Does that make sense? My concern is, am I screwing something up by having low pass crossover on my AVR AND low-pass crossover (effectively, it's just fixed on that particular output) on my amp? The thing is, I don't think I want full range going to my sub directly from the amp (although I could control it with the knob on the sub) but at the same time, I'm also confused about whether my AVR should have crossover set at all for front L/R? Maybe I just the amp do that?

EDIT: I think I just needed to RTFM a little more carefully - it says both sub outputs are changed to Full Range when in HT Bypass mode, so I guess that solves my question? My AVR will handle the crossover as it has been set by running room correction or me manually adjusting it, and if I play another source directly through the amp without involving the AVR it will adhere to the <80Hz output - I think?

 

[Slayer]

Thank you. My understanding from the Parasound manual is that the High Pass crossover actually affects both the pre-outs AND the speaker outputs. Will for sure work on placement and perhaps consider a second sub.



My amp has two sub inputs (which can come from sub outputs or pre-outs on a receiver) and also two sub outputs for the sub to connect to. One sub output on my amp is <80Hz and the other is full range. I have one RCA connecting the sub output from my Yamaha to one of the sub inputs on my amp, then my sub connected to the <80Hz output on the amp. I know this isn't a common feature, but it's actually why I bought the amp. I don't have to turn the sub off for anything - it works with anything connected to either the Yamaha AVR or the Parasound amp. Does that make sense? My concern is, am I screwing something up by having low pass crossover on my AVR AND low-pass crossover (effectively, it's just fixed on that particular output) on my amp? The thing is, I don't think I want full range going to my sub directly from the amp (although I could control it with the knob on the sub) but at the same time, I'm also confused about whether my AVR should have crossover set at all for front L/R? Maybe I just the amp do that?

EDIT: I think I just needed to RTFM a little more carefully - it says both sub outputs are changed to Full Range when in HT Bypass mode, so I guess that solves my question? My AVR will handle the crossover as it has been set by running room correction or me manually adjusting it, and if I play another source directly through the amp without involving the AVR it will adhere to the <80Hz output - I think?

I understand what you are saying. I just think EdTice is having some confusion understanding the setup. My P5 preamp has HT bypass, so you're preaching to choir brother. Those who aren't used to it, may sometimes not quite understand the setup.
Anyways, I don't think you need to worry about upgrades (well maybe another sub) Nothing wrong with the dac chip in the 200. You may read some nonsense on other forums about them upgrading the dac chip on the P5 to P6. It isn't going to matter unless you really need anything above 192kz, which I can't really see any reason why anyone does, except for bragging rights that is. That burrbrown chip is more than adequate. Sound wise, don't even concern yourself with that.

 

[drmevo]

I understand what you are saying. I just think EdTice is having some confusion understanding the setup. My P5 preamp has HT bypass, so you're preaching to choir brother. Those who aren't used to it, may sometimes not quite understand the setup.
Anyways, I don't think you need to worry about upgrades (well maybe another sub) Nothing wrong with the dac chip in the 200. You may read some nonsense on other forums about them upgrading the dac chip on the P5 to P6. It isn't going to matter unless you really need anything above 192kz, which I can't really see any reason why anyone does, except for bragging rights that is. That burrbrown chip is more than adequate. Sound wise, don't even concern yourself with that.

Awesome, thank you! I do have another sub on hand, that came with the small Klipsch surrounds in a HT speaker package. It's a smaller 8" woofer. I ditched it because it's wireless and it was sending some electronic noise through my system, plus I found the larger sub for a really low price. If I can find a way to eliminate that noise, maybe it would be worth trying again, or is it a bad idea to use two different size subs? I think I had read that awhile back so I didn't bother.

 

[Slayer]

Awesome, thank you! I do have another sub on hand, that came with the small Klipsch surrounds in a HT speaker package. It's a smaller 8" woofer. I ditched it because it's wireless and it was sending some electronic noise through my system, plus I found the larger sub for a really low price. If I can find a way to eliminate that noise, maybe it would be worth trying again, or is it a bad idea to use two different size subs? I think I had read that awhile back so I didn't bother.

I think I know exactly what 8'' sub you speak of. You could try, but I think it will be difficult to integrate properly.
Personally, I would just wait till you can get another sub equal to the 12'' you are currently using.

 

[EdTice]

Thank you. My understanding from the Parasound manual is that the High Pass crossover actually affects both the pre-outs AND the speaker outputs. Will for sure work on placement and perhaps consider a second sub.



My amp has two sub inputs (which can come from sub outputs or pre-outs on a receiver) and also two sub outputs for the sub to connect to. One sub output on my amp is <80Hz and the other is full range. I have one RCA connecting the sub output from my Yamaha to one of the sub inputs on my amp, then my sub connected to the <80Hz output on the amp. I know this isn't a common feature, but it's actually why I bought the amp. I don't have to turn the sub off for anything - it works with anything connected to either the Yamaha AVR or the Parasound amp. Does that make sense? My concern is, am I screwing something up by having low pass crossover on my AVR AND low-pass crossover (effectively, it's just fixed on that particular output) on my amp? The thing is, I don't think I want full range going to my sub directly from the amp (although I could control it with the knob on the sub) but at the same time, I'm also confused about whether my AVR should have crossover set at all for front L/R? Maybe I just the amp do that?

EDIT: I think I just needed to RTFM a little more carefully - it says both sub outputs are changed to Full Range when in HT Bypass mode, so I guess that solves my question? My AVR will handle the crossover as it has been set by running room correction or me manually adjusting it, and if I play another source directly through the amp without involving the AVR it will adhere to the <80Hz output - I think?

Per the manual

"The Bypass input works by passing the incoming Left and Right signals directly to the power amp stage bypassing the preamp and volume control. The incoming L, R and Sub channels are also routed directly to the L, R and Sub Main preamp output jacks. None of the 200 Integrated controls have any effect on the bypassed signals. The 200 Integrated is thus transparent to the Left, Right and Subwoofer(s) outputs from your surround sound processor or receiver and passes them on to the internal or external power amp(s) and subwoofer(s)."

Assuming I download the right manual. What this means it that in "bypass mode" nothing is done to any of the incoming signals. The subwoofer input is just "passed along" unadulterated and the L/R are amplified but with no additional bass management.

In other modes, the amplifier does digital bass management.

It seems that this is actually a pretty good design in terms of ease of setup. There are *many* threads here about how to build a combo HT/music setup. The Parasound 200 seems to remove all of those complications (other than understanding the manual which might need to be clearer).

You don't need to change the setup. As others have pointed out, your next gains come from subwoofer placement and room treatment.

Enjoy

 

[drmevo]

Per the manual

"The Bypass input works by passing the incoming Left and Right signals directly to the power amp stage bypassing the preamp and volume control. The incoming L, R and Sub channels are also routed directly to the L, R and Sub Main preamp output jacks. None of the 200 Integrated controls have any effect on the bypassed signals. The 200 Integrated is thus transparent to the Left, Right and Subwoofer(s) outputs from your surround sound processor or receiver and passes them on to the internal or external power amp(s) and subwoofer(s)."

Assuming I download the right manual. What this means it that in "bypass mode" nothing is done to any of the incoming signals. The subwoofer input is just "passed along" unadulterated and the L/R are amplified but with no additional bass management.

In other modes, the amplifier does digital bass management.

It seems that this is actually a pretty good design in terms of ease of setup. There are *many* threads here about how to build a combo HT/music setup. The Parasound 200 seems to remove all of those complications (other than understanding the manual which might need to be clearer).

You don't need to change the setup. As others have pointed out, your next gains come from subwoofer placement and room treatment.

Enjoy

Thanks for the confirmation, that is what I gathered from the manual as well in my Edit in post #10 but I wanted to make sure others agreed.

Yes, I like the amp quite a bit and I don't see anyone else doing anything similar at that price. The higher-end Hint 6 has the same functions with HT Bypass/Bass Management but also more inputs, etc., and presumably upgraded pre-amp and a more powerful Class A/B amp. But it's $3k new, and I think I got this for $800 on Audiogon.

 

[EdTice]

Thanks for the confirmation, that is what I gathered from the manual as well in my Edit in post #10 but I wanted to make sure others agreed.

Yes, I like the amp quite a bit and I don't see anyone else doing anything similar at that price. The higher-end Hint 6 has the same functions with HT Bypass/Bass Management but also more inputs, etc., and presumably upgraded pre-amp and a more powerful Class A/B amp. But it's $3k new, and I think I got this for $800 on Audiogon.

The alternative to this would be a Denon X3700H AVR which would be about $1500 which is about the same price as the Yamaha + Parasound. If you had come hear ahead of time to ask for advice, we probably would have sent you down that path because it's less complex.

The DAC is better in the X3700H but the amplifier is better in the Parasound.

Either route is a good choice and I hope you get much enjoyment out of it.