# How exactly does the Parasound P7 work?



## madbrayniak (Jan 6, 2013)

Good Evening all,

I have been getting more and more into audio since I was first introduced into a proper setup when I started dating my wife. As time has gone on the obsession has grown deeper and I am now starting to study more on my own time about speaker design and even amplifier design. I hope to one day build some of my own speakers that will rival if not better the high end speakers that many covet. 

That said, I know that I wont be able to build certain parts of equipment in the audio chain of command such as the Preamp, which is where my question comes in.

From what I understand the Parasound P7 is only meant to be a analog audio preamp and for HT setup it can still work a little of its magic to process the sound and make for a more immersive experience. However, that is where I get confused.

With a unit such as the P7 would you have to go to, for instance, an Integra DHC 80.3 then the preouts from the DHC 80.3 to the P7 to the amps to the speakers?

I understand that it is meant to make for a more future proof system that will not go out of date but it almost seems a little redundant if I am understanding correctly. Which I really don't believe I am as I almost feel like that is doing the same thing twice.

I believe that higher end components are worth the money in the region of the Cary Cinema as long as it does the audio correctly. I actually think that the best system compromise for me would be to have a video processor and sound processor that are completely seperate and up-gradable. 

The P7 seems to be a possible option, but I really dont know.


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## Peter Loeser (Aug 11, 2012)

The P7 is indeed an analog preamp. It does not do any digital processing. For example, if your source is a DVD or Blu-ray player, it would either need analog audio outputs, or you would need a DAC between the source and the P7 to process the digital signal. If you have something like the Integra to process your digital signal then you would just run the pre-outs directly to a multi-channel power amp.


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## madbrayniak (Jan 6, 2013)

so you could technically get a DAC that can decode DTS-HD, Dolby HD, etc. etc. send that to the P7 and then send the video to a video processor?

Edit: Or send everything to an DVDO IScan Duo and then to the P7?


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## Peter Loeser (Aug 11, 2012)

madbrayniak said:


> so you could technically get a DAC that can decode DTS-HD, Dolby HD, etc. etc. send that to the P7 and then send the video to a video processor?


Yes, and you could send the video directly to your display via HDMI. Parasound actually makes an HDMI switch that works with the P7 and the 7100 since neither one handles HDMI inputs. 



madbrayniak said:


> Edit: Or send everything to an DVDO IScan Duo and then to the P7?


This only appears to have two channel analog audio output so I'm not sure it would do what you want. 

What are you currently using for a receiver or preamp and for what reasons are you considering the P7? You may honestly be best just finding a receiver with HDMI inputs and preamp outputs. That would give you digital audio/video processing as well as the option to use an external amp if you wanted.


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## 8086 (Aug 4, 2009)

Peter Loeser said:


> The P7 is indeed an analog preamp. It does not do any digital processing. For example, if your source is a DVD or Blu-ray player, it would either need analog audio outputs, or you would need a DAC between the source and the P7 to process the digital signal. If you have something like the Integra to process your digital signal then you would just run the pre-outs directly to a multi-channel power amp.


Most High end components can handle their own decoding in a respectable fashion.
An Oppo BDP-105 would be a good choice for the P7, no external DAC required.


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## Peter Loeser (Aug 11, 2012)

8086 said:


> Most High end components can handle their own decoding in a respectable fashion.
> An Oppo BDP-105 would be a good choice for the P7, no external DAC required.


Yes, the OPPO player is a good example of a digital source that does its own audio decoding.

Madbrayniak - another thing to keep in mind is that many of the modern surround sound receivers and pre/pros offer room correction and EQ programs, which give you more options for fine-tuning your speaker and sub levels, crossover settings, etc. The P7 does not do that.


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## madbrayniak (Jan 6, 2013)

I didnt realize that the Oppo does it's own decoding. That would mean though that there would be a problem with tv viewing.

I am not acually looking to buy one of these but I am very very curious about the new revival I guess you could say of analogue for home theater. Granted this could be just a trend, but most reviews I have read have been saying that analogue for music and home theater applications can make a huge difference for the better.

I have been studying on my own time amplifier design and I want to get to pre/pro design. However, I am more interested in the analogue side than anything.

With the way things are progressing and how nothing seems to remain "current" I think it is more important than ever for your system to be flexible.

What I envision is a prepro for music/movies where there are 2-3 parts(based on preferences)

You would have the decoder-analogue preamp-and the video processor

Seeing as how many bluray players and projectors can do their own upsampling of the source material you really don't need a video processor.

However, the decoder section would allow for all inputs that are not analogue such as HDMI from tv, gaming consules, etc. decode the signal and perform DAC operations

From there it would send the signal to the analogue preamp which would also take the inputs of all the analogue sources such as vinyl, reel-reel tape, etc. to avoid any possible contamination from the DAC/Decoder.


Anyways, as you can tell, I like to think, study, and think some more about my audio obsession. I receivers/processors today are asked to do way to much as their original job was audio reproduction. now they are asked to calibrate the rooms for us(which is usually only a good starting point to fine tune the system) receive satelite radio, internet radio, apple airplay, DLNA connections etc.

My attitude is that all those things that are being crammed into a prepro can all be added and tailored from different sources. Add a apple tv, add a HTPC, etc.

Sure you will have more equipment but that would allow everyone to tailor their system to be exactly what they want with the best sound possible.

Out of all of those the only thing I think is even worth the addition is the Room EQ and that is because very few will measure and adjust their system.

Sorry for the long post, just expressing what I think would be "ideal" so that people dont have to buy 2k pre/pro over and over again.


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## 8086 (Aug 4, 2009)

Peter Loeser said:


> Yes, the OPPO player is a good example of a digital source that does its own audio decoding.
> 
> Madbrayniak - another thing to keep in mind is that many of the modern surround sound receivers and pre/pros offer room correction and EQ programs, which give you more options for fine-tuning your speaker and sub levels, crossover settings, etc. The P7 does not do that.


The Oppo BDP-105 can also function as a standalone DAC for sources like CD players or iPods or cable boxes.


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## sam1000 (Jan 16, 2009)

I had been thinking about getting 105 and P7 as well. Currently I own Integra 80.2 (prsc 5508). I'm happy with my current setup but trying to see if I get more transparent sound using the Oppo/P7 combo. From what I have read so far, 80.2 analog inputs are not at par and so, if I get Oppo 105, I need to get a good analog pre-amp to go with it.
Has anyone heard P7 with a good source and compared it to integra 80.2?
PS - I'm using Ascend Sierra Towers with RAAL ribbon tweeter and Outlaw 770 amp.


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## 8086 (Aug 4, 2009)

As much as I like the analog P7 and would consider owning one, it seems a tad expensive for what you get. I've seen more board components on products costing much less. And I'm not saying more components means better sound, which is usually to the contrary. By this, I mean it does't take very many parts to make one, which may mean a lower manufacturing cost. It weighs half as much as an Integra Pre-amp, lacks a simple DAC circuit, and The engineering looks simple: design one channel (or steal the schematics from the existing P3) then multiply it by eight. Unless the P7 comes with a sweet ALPs potentiometer, I have a hard time justifying the expense. 

However given the rarity of pure analog multi-channel pre-amps these days, I am sort of stuck on loving this or hating this. Emotiva, are you listening?


I know there is one other company out there making a multichannel analog pre-amp. Does anyone remember the name?


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## erwinbel (Mar 23, 2010)

madbrayniak said:


> I didnt realize that the Oppo does it's own decoding. That would mean though that there would be a problem with tv viewing.
> 
> Anyways, as you can tell, I like to think, study, and think some more about my audio obsession. I receivers/processors today are asked to do way to much as their original job was audio reproduction. now they are asked to calibrate the rooms for us(which is usually only a good starting point to fine tune the system) receive satelite radio, internet radio, apple airplay, DLNA connections etc.
> 
> ...


The Oppo 105 has one HDMI input, hence one cable or sat settop box or Apple TV could be added to it, I assume. Maybe the 2014 model Oppo 115 will have more HDMI inputs?

If your room is well treated (reverberation/first reflections/bass traps) and you use a DSP'd pair of subs AND you build or buy an excellent speaker set (which means within +/- 1 or 1.5 dB frequency response), then room correction is perhaps not needed.


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## 8086 (Aug 4, 2009)

erwinbel said:


> The Oppo 105 has one HDMI input, hence one cable or sat settop box or Apple TV could be added to it, I assume. Maybe the 2014 model Oppo 115 will have more HDMI inputs?
> 
> If your room is well treated (reverberation/first reflections/bass traps) and you use a DSP'd pair of subs AND you build or buy an excellent speaker set (which means within +/- 1 or 1.5 dB frequency response), then room correction is perhaps not needed.


If you need more HDMI inputs for your Oppo, you can always resort to a nice HDMI switch and there are differences between one switch and another.

In a perfect world, we would not need room corrections. But objects like furniture and textures like tile in the room can alter or color sound. Which is why we need room correction, no one in their right mind lives in an anechoic chamber.


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