Nice review. I would think the logical competitor for this amp is the Emotiva XPA-5. The XPA-5 is conservatively (and similarly) rated at 200 wpc @ 8 Ohms and 300 wpc @ 4 ohms. The XPA-5 has a ruler flat response curve and it's noise floor is inaudible and like all Emotiva amps, its rated power is with all channels driven. At $800.00 it makes the the $2800.00 Parasound seem kind of bloated in the price department. I've had the opportunity to listen to a lot of Parasound amps over the years and they sound great, but no better than the Emotiva despite costing more than 3 times as much. Makes no sense to me to spend all that money when there are internet direct products that compete with this fine Parasound amp but do so at 30% of it's cost.

Porcheguy,

Please take the following remarks in stride for it is not meant to be an attack, but do you work for Emotiva or something? It seems no matter what we write or review you faithfully comment about how it compares or doesn't compare to Emotiva. If you're purely an Emotiva fan then I'm happy you've found your brand but if you're not I have to know if you're somehow associated with them?

True the XPA-5, on paper, does appear to be evenly matched with the 5250 v.2 which I talk about in the review but since I can not review Emotiva products (seriously, they won't let me) I can not comment one way or the other. Going purely off of price the XPA-5 appears to be the hands down winner but price isn't everything and you get what you pay for. In Emotiva's case, according to their own user forums, their products can sometimes be a mixed bag. While the 5250 v.2 is more expensive I trust Parasound and Parasound's reputation in the industry both consumer and professional. Variety is the spice of life and to each his own.

I'm pleased you enjoy your Emotiva products and thank you for being such an avid reader and contributor to this site. Thanks for your input and for spicing up the conversation.

Best!
Andrew Robinson
Managing Editor
Home Theater Review

No Andrew, I do not work for Emotiva and this is only the second time I have ever compared an Emotiva product to a reviewed product - the first time being their pre/pro UMC-1.

I do own a lot of their equipment including an XPA-5, (2) XPA-1's, XPA-2, UPA-7, ERC-1 and UMC-1. Over the years I've had a lot of gear, Big dollar preamps and power amps, expensive turntables and high dollar speakers.

I'm a big Emo fan because of the value they represent. All of their products with the exception of the UMC-1 pre/pro have been very positively reviewed evened applauded for their exceptional performance - at any price. The fact that Emotiva gear is so well priced is the icing on the cake.

I guess I just chuckle when all these "audiophile" companies trot out their megabuck products, which are beautifully made and sound great - but no better than the Emotiva products.

There is another "audiophile" website that reviewed the Emotiva UPA-1 200 wpc mono blocs and USP-1 preamp this month. Remember, these are $350 mono blocs and the USP-1 sells for $499.00. Here are some of the reviewers comments and this $1200.00 bargain basement 2 channel system.

What better compliment than this:

From the reviewer:

"If I were starting again from the beginning, the USP-1 and UPA-1 would serve as my system’s core. Add your favorite $500-$1,500 pair of speakers, a $500 turntable, a DAC, and you’ve got a system that rocks for a few thousand bucks. (I’m really looking forward to listening to Emotiva’s flagship monoblocks; if the company can turn out a product of this caliber for $350, what they can do for $1,000?""I can’t stress it enough: This combination does not make a single misstep. Sound quality is excellent, and the pricing is amazing"

If you have problems with access to the Emotiva line, you could always buy an XPA-5 to test and then just sell it as slightly used on Agon. It would be gone in 2 days. Might cost you a couple of hundred bucks in depreciation. Not bad to fund a product review...

Best

Pg

I have no doubt that Parasound makes excellent products. I would like to comment regarding what you wrote in your first response to Porscheguy's uppity comment, in which you state:

"Going purely off of price the XPA-5 appears to be the hands down winner but price isn't everything and you get what you pay for."

While that may be true in broad generalities, there are so many exceptions to this "rule" that it really is not a valid thing to say. Case in point: The Lexicon "Oppo BDP-83 In A Box." Or, any Bose or Monster product. The list goes on and on..

Monk,

I didn't take Porcheguy's comment as uppity, he's just passionate about the products/brands that he likes and chooses to support -to which I say good for him. As for my statement re: getting what you pay for, it was not intended to be viewed as a rule for I too agree there are numerous products that appear to shatter that ideal, products such as Parasound's 5250 v.2 for example. Perhaps the Emotiva amps are also one of those "exceptions" but since I have not reviewed them I can not speak to their true "value". Thanks for reading and for joining in on the discussion.

Andrew Robinson
Managing Editor
Home Theater Review

Actually in home theater, you don't always get what you pay for. For instance the Parasound amp is sold through dealers so there is a 50% markup to them. Most dealers try to make 35%-40% margin on electronics. (speakers are even more, maybe 70%). The dealer will make $800-$1000 margin on this amp which might be fine for some - but not me. I don't begrudge dealers at all, but there are so few of them left that you almost end up buying on the internet from them so whats the difference? I called a local "dealer" on a pre/pro last year and he told me the price was the list price. If I wanted that pre/pro, he told me 15% down, and he would order it for me and call me when it came in. So he hands it to me and puts 50% in his pocket for placing the order. Huh?

This whole business model is changing. The brick and mortar guy will be gone soon except for custom installs and the real esoteric stuff for rich folks only.

Even Anthem is building receivers in China now. They see the tea leaves.....

It won't be long before its all direct to the end user. One of the big guys will abandon the dealer model then they will all fall like dominos....

Porsche Guy,

Emotiva REFUSES to give us any product to review. Period. I don't know what they are scared of but they only really give review product to Audioholics.com who SELLS their product through an online store that they sell their name to (that's how Gene explained it to me).

We tried. They agreed. Then they pulled back. Its all fine by me. I think the savvy readers of top AV publications like HomeTheaterReview.com and elsewhere know the score and make their own decisions. Sadly, we are BIG fans of their products. The good news is that there are other Internet direct brands that are EVERY BIT as good including Aperion, Outlaw, Orb and beyond.

Also - have you given Andrew public kudos for reviewing and quick reviewing more affordable gear yet? You are the one beating the drum for $2000 and under reviews? We have a good number of them posted with easily 12 more waiting in the wings. Enjoy.

Porscheguy,

Your argument is passionate and your points valid but I fear we tread on a slippery slope for the only reason companies such as Outlaw, Aperion and even Emotiva exist is because of dealers. Dealers help create demand for particular products and Internet direct companies find ways to bringing similar products or alternative products to the masses for less -ergo the two kind of need each other. Internet direct companies are able to gain traction and sell based on price because they have cut out the margin you despise. I mean who wouldn't want a 200-Watt amp for half as much? Even if it sounded 75% as good as its costlier rival it would still be okay would it not? An Emotiva amp at $899 direct would be $1,800 via a dealer by your logic (give or take a few bucks) which puts them right in the crosshairs of companies such as Parasound. But because they sell direct their amp is seen as a "value" therefor better when the "better" is based solely on price.

Why I think what you're suggesting is a slippery slope is because if there were no dealers and every brand was sold direct via the net then price would no longer be an issue (or as big an issue). The problem with that argument is the fact that consumers would then begin attacking manufacturer margins and that's dangerous too. For when or where would it end? Everyone has to make a living and while we would all love to have our cake and eat it too the fact remains that someone has to pay in order for someone else to live.

Emotiva is making money and I wouldn't be surprised if its on par with what the big boys make they just get to keep it for themselves. For instance an $899 amp probably costs Emotiva half to produce. Well if Parasound all of a sudden started selling direct and the 5250 v.2 was similar in price then, by your argument, either Emotiva or Parasound would have to lessen their margin in order to get your business and be deemed "the best." What would be an acceptable mark-up then? $100? $200? The reason products cost what they cost is because that's what the economy/consumers will allow. If consumers stopped buying $10,000 amps believe me Krell, Mark Levinson, Classe and others would stop making them.

Furthermore, it's not like Emotiva is anti-dealer or completely on the side of "for the people" like many of their core fans and customers believe. Emotiva's president, Dan, just bought Sherbourn -a dealer sold, CI brand. Dan has NO intentions of selling Sherbourn Internet direct. Instead his products will have to do battle with the likes of Parasound complete with their dealer markups and all. I wonder if the response will be as favorable.

Lastly, you mentioned in an earlier post that you know (as do most Emotiva customers) that the UMC-1, Emotiva's AV preamp, is problematic or perhaps worse. I would like to point out that the folks over at Emotiva knew this prior to releasing it and still they released it anyway. They promised early adopters firmware updates and fixes to problems they knew existed, problems that remain to this day. This is primarily the reason Emotiva will not allow the UMC-1 to be reviewed is because they know it is temperamental (I know Audioholics reviewed the UMC-1 but don't get me started on that topic). Now companies like Parasound could've done the same thing as Emotiva and release an AV preamp they knew to be faulty in order to make as much as they could before word got out. A new Parasound AV preamp would've sold like hot cakes, in fact they had one in the works (I'm told they had 5,000 pre-orders) but Parasound didn't release their new AV preamp, because like the UMC-1, they knew it had some issues. Instead of releasing a sub-par product Parasound, at great expense, scrapped the whole thing for they rather take the "hit" then disappoint their customers.

I'm not suggesting there is a right or a wrong way of doing business, nor do I think Emotiva is an evil company. I'm just saying that because of their ability to sell at rock bottom prices a lot of enthusiasts give them a pass, a pass NOT afforded to other brands/manufacturers such as Parasound, Krell, Mark Levinson etc.

As always thanks for being a part of the conversation.

Best,
Andrew Robinson
Managing Editor
Home Theater Review

As far as the dealer model goes, there are precious few left. In NH where I live, there is only one B&M, Ensemble Audio & HT in Nashua NH. Thats it. In fact I called another another dealer of a brand that begins with "P" (not Parasound), to inquire about some pricing on a subwoofer. I was told very nicely by that out of state dealer that I had to deal with my guy in NH. Period. That happens all the time. Most of the dealers in NH (and other places I'm sure) now are custom installers who work out of the trunks of their cars and step vans. No showrooms, no demos, no real value to have to give a dealer 50% margin.

All that left is Best Buy. What can I learn there? No Magnolia in New England at all. There is Goodwins High End in Waltham MA. You need an appointment to get in......

Dealers?? What dealers???

Jerry, if you can afford a $6000.00 Brioni suit, you can afford to buy an $800 amp to use for the review and sell on Agon for a few hundred less. Were not talkin about some $26000.00 Meridian piece.

:-)

And props to Andrew to covering more affordable gear. The ZU review was great.

Remember, this country was built on discourse.

Best,

Pg

Interesting comments and thread. Personally, I agree with Porscheguy on the Emo stuff. I own a lot (and no, I am not an employee...).

To those saying "oh my, they would not let us review it...!!!", I say..."well, OK, so that's Emo's position, but there are other options."

Specifically, Emotiva allows anyone to buy their amps, listen, and decide if they want to return it or not. So, any reviewer could do the same. Sure, there's a cost to the reviewer in that they have to pay for shipment back, but...if the reviewer thinks it's review-worthy based on reputation - maybe they should do that. And, in doing so, the reviewer might just get a new benchmark on cost vs. performance.

I personally know that Emotiva did just that for me. The XPA-2 and XPA-5 I own set new benchmarks in amps for me on outright performance and also cost...same with the USP-1. The USP-1 so far outperforms any prior preamp I owned that I kick myself for spending what I have spent in the past.

Anyway, that's my 2 cents...

Mark

Wow, first review I've read from you and you slam my equipment; nice! I won't say that Emotiva is the best out there but having looked and listened to Parasound when in the market for my amps I will say that, dollars to donuts, they don't compete. It's like a exhibition game between a major and minor league team and the minor league beats them with less payroll. I don't buy my speakers (not Emotiva) or amps because they're at Skywalker Studios or Abby Road Studios or other marketing ploys like that (they might as well advertise on the side of a race car). I buy because they sound good (to my ears). Don't get me wrong, if Emotiva amps sounded like crap I wouldn't buy them no matter how inexpensive they are. It's a shame that, for one reason or another, Emotiva has not let you review one of their amps at their expense. I guess that's the cost of doing business with Home Theater Review. If you were truly interested in presenting the best of what is out there to your audience then you'd simply drop a few coins and get one of these cheap little amps just for grins and giggles. You could simply return it or sell it (I've seen a couple of reviewers do just that on audiogon and ebay).

In closing... You've lost any respect from me by being irresponsible and slamming a product that, by your own admission, haven't heard. If you've heard it and formulated your opinion based upon what you've heard then review it for everyone. If you haven't heard it simply don't say anything pro or con about it. A simple "it's out there but we haven't been able to review it" would be more than fine (and it would be the truth). Your comments were irresponsible and taint anything else I would read on your site or in your rag. I now hold the opinion that to get a good review from Home Theater Review that you have to be coddled and smoozed like a $3 floozy. Or, you're simply afraid to say anything good about them (even though you haven't heard them) because other manufacturers wouldn't like you and let you review their products any more?

So tell me; how much does it cost for a good review?

Yeah, if you want to compare with another better and cheaper product, just buy it and be done with it!
Don't start to cry like a little baby to his audience by saying "they won't allow us to review their products". This is totally childish, unprofessional, and uncalled for!

Be true to your deep passion!

Yeah, just buy the product you want to compare with!

We don't need any more bull like you just used in your review!

^ Yeah that! ...And much more...

I see some of the heavy hitters on the Emotiva forum have decided to chime in. It's nice to hear from new people -even if they're not on my side.

It appears I didn't make my points clear for I never said Emotiva made a bad product or that Parasound was the "winner". I actually said that if you cut out dealer margins the two amps were closer in price than one would think and therefor would compete on a more level playing field by a fellow reader's standard. I then when on to say that I disagreed with Emotiva's decision to release the UMC-1 when they knew it was "buggy" but that they are also free to run their business as they see fit. Which brings me to my next point...

With regards to my comments surrounding "Emotiva not allowing us to review their products", the statement wasn't meant as a plea for you all to take pitty upon me or the publication, it was a statement of fact. I'm fully aware that I can buy Emotiva products and return them however Emotiva has made it clear to my publisher and to the staff of this publication that doing so would result in legal action being taken. I'm not kidding, Emotiva's attorney sent this publication a letter telling us to cease talking about their brand, their products and the inner workings of their company. Obviously we feel their claims are baseless for we've never said anything negative about their products -in fact, we've supported them whole heartedly despite having never been sent a product for review. I have friends who have purchased Emotiva products on my recommendation knowing full well that I had never heard the product in question myself.

The truth is I pass no judgment upon Emotiva whatsoever. I may disagree with some of their business practices but that's my right just as it's your right to criticize me for my views. If any of my words seem like criticism of Emotiva's products then it must be directed upon the UMC-1, which has been taken directly from comments, concerns and criticism from Emotiva's own user forum.

I understand that Emotiva's core customer base is loyal and very supportive. I'm not surprised by many of your reactions and knew ahead of time that by responding to earlier posts that the discourse could become personal and combative. I don't mind but I stand by my earlier statements that all things being equal (talking price here) I'm not sure people would feel as strongly towards Emotiva nor feel the need to defend it anymore than they would Krell, Mark Levinson, McIntosh etc.

For the record, the product that truly got this whole discussion started wasn't the Parasound 5250 v.2 at all, but the Parasound Halo A23 and P3 -two products that I bought back in the day for Emotiva like money from a dealer. Because of the A23 and P3 I got a taste of what was possible for little to no money and truthfully I wish like hell I still had those pieces for they were benchmark products at their price and even a little above, so I understand the level of passion you all have for your "giant killers", I do. I was passionate about my Halo stack. But please try and keep everything in perspective. We're discussing inanimate objects so let's please keep the personal attacks to a minimum.

Once again I thank you all for reading and for participating in the discussion. Happy listening.

Best,
Andrew Robinson
Managing Editor
Home Theater Review

Regarding the testing of Emotiva equipment. You could just buy an amp and return it within 30 days and only be out shipping.

I have not owned Parasound or other higher end amps. My only separates have been Emotiva so I can't directly compare them. However, as my wife says, I am very frugile-even cheap maybe. Not cheap in what I want but cheap in what I want to pay. My key driver is always value-whatever that may mean in a particlar product or service. I am not one to pay for name only unless that name means value over and above some lesser known name brand.

For me, Emotiva gives me the value and everything else I need for a lot less money than Parasound or some other higher end name brands. Why should I pay 50% or more for something that doesn't offer anything above what the lesser known brand offers? For my hard earned money, it doesn't make any sense. Again, unless the added value is worth the added expense.

Regarding the testing of Emotiva equipment. You could just buy an amp and return it within 30 days and only be out shipping.

I have not owned Parasound or other higher end amps. My only separates have been Emotiva so I can't directly compare them. However, as my wife says, I am very frugile-even cheap maybe. Not cheap in what I want but cheap in what I want to pay. My key driver is always value-whatever that may mean in a particlar product or service. I am not one to pay for name only unless that name means value over and above some lesser known name brand.

For me, Emotiva gives me the value and everything else I need for a lot less money than Parasound or some other higher end name brands. Why should I pay 50% or more for something that doesn't offer anything above what the lesser known brand offers? For my hard earned money, it doesn't make any sense. Again, unless the added value is worth the added expense.

Regarding the testing of Emotiva equipment. You could just buy an amp and return it within 30 days and only be out shipping.

I have not owned Parasound or other higher end amps. My only separates have been Emotiva so I can't directly compare them. However, as my wife says, I am very frugile-even cheap maybe. Not cheap in what I want but cheap in what I want to pay. My key driver is always value-whatever that may mean in a particlar product or service. I am not one to pay for name only unless that name means value over and above some lesser known name brand.

For me, Emotiva gives me the value and everything else I need for a lot less money than Parasound or some other higher end name brands. Why should I pay 50% or more for something that doesn't offer anything above what the lesser known brand offers? For my hard earned money, it doesn't make any sense. Again, unless the added value is worth the added expense.

cgolf,

I hear you on the value proposition. Dealer margins are often hard to swallow, especially when there are companies/products that seem to sell without. For some, like Porscheguy, who live in areas where dealers are in short supply, Internet direct is often the only way to go. I too have my hang ups with dealers, though it's not so much about their markups as it is about their laziness. I'm glad you've found a brand/product that works for you and that you enjoy your Emotiva products. If Emotiva has allowed you to get into this hobby and be happy in it then life is good.

Happy listening and thanks for writing.

Best,
Andrew Robinson
Managing Editor
Home Theater Review

Andrew,

First, no one is attacking here; we are all expressing our opinions, and our emotions are simply humane!

Your response above was honest and I appreciate that!

We are only in it for the Love of Music and the Value that's all!
We are posters of our own electronics that we choose to buy!
And if we decide to buy one brand over another one, it's because we're smart and we go above just words written in a review!
If you can respect that, then you're welcome to the club! :smile:

Bob

Afternoon, Andrew. Just to clarify a bit from my post last night. I wouldn't consider myself a "heavy hitter" on the Emotiva forum. Yes, I have a good deal of post there but nothing of merit. I also post on other forums both HT related and not. I thought the review of the Parasound 5250 v2, over all, was good. My contention was with the paragraph that came after mentioning that you could not review the XPA-5.

"While price is a huge factor and motivator for many, present company included, I trust Parasound over brands like Emotiva for they've been around for 30 years and have built a reputation for excellence throughout the AV industry not to mention the professional film community. I guarantee you will not find an Emotiva amp anywhere near Skywalker Sound."

While I don't begrudge you having an opinion on the amp that you're reviewing or any other product that you've reviewed, I believe the paragraph quoted is without merit and would not pass the muster in a Expository Writing 101 class at a good under graduate school (at least at mine it wouldn't). I believe that the paragraph could be removed without affecting the scope or the flow of the article.

I did not know that there was such bad blood between Emotiva and Home Theater Review at the time that I wrote my comment. However, you've presented the action without the predication which makes me wonder what happened between the two entities prior to the "action". I would like to hear more on this if you choose to comment.

Finally, whenever I'm reading a review or article I feel that it cheapens the author's point when they mention advertising as a way to validate their opinion. You, I and others have been around the block more than once and I assume that you realize that when a company mentions that their product is used at YYZ company/studio that it is a marketing ploy. For Parasound to be able to use Skywalker Sound they have to have permission to say that from... Skywalker Sound. That permission is usually bought and paid for by making a deal on the cost of the equipment involved. I doubt that Parasound is so good that George Lucas (or who ever) said "I've got to have your equipment, name your price". By giving their equipment at a reduced price to Skywalker Sound, Parasound was granted permission to use Skywalker Sound in their advertisements. This is a win/win for each company as Skywalker Sound gets equipment that made their "short list" and Parasound gets to use Skywalker Sound as a source to validate the "worth" of their equipment and price. The fact that Parasound and Skywalker Sound reached an agreement to use each other in exchange for dollars does not speak to me of the value, sound quality or worth of their equipment.

Thank you for responding to my comment. I hope that this explains my position a bit better from last night.

Stiehl11,

Thanks for your clarifying comments, I appreciate it. The paragraph referring to Parasound and Skywalker sound was meant to be an illustration of Parasound's history, credentials and overall reach versus that of Internet darling Emotiva. Given that I knew prior to submitting the review that Emotiva's fans were a loyal bunch I wanted to make sure I stated my reasons for supporting Parasound when, clearly, there were less expensive alternatives that were, possibly, capable of similar or like performance.

As for Parasound being involved with Skywalker Ranch I have agree and disagree with your comment. Yes, name dropping in the eyes of savvy readers such as yourself can seem a bit patronizing and off putting, however that doesn't change the fact that Parasound, like many other brands, are endorsed and used by recognizable names within the pro or semi-pro community. Had I said "Parasound was the amp that Shaq uses" then I believe your argument is 100 percent valid and accurate for what does Shaq know? However, I know some of the folks that have worked at Skywalker as well as several professionals that work in the film community and while there are certainly advantages for both Parasound and Skywalker being in bed together the fact remains that if it was crap they wouldn't use it. As much as even the pro's want to save a buck they still have a standard and quality to maintain. Do I think people should purchase Parasound or any endorsed product on their endorsement value alone? Of course not, but for some it is a vote of confidence and something that grants them piece of mind when making their purchasing decision. Dealers for that matter also help (sometimes) in the piece of mind argument for many -though I'm getting off topic.

As for the bad blood between HTR and Emotiva. First and foremost, from my perspective, I harbor no ill will, what went down went down between Dan and my publisher, who have known each other for some time. Dan and his family made a business decision to terminate their long standing business relationship with us, i.e. advertising, and my publisher simply tried to retain them as a client. It appeared that Emotiva was going to remain as an advertiser (they were the most successful we've ever had) but at the last minute negotiations broke down. It was during the tense negotiations ( which I was not a part of for editorial and advertising are SEPARATE DEPARTMENTS here at HTR), that I was told and/or discovered that despite HTR's long standing relationship and support of Emotiva that they were purposely withholding gear from us to review. They did this for two reasons, first, they knew some of their products were buggy and didn't want to risk a negative review and second, they already had the "favorable ink" they felt they needed from another trusted source. When HTR breached the topic of the ethical dilemma of having the majority of their "good press" stem from a single source; a source that earns money off the sale of Emotiva products (as well as others) we were told to ________. It was also during this time that some of the rumors regarding Emotiva's role as an OEM for some of the more blue-chip brands proved to be false, another topic we asked about to which they responded in a letter from their attorney. I know harsh words were shared between both Emotiva as well as my publisher and as I'm told and have seen in private emails it got ugly and in my opinion out of line -on both sides. Again, I didn't have any part in it but obviously support my publisher and this publication on our stand. Truthfully, it's sad what has happened for the CE community is a small one and for the most part everyone is friends with everyone else as it should be. It's never pleasant to see friendships go south over business but it does happen.

For me the most frustrating thing was learning that despite months and years of communication that was all very positive and in most instances not even home theater or CE related that they (Emotiva) felt they couldn't somehow trust my editorial staff to write a proper review and give their products a fair shake. Truthfully, that hurt and it angered me but that's not the reason behind my comments. Emotiva has a business to run and in the end they simply made a business decision plain and simple -personally I've moved on for this was weeks ago. The only reason it has surfaced at all was because many of our readers have been writing and begging for us to review Emotiva products. I feel terrible for as Managing Editor it's my job to bring you, the readers, the content you desire and I have not with regards to Emotiva. Please understand that it's not because I haven't tried or don't wish to, it's because I don't want to deal with the possible repercussions however frivolous they may be. Even frivolous lawsuits can get expensive and I, like many of you, are not made of money. =) I hope this puts an end to all the speculation. Moving forward I can not say if HTR will review an Emotiva product or not -I hope we do though I want to allow for some more time to pass and level heads to prevail.

I thank you again for commenting and hope that you will enjoy our upcoming reviews and editorial stories in the future.

Best,
Andrew Robinson
Managing Editor
Home Theater Review

Andrew,
I applaud your patience but I believe you gave way too much exposure to this subject. You liked an amp and highlighted its value. The next thing we know this barrage of misstatements and emotional bias comes out of the woodwork, selling their point of view. This was the worst string of comments I've seen in a long time. Let them start their own publication.

Glendonious

I appreciate your comments and thank you for your support. I agree, things got a bit nuts for a minute there. Obviously, I set out to share my thoughts about the Parasound 5250 v2 with all of you and never expected it to go down such a rough and windy road but never the less it did. I thought some good points were made on both sides and I would've preferred to keep old news in the past but between the comments left here and on my personal email I felt it was necessary to put all the information out there in hopes of curbing some of the tension. There are two sides to every story and, at least for you guys (the readers) you know my side/position. Bottom line, I really enjoyed the Parasound 5250 v2 and would recommend it to anyone -that's really the point I wanted to make.

Thanks for reading and for posting. I appreciate it.

Andrew Robinson
Managing Editor
Home Theater Review

This was a Parasound review, right? Great job on the review Andrew.

I can't speak for Andrew or Jerry, but I don't think I would order a piece of equipment for a review knowing that I was going to send it back. I think it's a bit unfair to the manufacturer and myself. Personally, I would rather have them ship to me with full knowledge it was for review purposes.

First off all i have being trolling the site for reviews in audio gear , and i always enjoyed reading your reviews Andrew .

#1 - i am not a owner or make part of the EMOTIVA forum , but i have being listening to several amps to make my final decision . This Quest of mine goes from the XPA-5 ( a friend that as one ) and i moved my speakers to is place and AVR also , To the retail store were i listened to Anthem , Classe , NAD , Arcam , Lexicon , Onkyo just to name a few . withe several AVR`s .

I live in Canada and by general i have to say that we are being ripped off by the retail market around here . So to internet sales is the only alternative , i have to tell you that it will cost me almost half the price to get here a XPA-5 as to buy a Anthem PVA-5 that i can buy in 5 minutes from my place .

Was i impressed with Anthem no , was i impressed in the same category with any other amp as the XPA-5 no . So it came down to price , i believe and you are correct that the UMC-1 was and is problematic my friend also ad one and sold it when the problems started but still loves is XPA-5 , this same guy also went from Rotel , Parasound and Lexicon and i really trust is judgement .

So i can not agree or accept that its not reviewed or compared because the company is not willing to let there product to be reviewed for free , that`s no excuse .

Other company`s work out from internet sales to avoid the avid and hungry retail store i can say that 90% of those company`s have a 30 day return policy , like : Axiom , SVS , EPIK , Ascend Acoustics and so on .

For instance do i agree with there policy going around forums and trying to sell there stuff ? Hell no , but i still prefer to hear or read a review by non biased owners or some professional reviewers that aren`t on the pay check per say .

Some points i don`t agree with you regarding the comparison between what would it would cost if it was not internet sale .... That is a lot of if .... but i respect that .

But for the sake of all readers you guys should take this matter in to hands and get something from EMOTIVA and review it , with or without cost`s .