Parasound P 5 User Manual

P 5

2.1 Channel Stereo Preamplifier

OWNER’S GUIDE

Important Safety Instructions

The lightning flash with the arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the
presence of “dangerous voltage” inside the product that may constitute a risk of electric shock.

The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important
operating and maintenance instructions in the literature accompanying the product.

TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER. NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE.
REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL

1. Read Instructions — Read all the safety and operating instructions before operating this product.

2. Retain Instructions — Retain safety and operating instructions for future reference.

3. Heed Warnings — Adhere to all warnings on the product and in the operating instructions.

4. Follow Instructions — Follow all operating and use instructions.

5. Cleaning — Unplug this product from the wall outlet before cleaning. Use a damp cloth for cleaning. Clean
the outside of the product only.

6. Attachments — Do not use attachments that are not recommended by the product manufacturer; they may
be hazardous.

7. Water and Moisture — Do not use this product near water.

8. Accessories — Do not place this product on an unstable cart or stand. The product may fall, causing bodily
injury and damage to the product. A product and cart combination should be moved with care. Quick stops,
excessive force, and uneven surfaces may cause the product and cart to overturn.

9. Ventilation — Slots and openings in the cabinet are provided for ventilation to ensure reliable operation of the
product and to protect it from overheating. These openings must not be blocked or covered. This product should
not be placed in a built-in installation such as a bookcase or rack unless proper ventilation is provided.

10. Power Sources — Operate this product only from the type of power source indicated on the label. If you are
not sure of the type of power supply to your home, consult your dealer or local power company. This product is
equipped with a three-prong grounding plug. This plug will only fit into a grounding power outlet. If you are unable
to insert the plug into the outlet, contact your electrician to replace your obsolete outlet. Do not defeat the safety
purpose of the grounding plug.

11. Power Cord Protection — Power supply cords should be routed so that they are not likely to be walked on or
pinched by items placed upon or against them.

12. Lightning — Unplug the unit from the wall outlet for added protection during a lightning storm and when it is
left unattended and unused for long periods of time. This will prevent damage to the product due to lightning and
power line surges.

13. Overloading — Do not overload wall outlets or extension cords. This can result in a fire or electric shock.

14. Inserting Objects into Unit — Never push objects of any kind into this product through any openings; they may
touch dangerous voltage points or short out parts that could result in fire or electric shock.

15. Servicing — Do not attempt to repair or service this product yourself. Opening or removing covers may expose
you to dangerous voltage and other hazards. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel.

16. Damage Requiring Service — Unplug this product from the wall outlet and refer servicing to qualified
service personnel under the following conditions: a) If the power-supply cord or plug is damaged.
b) If liquid has been spilled into the product. c) If the product has been exposed to rain or water. d) If the product
does not operate normally by following the operating instructions. e) If the product has been dropped or damaged
in any way. f) If the product exhibits a distinct change in performance.

17. Replacement Parts — When replacement parts are required, be sure the service technician has used
replacement parts specified by the manufacturer. Unauthorized substitutions may result in fire, electric shock, and
other hazards.

18. Safety Check — Upon completion of any service or repairs to this product, ask the service technician to
perform safety checks to determine that the product is in proper operating condition.

19. Wall or Ceiling Mounting — Mount the product to a wall or ceiling only as recommended.

20. Heat — The product should be situated away from heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, and
other products (including amplifiers) that produce heat.

2

Table of Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Placement and Ventilation Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

AC Mains Voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Rack Mounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Analog Audio Input Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Home Theater Bypass Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Digital Audio Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

USB Computer Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Audio Output Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Subwoofer Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Main and Subwoofer Crossover Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Turn On Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Other Rear Panel Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Front Panel Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Remote Control Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Problem and Remedies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

If You Require Assistance or Warranty Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

3

INTRODUCTION

Thank You for Choosing Parasound

Your new Parasound Halo P 5 is an advanced 2.1 channel stereo preamplifier that has been
designed for the most advanced performance for serious two channel music listening and ease of
integration with a surround sound system. The P 5 is built to the extremely strict quality and
performance standards for which Parasound is renowned. We’re proud to offer you this
exceptional audio component that will bring you many years of enjoyment and dependability.
Because your new Halo Series P 5 Preamplifier performs at a higher level of sonic performance
than you may have expected we encourage you to read this entire manual to maximize your
enjoyment. We wish you many years of listening enjoyment.

-The Parasound Staff

Keeping Records for Future Reference

Record the serial number located on the back panel or bottom of your P 5 in the space below. Also
note your Parasound Dealer’s name and telephone number. Your purchase receipt/bill of sale is
required to determine if your P 5 is eligible for Parasound warranty service. We recommend that
you make an extra copy of your original purchase receipt/bill of sale and store it inside the P 5’s
carton.

Parasound P 5Amplifier Serial #: ______________ (5 digit number below the bar code)

Parasound Dealer: ___________________________________________________

Parasound Dealer Phone Number: ___________________

Date of Purchase: ______________________

Important Warranty information

There is no Parasound warranty for this unit if it was not purchased from an Authorized
Parasound Dealer. Investigate warranty coverage statements made by an unauthorized dealer

very carefully, as you will need to depend entirely upon your dealer, and NOT upon Parasound.
Unauthorized dealers lack the capability to make repairs or arrange for repairs of Parasound
equipment. Alist ofAuthorized Parasound Dealers and detailed warranty information is available
at www.parasound.com or you can call 415-397-7100 between 9:00 am and 4 pm Pacific time.
A missing or altered serial number could indicate that this unit was re-sold by an unauthorized
dealer or is stolen merchandise. If this unit is missing its serial number or the serial number has
been altered, you should return it to your dealer immediately for a full refund.

4

Unpacking Your P 5 & Placement Guidelines

Unpacking Your P 5

Carefully remove your P 5 from its shipping carton and locate the enclosed accessories:

• AC power cord

• Two trigger wires, one with mono 3.5 mm mini plugs, one with a mono 2.5mm sub-mini plug
and a mono 3.5mm mini plug

• Remote Control with AAA batteries

• USB A to USB B cable for music playback from a computer

• Stereo cable with stereo 3.5mm mini plugs for using the front panelAUX input

While you are unpacking your P 5, inspect it thoroughly for possible shipping damage and tell
your Parasound dealer immediately if you find any evidence of shipping damage. This would be a
good time to make a copy of your sales receipt to store with the P5’s original packing.

Note: Please save and store both the inner and outer cartons and, most especially, the foam
packing inserts to protect the P 5 if you have to move it or ship it. You may wish to flatten the
cardboard cartons to save room in storage after cutting the taped seams on the bottom flaps.

Placement Guidelines

The P 5 will be easier to use and will last longer if you follow these simple guidelines:

• Use input and output cables that are long enough to leave some slack; that will enable you to
pull the P 5 out of a cabinet to check or to change connections without inadvertently
disconnecting cables.

• Place your P 5 where you can route input and output signal cables as far as possible from any
AC cords.

• Where signal cables must cross AC cords they should do so only at a 90° right angle.

Ventilation Requirements

• Always position the P 5 horizontally.

•The P 5 should never be stacked above a power amplifier.

• The P 5 should not be placed in a completely enclosed cabinet.

AC Mains Voltage

The P 5 will operate on AC mains voltage of 100V-240V. There is no need for any fuse or wiring
changes to switch between 115V and 230V operation.

Rack Mounting your P 5

With its four feet removed, the P 5’s front panel height occupies two rack spaces: 3.5” or 88.2 mm.
(A single standard rack space occupies 1.75” vertical space.) For mounting in a standard 19”
equipment rack, you must use the Parasound HRA2 rack mount kit (purchased separately). The
HRA 2 kit includes four bolts and eight plastic washers with raised “shoulders.” Slide one washer
onto each mounting bolt with its raised shoulder pointing toward the panel hole. Insert the bolt
through the hole and slide the other washer on the bolt with its raised shoulder facing the rear side
of the panel. The washers will sandwich the P 5 panel and the four mounting bolts to prevent
metal-to-metal contact between the P 5 chassis, the equipment rack, and the other components
mounted in the rack.

Warning: Do not put the screws for the feet back into the bottom of the P 5 without the feet. Doing

so could cause the screws to touch electrical components and cause a short circuit.

5

Analog Audio Input Connections

Always disconnect your P 5's AC cord before making or changing any input, output or trigger wire
connections. Inserting or removing an input or output cable while the P 5 is turned on can result in
a blast of sound that could damage your loudspeakers. Make sure there is no strain or tension on
any cables that could cause them to pull loose.

Phono Input

The P 5 is equipped with a high quality phono preamplifier. If you wish to connect a turntable,
set the Load/Cartridge switch to MM (moving magnet) or MC (100Ω or 47k Ω moving coil),
depending on your cartridge type. Select MM if you are not sure which type of phono cartridge
you have because MM cartridges are more common. If you use the MC setting with an MM
cartridge the volume level will be very high and distorted. Only a turntable can be connected
to the Phono input.

Phono Load/Cartridge Switch

The Phono input has a 3 position load/cartridge selector switch. Select the switch position that
matches your turntable cartridge type. We recommend that you contact the cartridge
manufacturer if you are unsure which setting is best for your equipment. You may also try all
three settings and use the setting which sounds the best in your system and listening room.

.

 MM is for moving magnet cartridges. It provides a 47k ohm load and the appropriate gain

for all MM cartridges. This is the most common cartridge type.

 MC 100Ω is for most moving coil cartridges. It provides the higher gain required for even

very low output MC cartridges and a 100 ohm load that is ideal for the majority of MC
cartridges.

 MC 47kΩ provides the appropriate gain for MC cartridges with an alternative 47k ohm

load. You can try both the 100Ω and 47k Ω settings to see which sounds best in your
system. The MC 47kΩ setting is also the load Grado recommends for their MI (moving
iron) cartridges.

Note: If your turntable won’t reach adequate volume, or if it plays too loud, you have
selected the incorrect cartridge type. Don’t forget to connect the ground wire from your
turntable to the Phono GND (ground) terminal on the P 5.

6

Analog Audio Input Connections (Continued)…

RCA line level Input Jacks (inputs 1-5)

Source inputs 1–5 all have the same input sensitivity and input impedance and they are
compatible with any typical analog line level source.

Note: Input 5 is shared with the XLR balanced input, therefore the RCAand

XLR jacks for input 5 should not be connected at the same time.

XLR Balanced Input (input 5)

Input 5 uses balanced XLR type jacks. Use this input to connect an analog source which has
balanced outputs. A balanced line provides superior hum and noise cancellation, especially
for long cable runs.

Note: Input 5 is shared with the XLR balanced input, therefore the RCAand

XLR jacks for input 5 should not be connected at the same time.

Front Panel Aux Input

For your convenience there is an input jack on the front panel for a portable MP3 player (or
smart phone). Connect the included cable with 3.5mm stereo plugs between the portable
player or smart phone’s headphone jack and the P 5’s Aux input jack. The Aux input has an
additional gain stage that boosts the input signal by 12dB so that the volume level remains
consistent when you select your other source components. For the best result set your
portable player’s volume to at least 75% of its maximum level.

Note: If you connect a component other than a portable MP3 player to the Aux Input jack,

the volume level will probably be too high and possibly distorted.

7