Parasound - Zpre2 Audio/Video Preamplifier

I purchased this pre amp to begin building a separate audio component setup, as with pre amp power amp and speakers as opposed to a stereo receiver or integrated amp. The main problem with it is that when you have the volume slightly low, audio only emits out of the left channel, tried switching cables, speakers wires and even power amp... Still does this, contacted Parasound and spoke with several people who told me that because of the analog design of the volume knob, this is known to happen and there is nothing they can do to remedy the situation. They know this is cheap and I would have thought a company of which prides itself on high end audio products would be ashamed to have something knowingly wrong with their products. In fact this problem has gotten worse, the higher the volume know the problem still persists.. I was actually told that all of the Z line products have this very same problem, that they use a cheap volume control and ingress from the other channel crosses over and you get audio playing on one speaker but not the other. My cheap Pioneer receiver doesn't even do this... Buyer beware!

I've been an audiophile for over 40 years. My main system rivals $100K systems say my friends. I've owned a variety of solid state and tube components. I think my opinions are informed. So...I have this preamp and the Parasound Zamp in a second system in our guest room. This product performs well above it's price point IMO. It does NOT produce any hum or buzz as some reviewers have experienced. No, it is not equal to a $3000 preamp. But it is probably 80% as good. The Zpre and Zamp in my "little" system produce a very respectable stereo image with good detail. The speakers in that system are very efficient (97dB) and they play plenty loud at modest volume settings. Parasound equipment is very good performance at the price. That is true throughout their product range. I own several Parasound products and I'm very pleased with all of them. And, in my experience, they stand behind their products.

Mated this baby to a Parasound Zamp and it's pretty heavenly. I did have a though problem with the Zamp I ordered and had to send it back due to a dead channel. I also was disappointed that the Zbreeze makes a VERY annoying level of noise for being a "whisper quiet" fan. Would NOT buy the Zbreeze again...

I cannot recommend this preamp, mostly because of the cheap, off the shelf transformer that Parasound uses for this model. This preamp (along with the Parasound 2100, which uses a similar transformer, that I owned) have a slight audible buzz when no music is playing. I used to think it was a ground problem with my amp, but then I recently bought a Quad Elite preamp, which has a massive toroidal transformer, and the buzz disappeared. The Quad is completely silent. I would also say that the Parasound 2100 and zpre V.2 have slightly anemic bass compared to the Quad Elite.The zpre also suffers from poor volume matching between the right and left channels when the volume is low. However, this wasn't a problem for me as I turned mine up fairly loud.The zpre may be good for a second system, but if you have a good ear I would recommend spending more.Hope this helps.

Surprisingly high quality! I needed something to replace an aging receiver I was using as the front end for my stereo system. The remote control for this model is particularly nice. The preamp has a motor-driven volume control, and the volume controls on the remote actually moves it up and down (you can watch it move!). Other preamps I've tried only reduce the volume from the volume control setting. It has four input "zones" that you can switch between, which is plenty these days, given that the HDTV is the primary source selector for video sources. Very noise free even at high volume! All RCA connectors are gold-plated.

This item was defective out of the box!This pre-amp had audible 60 cycle hum on outputs!I tried all the usual trouble-shooting methods,different cables,different ac outlets,etc.No help!I thought Parasound was a high-quality company.Had to return it.(Thanks Amazon!)BUYER BEWARE!

The Zpre2, in combination with a Zamp, has been a very good value for my living room streaming and CD set up. The solid build gives high confidence in its reliability, and it was a surprising upgrade in sound from my old legacy system.

Great little pre-amp, has more output than my passive pre and appears to be well built. The size fits nicely in my system and was good value for money.