A long time ago, in a Galaxy, Far, Far Away... two channel stereo systems were all the rage. Then one day, home theatre came and stole the thunder from two channel. The wrap around sound from multiple speakers were a hit with the low end stereo crowd, but the high end two channel crowd rebelled. Eventually, the manufacturers abandoned the market for two channel stereo systems, leaving the work to a select few. Names like Krell, Parasound, Linn, Cambridge, McIntosh carried the torch for many years, but even they have succumbed to the fury of the Home Theatre Juggernaut by producing ultra high end versions of home theatre components themselves

High End Two Channel systems could always wrap sound around you like a blanket. They are very believable when playing your movies, but are absolutely unbelievable when reproducing music. Music is something most Home Theatre Systems can never do well until you spend into the stratosphere.

Since most people are spending most of their time listening to music, rather than watching movies, it is amazing how many Home Theatres sound like garbage when trying to reproduce two channels of sound from a CD. What's even more heinous, is when people turn on the Dolby Pro Logic Surround, they are immediately disappointed by the poor imaging and muffled sounds they hear when the hardware tries to extract information that isn't there.

One company has been making affordable home audio systems for over twenty years. Though they have credits for Hollywood Blockbuster's like "Star Wars", they have always been known for their stereo prowess.

If you've never heard of HALO or the company behind it, Parasound, here's a small blurb that may set things up for you a bit:

"Parasound is a privately owned U.S. company that was founded in 1981 and specializes in providing affordable audio components for high-end audiophiles, home theater enthusiasts, and for custom audio/video systems designers. The company's motto clearly identifies its focus and the reason for its success ... "obsessed with sound.""

Today, we are going to look at their latest entries into the two channel stereo market. Components that promise to bring back they joy of music, without taking away the joy of having money left over for food and other essentials.

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