HALO T3 Tuner by Parasound by Bob Hetherington

When it came time to pick a tuner for the multi room system of our Home Technology Demonstration Project the first thing that our integrator (Simply Automated of Victoria, B.C. Canada) pointed out was that it had to have it's own remote so that we could teach the control codes to our system. Believe it or not ... that narrowed the playing field quite a bit. Fortunately, Parasound ships a remote with the T3 tuner so we were able to try one of these beauties. 

The new line of components from Parasound ... HALO ... are very nicely designed with silver faceplates and violet glowing lights behind each button giving the units a modern elegant look as well as clear visual control functionality. Complete with RDS, balanced XLR outputs, RS 232 control, and direct frequency access, the T 3 is easy to operate and install in any system. 

A few things I found to be extra useful are:

• External Remote Input jack eliminates the need for stick on IR flashers. There is also an IR Loop output plug so you can daisy chain to an additional component. 
• RS232 Port allows control from a computer or other automation controller with RS232 output. This provides about as much flexibility as you ever need from this tuner. With RS232 control there isn't much that you can't do. The RS232 codes can be downloaded from the Parasound website.
• 9 Station preset buttons allow instant access to up to 30 AM and 30 FM stations (press P1 then P5 for preset 15). Since these are hard IR codes the multi room system (with a keypad) can also access all of these stations.

This tuner retails for approximately $600. My only regret is that for our installation it is hidden back in the lab with the multi room audio system rather than on display in the media room. If aesthetics and performance are both important to you then have a look at the HALO line from Parasound.

T 3 Features:    60 station presets with Auto-Memory feature    Seek, manual, and preset tuning with RDS    Direct frequency access via remote and RS-2332    Balanced outputs with XLR connectors    Enormous encapsulated toroid power transformer    Vacuum fluorescent status display    Dual layer glass epoxy circuit boards    Multi-region European operation    External IR input and loop output jacks    Two 12v triggers; 1 input and 1 loop output    Gold-plated RCA output jacks    Fully remote controlled    Remote control also operates P 3 Preamplifier    Robust 2u Chassis, rack mounting adapter available    Parasound’s 10 years parts, 5 years labor warranty

T 3 Specs:    FM sensitivity: Mono - IHF 11 dBf Stereo- IHF 37.2 dBf for 50 dB of quieting    AM sensitivity: IHF 10 µV/m    Signal to noise ratio: FM > 74 dB stereo, AM > 45 dB    FM stereo separation: 50 dB @ 1 kHz; 40 dB @ 10 kHz    Selectivity: FM 80 dB; AM 30 dB    FM frequency response: 30 Hz - 15 kHz +/- 1 dB    AM frequency response: 20 Hz - 5.5 kHz +/- 2 dB    Total harmonic distortion: FM Mono < 0.08%; FM Stereo < 0.2% AM < 1%    Capture ratio: < 1.5 dB    AM Suppression: 60 dB    Voltage: Switchable for 110V - 120V or 220V – 240V operation    Dimensions: 17-1/4" w x 4-1/8" h x 13-3/4" d, 3-5/8" h without feet    Net weight: 15 lbs.