At 4 Ohms, distortion was a tiny bit higher. It will allow very quiet passages and very loud passages as well, without having to change the volume control. Design The JC 1 is a brawny brute weighing 64 lbs. Is there any new surround sound format coming? And, I don’t have to worry about cheap cables shorting out my power amplifiers that cost tens of thousands of dollars. "Parasound has long been admired for their preamplifiers and power amplifiers. Parasound's new $2995 JC3+ is a significantly upgraded version of the already high performance original JC3 phono preamplifier, though outwardly it looks identical to the handsome original. I own both this amplifiers and is A McIntosh Mc152 VS Parasound 2250v2. At first look the Parasound Halo A 51 is an appealing and robust amplifier accented by brushed metal finish. At 4 Ohms, clipping occurred at 710 Watts. After 16 years of legendary reviews from their JC1 amplifier, Parasound has finally given consumers exactly what they want: Two top-of-the-line Halo JC 1 monoblock power amplifiers integrated into a single chassis that is the same size as one JC 1. This is due to excellence in recording, careful remastering, and, of course, having a good audio system to listen with. The impedance is 6/20 that of the 20 foot cable, which is 10.5 mOhm (10.5 thousandths of an Ohm). "Honestly, I cannot think of a pair of monoblocks that offer a view anywhere near this close to the top of the heap for anywhere near their aski… Actual time spent with the Parasound products in my own system (NC2250 and NC5250) and a friends system (Halo JC1 … But Pascal’s rating of 1500w 8 ohms, 2500w 4 ohms and only 600w 2 ohms revealed a very different objective. Julio has been around a long time, and I think he will be with us for a long time in the future too. Looking at the complexity of these cables, I can see why they are expensive. The B-A peak with 8 Ohms impedance is 3 dB lower than at 4 Ohms (about 73 dB lower than the signal peaks). The bass in this album is intense. We remain committed to vinyl. So I asked John Curl and he called the brilliant microwave engineer in Silicon Valley with whom he co-invented Bybee Music Rails. The Parasound Halo JC 5 certainly lives up to the buzz. When Parasound released their JC 1 monoblock power amplifier in 2002, the A/V world was very impressed. The JC 1+ is even more powerful, at 450 watts. It clips (1%) at 450 Watts RMS. Using 10 kHz and 4 Ohms, distortion was higher overall, and clipping was at 760 Watts. Positive reviews by both leading audio reviewers and customers alike 2. ... the JC1 is a definite step up. I haven't studied San Francisco-based Parasound Products' business or its books, but the NAD model has clearly been an influence on Parasound, which was founded in 1982. The cable became defective and shorted out my power amplifier. Using 4 Ohms impedance at 20 Volts, there were nine side peaks on the right side, and they were higher. The Parasound JC 1+ Power Amplifiers are very high quality. That was back in 2015. The cost of Clarus cables also should be considered relative to other cables. At 20 Volts, 8 Ohms, IMD increased to 0.0204%. Some will survive until the start-up money runs out. One of the most important of the Parasound’s capabilities is in dynamics. An additional $1500 retail value. How could we make a product that is “ours” and differentiate it from another brand? The sound is exemplary. Approaching our 40th anniversary, Parasound proves this ideal. review of the sound of various capacitors, https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=2747, https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=9436, https://www.amazon.com/Insulated-U-Type-Connector-Electrical-Terminal/dp/B07PG1NCQZ/ref=sr_1_18?dchild=1&keywords=spade+connectors&qid=1589736054&sr=8-18, https://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=AQT8NF&opt=1176|1189|1196|1201, https://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=KK4TC&opt=6440|392|398|404. First, hats off to Parasound for not bowing to convention and badging its new, hot-rodded version of the original JC 3 phonostage with the shop-worn cliché “Reference” or “Signature Edition.” And second, and more importantly, if you’re a current owner of the Parasound … The Parasound Halo JC 1—a powerful, sophisticated premium product—was designed by a team headed by audio legend John Curl, and built for Parasound by a factory in Taiwan. There are also facilities for automatic turn-on (by an audio signal or an external trigger voltage), which can be daisy-chained to turn on other components. It is because there are many notes that are being played at the same time, perhaps 10 because there are 10 fingers on two hands. I listened to a pair of the Parasound JC 1+ power amplifiers with a computer (PC) delivering Tidal music streaming via USB input to an OPPO UDP-205 Universal Player, a hard drive connected to the UDP-205 with my entire digital music collection stored on it, VPI-HR-X Turntable with Sumiko Palo Santos MC Phono Cartridge, Manley Labs Steelhead Phono Preamplifier, Pass Labs Xs Preamplifier, Sonus faber Lilium Speakers, Wireworld XLR cables, and Clarus Crimson speaker cables. Curl has designed Parasound products since 1989, most to specific price points and aimed at the very competitive middle of the high-end market. Its very high power (450 watts into 8 ohms) delivers a tremendous dynamic range. Thompson engineered the boards, Crump chose the parts and "voiced" the finished product. You mention that the JC 1+ uses a cascode driver circuit because it has higher input impedance and higher output impedance. Couldn't help but notice the recent sale Audio Advisor had on the black color edition of the Parasound JC-2 preamps. B-Stock gives audiophile enthusiasts the opportunity to purchase Parasound products at a discounted price. At 20 kHz and 4 Ohms, distortion was higher overall yet, with clipping at 790 Watts. I listened to a pair of the Parasound JC 1+ power amplifiers with a computer (PC) delivering Tidal music streaming via USB input to an OPPO UDP-205 Universal Player, a hard drive connected to the UDP-205 with my entire digital music collection stored on it, VPI-HR-X Turntable with Sumiko Palo Santos MC Phono Cartridge, Manley Labs Steelhead Phono Preamplifier, Pass Labs Xs Preamplifier. I imagine there are new capacitors that sound as good, but I don’t blame Parasound with sticking to what works for them. No one felt they could ever be, Parasound, builder of preamplifiers and power amplifiers, was started in 1981 by Richard Schram, in San Francisco, California. Amplifiers are out there that cost a quarter of a million dollars. The overall construction is atypical and extremely expensive to do. Yes. FETs are, in fact, high impedance devices which are superior for voltage amplification. We can’t remember the last time we reviewed a product such as this with bass and treble controls. You have asked some interesting questions. Parasound Halo A23 Stereo Amplifier Review In light of our slow shift toward two channel audio (no, we are not abandoning personal audio), I decided it would be a good idea to start with something basic, like a stereo amplifier. This part of my job brings me enormous pleasure and satisfaction. The raw wire used for making speaker, audio, and power cables are made with conductors that are extruded into special shapes using the highest grade of ultra-pure copper available. In this case, I wanted to be able to discern individual voices of the girls, among the background music. The other end was connected to the Parasound JC 1+ power amplifier. That is normal. There are no generic components used in the construction of Clarus Cables. It is very heavy and built like the proverbial tank. Parasound, builder of preamplifiers and power amplifiers, was started in 1981 by Richard Schram, in San Francisco, California. Dynamic, clarity, detail. That’s their business model. As such, Clarus Cables represent an excellent value for consumers wishing to improve their system’s performance. I found a, Note that such cables are for high-end products (amplifiers and speakers). Distortion is a few hundredths of a percent higher. Fortunately, the power amp had a protection circuit. The JC 1 was powerful, at 400 watts RMS into 8 Ohms. It does show that if you listen to music pretty loud with a 4 Ohm speaker, the power limit from the amplifier will decrease as the amplifier heats up. Will Class D, G, H, and J amplifiers become the norm in receivers and power amplifiers compared to Class A and A/B? Thirty years ago, the upstart audio company NAD revolutionized the manufacturing of consumer-electronics components by "internationalizing" the process. While it may always get second billing in the parade of human emotions, don't forget about anticipation's potent influence. It has brought prices down and quality up—mostly in the low and middle segments of the high-end audio and video markets. Note that such cables are for high-end products (amplifiers and speakers). Here is the choir with the recording setup in a cathedral. Out of all the components, it is very unlikely that anyone would ever need to replace them with another model or brand. If you have relatively inexpensive mass-market receiver and speakers, then such cables would not be appropriate. Amplifier sale includes (10) Synergistic Research BLACK fuses, installed and original factory fuses. The direct-coupled design uses a fast-acting DC servo circuit to keep DC from ever reaching the output. For the banana plugs, strip about ½” of the end of each conductor and twist the strands before unscrewing the banana plug and inserting the stripped conductor, and then retightening the plug. This brought out some deep “presence” that is appealing. I felt the “keep it simpler” approach was inconsistent with our values and not sufficiently forward looking. The front panel design not only matches the updated Halo family appearance, but also complements the inner beauty of the JC1+. The disc is dedicated to Anne Frank, the 16 year old Jewish girl who was born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1929 and died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany in 1945. The overall sound is warm, almost tube-like, which I find very, very pleasant. We will see how various amplifiers perform with these tests as time goes along. Below is a photo of the 20 foot cable. I didn’t want to have the left channel the same length (20 feet) which would have necessitated coiling it up behind the speaker. Protection for both amplifier and loudspeaker is also provided by a gold-plated relay, and by current-sensing transistors that will open the relay if the current draw exceeds a predetermined amount, whether due to the impedance dropping below 1 ohm or a short at the speaker terminals. No one felt they could ever be more impressed with one of their amplifiers, but the release of the JC 1+ monoblock changed that thinking. A switch on the rear allows users to drop class-A operation down to 10W for placement in tight spaces. Aesthetically, Parasound says the front panel not only matches the updated Halo family appearance, but also complements “the inner beauty” of the JC1+. Class G and H refer primarily to an amplifier’s power supply topology. Here is the cable attached to a Sonus faber Lilium speaker. This 20 foot cable by itself is $4,000 retail price. For you youngsters, John Curl has been designing high-end gear since the early 1970s, including the classic Mark Levinson JC-2 and Dennesen JC-80 preamplifiers, the much-revered Vendetta phono preamplifier, and lots of electronic gear for the Grateful Dead. Parasound's 7.5-channel surround controller has finally landed. Good for life, I think. According to Crump, the JC 1 grew out of a CTC-modified Parasound HCA-3500 called the CTC BBQ, which was demoed at the 2001 Consumer Electronics Show. The 2nd ordered harmonic was 10 dB higher than the 3rd. At 4 Ohms, the number of peaks was increased by two on either side of the fundamentals. The arrangement allowed NAD to go into business with relatively little capital outlay and low overhead. It’s not ours. This album has Lee Morgan on trumpet, Benny Golson on tenor sax, Bobby Timmons on piano, and Art Blakey on drums. I recently tried some generic speaker cable. Piano is another difficult instrument to reproduce, but not because of a prevalence of distortion. Again, the Parasound JC 1+ amplifiers distinguished themselves. The Parasound JC 1+ power amplifiers are up to the task here. RS: I am not familiar with Class J and found no mention in Wikipedia. At 4 Ohms. Increasing the output to 20 Volts produced seven peaks on either side, at 8 Ohms. 1. Clarus cables are built in the USA rather than overseas. I chose black. The frequency response is down 0.2 dB at 20 kHz, on spec. You might recall the stylish floor-standing Revox tape deck announced in 2017, then cancelled because it wouldn’t make economic sense for them. Power supply capacitance increased from 132,000 µF to 198,000 µF (that is 1/5th of a Farad). The JC 1 has much larger heatsinks, twice the power supply, better internal componentry and layout, and its range of operation in class-A has been extended to 25W, which should be enough to keep it from class-AB operation on all but the most demanding musical passages. The JC 1+ embodies our highest achievement of value engineering and my greatest sense of accomplishment. I found a review of the sound of various capacitors, and indeed, the Gold Tune caps sounded better than others. I asked Clarus to explain the reason for the high price. I had thought that lower output impedance is best. The output stage supplies current, for which John Curl specifies bi-polar devices. We don’t fix what isn’t broken. I think Class D has already won the war for a number of reasons. Music – Tidal – Julio Iglesias – Mexico – Released 5/8/2020. Frequency, 5 Volts and 20 Volts output, is shown below, at 8 Ohms load. Will the latest transistor technology (stacked Nanosheet FETs) provide audible differences from conventional bipolar and Mosfet/JFet technology? Each part of the cable design including the connectors, breakouts, silicon tubing, and cabling required expensive tooling. Their characteristics are undesirable for high quality audio frequency amplification. Usually, the speaker binding posts on the rear of the receivers and speakers will have red and black posts. At first the JC1s seemed to have a conservative bass, but turns out, it just was more detailed. All the components are made in their own facility using custom-designed extruding machines. Parasound says it is the result of challenging Curl to 'distil the essence of two JC1 monoblocks into a single chassis' in response to demand from customers who 'often tell us they love … Since vinyl has a definite resurgence, will there be an increased amount of new analog tape recordings rather than just depending on old tape masters from the 1950’s and 1960’s? Instead of physically making products, NAD hired a project team in one location to design a product that was then built at a sub-contracted factory located elsewhere. The B-A peak at 1 kHz, 20 Volts, 4 Ohms, 19 kHz and 20 kHz sine waves. RS: John Curl and I recently discussed this, and we are gathering information. See above. IMD at 5 Volts output into 8 Ohms was 0.0049%. It is a decades-old lament that our industry hasn’t found a way to make superb musical reproduction equipment compelling for young people. After soliciting some advice here and considering various brands and models, I decided on the Parasound … They can be switched out of the signal path when not needed, giving a slightly clearer sound. Keep track of using the red banana plug for one side (either + or -) for both ends of the cable. Distortion plus noise was still quite low. Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers were a jazz combo from the classic jazz period of the mid 20th century. They had a very clean sound without harshness. I have several sets of audiophile-grade cable that I have used over the years, and I obtained a set of Clarus Crimson speaker cable. ... is to review … So, this is an interesting new set of tests (THD+N vs. Power at different frequencies). Parasound JC-1 power amplifiers. There is no power conditioner out there that will handle the 2,600 watt potential of the two JC 1+ power amps, especially when the computer, universal player, and preamplifier are also plugged into it. They are similar to Crimson but have smaller conductors. The power supply transformer is now 2.1 kVA (2,100 watts), which is important when you consider that, at 2 Ohms, the JC 1+ can deliver 1,200 watts (if you have them both plugged into the same 20 ampere 120 V AC circuit, it may trigger the circuit breaker – now that’s my kind of power). You will need a wire stripper, and in the case of the spade lugs, a soldering iron with some solder. I used a Clarus Concerto Power Conditioner for the computer, OPPO UDP-205, and Pass Labs Xs Preamplifier. I measured the impedance of the 20 foot cable, and it was 35 mOhm (milli-ohms) at 1 kHz, which is very low. A bias level selector switch enables cooler operation, with virtually no … Can you clarify? That would have produced induction (like a transformer coil). A Scherzo is a light composition, frequently the third movement of a symphony, sonata, or string quartet; also, in the Baroque era (c. 1600–c. Parasound states that they use Nichicon Gold Tune capacitors for the power supply, and that although these capacitors are no longer generally available, Parasound has an exclusive contract with Nichicon to continue supplying these caps to them. Distortion goes down at high frequencies (above 40 kHz) because the number of harmonics that the amplifier can pass is also reduced. Right on spec. Cut the cable length so that you can go from the rear of the receiver down to the floor, along the floor, and up to the speaker binding posts. The new Parasound … The JC 1+ is even more powerful, at 450 watts. But that is realized primarily by people who have the means to spend vast amounts of money and are willing to live with the intrusion of very large speakers and bulky speaker wire, etc. My setup required the long cable for the right channel. This test uses 1 kHz. I am waiting for the new Crimson RCA and XLR cables that will be available in the first quarter of 2021. Parasound calls the Halo Integrated a … There are is no economy of scale for tape recordings, rebuilt tape decks are hard to find and prohibitively expensive and there isn’t sufficient possibility of a return on investment for any audio manufacturer to design and manufacture tape decks. Our business model is based on building products in which we invest heavily in R&D, with the expectation that they will remain in continuous production for many years. We like and respect Pascal’s products and staff. Parasound has long been admired for their preamplifiers and power amplifiers. Music – The Beauty that Still Remains – 2L Norway – 2020. PARASOUND JC 1+ POWER AMPLIFIER SPECIFICATIONS. So, it is not just the ability to drive any speaker on the planet. Every year more audio-grade component parts are discontinued because the volumes are too small and inconvenient for component parts manufacturers. RS: I haven’t paid enough attention to video to have an informed opinion. Curl describes the JC 1 as an outgrowth of his Parasound HCA-2200 from 1997. RS: I don’t have sufficient familiarity to answer this since we discontinued production of our Halo C 1 and C 2 surround processors. THD+N vs. Power Output, at 8 Ohms, is shown below. We had some lively discussions within Parasound about this topic in the early stage of the JC 1+ development. Some were digitally remastered, and this is probably because the master analog tapes were in poor condition. Products that are primarily silicon-based are, by definition, subject to constant changes because the enormous manufacturers of these parts must continually innovate with new features to justify higher prices and annual reports that will satisfy their shareholders. While the JC 1+ is our most expensive product, it is also our greatest value, given its extraordinary performance/price ratio. The JC 1+ power amplifier is truly an achievement to the highest degree. The Parasound JC 1+ amplifiers did very well with this. I continue to be amazed at how good the tracks from 60 year-old analog tapes sound. In the evaluation of costs, it is also necessary to consider the thousands of hours of R&D involved to perfect the final cable geometry as well as the initial tooling costs. This new disc has their typical array of resolutions and formats, including 24/192 DTS HD MA, Dolby Atmos 7.0.4 48 kHz, Auro-3D 96 kHz, SACD, and 2-channel 24/192 PCM. This is as good an album as any for you to introduce yourself to his talent. Every part of a Clarus Cable is unique – there are no off-the-shelf components in the manufacturing. The physical plant is a handsome chunk of gleaming, heavy-gauge aluminum fitted with large heatsinks on either side. This poses a real challenge to our supply chain management. The sound is exemplary and reflects its … This makes for a complex waveform. The JC 1+ power amplifier monoblock is their latest achievement, and it truly is an achievement to the highest … There are thousands of Blu-ray discs (2K), but just a few hundred 4K movie discs even though 4K has been here for several years, so 4K has had only limited success. RS: The JC 1 was warmly received and enjoyed a very long and illustrious product life. Distortion plus noise was 0.0066%. The 5-to-1 ratio of cost to retail price that is the norm in the audio industry suggests that the "raw" cost of the JC 1 is about $600—a number almost impossible to believe, given the superb build quality and sheer heft of this powerhouse monoblock. It has the Schola Sanctae Sunnivae Girls’ Choir from Trondheim, founded in 1992. One leg is 8 feet long, and the other is 20 feet. Track 21 is particularly gorgeous. Power supply capacitance increased from 132,000 µF to 198,000 µF (that is 1/5.