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"Editors' Choice" Award - The Absolute Sound Magazine, 2012

"Recommended Component," Stereophile, 2006

Sam Tellig's Stereophile "Product of the Year" 2003

Uncompromising, THX-Ultra 2 Heavyweight

One look at the massively imposing Parasound JC 1 monoblock power amplifier tells you that this is a no-nonsense, high-performance piece of equipment. Its large footprint and uncompromising sound admittedly aren't for everyone. But not everyone demands the pristine sonics and bulletproof reliability that an amplifier of this caliber delivers.

"An Amp to Listen to All Day"

The Absolute Sound magazine honored the JC 1 with a "Product of the Year Award" for 2012, calling it "silky-smooth, crystal clear, and abundantly detailed. An amp to listen to all day."

"Abundantly Detailed"

The October 2007 issue ofThe Absolute Sound magazine awarded the Parasound Halo JC -1 its "Editors' Choice" recommendation, calling it "silky-smooth, crystal clear, and abundantly detailed. The kind you could listen to all day long without fatigue."

"Don't Buy an Amp Without Hearing These"

Sam Tellig awarded the JC 1 "Product of the Year" status in the December 2003 issue of Stereophile. I am not saying they're the best amps ever. I don't know. But I'm floored by what's on offer for $6k," Sam muses. "Don't buy an amp without hearing these, even if you can't afford them."

"It Ranks up There with the Best"

The JC 1 wins "Recommended Component" status in the April 2006 issue of Stereophile. "The Halo JC 1 is not only the best amplifier to come from Parasound," reports Jon Atkinson, "it ranks up there with the best high-end heavyweights."

Critical enthusiasm for the JC 1 hasn't waned since its introduction. If anything, the reviewers are more enthusiastic about its merits than ever. In his "Sam's Space" column for the April 2006 issue of Stereophile, Sam Tellig opines, "There may be another powerful amp that sounds so good for so little money; but I don't know about it."

"Lightning Fast"

"The remarkable things are the build quality, the looks, the price. Before you blow $10-20k or more on some amps that were recommended by a reviewer who didn't buy them, give a listen to the Parasounds, which this reviewer did purchase," advises Sam Tellig.

"The Halo JC 1 is not only the best amplifier to come from Parasound, it ranks up there with the best high-end heavyweights," marvels John Atkinson in the February 2003 issue of Stereophile.

Stereophile's Michael Fremer heaps on praise of his own. "Powerful, transparent, smooth, organized, dynamic, transparent, and rhythmically supple, the JC 1 offered a combination of attributes that added up to many weeks of listening pleasure," he concludes in the February 2003 issue. "It was lightning-fast, delivering transients and sibilants with a speed and clarity that were positively addictive."

"These amps are truly outstanding, among the best I've ever heard, and the best I've had in my system," concludes Max Dudious in Issue 8 of Positive Feedback Online. "They distance themselves from nearly all amps in their price class and catapult themselves into the highest echelons of the best that audio has to offer."

"Shockingly Realistic Sound"

"The JC 1 / JC 2 combo produces a remarkably detailed and shockingly realistic sound," marvels Steve Guttenberg in the June 2008 issue of Home Entertainment magazine. "If you are new to high-end audio, Parasound’s JC 1 / JC 2 combination is a great place to start."

True Monoblock Design

The JC 1's true monoblock design, which dedicates a totally separate amplifier to each channel of your A/V system, provides the absolute pinnacle of channel separation. The sound is so clean, so well-defined, and so true, you will suddenly hear music you have never heard before on even your most familiar CDs and DVD movie soundtracks.

The JC 1 is the culmination of many years of design and modification of Parasound's best power amplifiers. Parasound, John Curl, and CTC Builders collaborated in the design of JC 1 to create a new standard of elegance, sonic precision and value. THX Ultra 2 certification by Lucasfilm, Ltd., ensures ultra-realistic reproduction of movie soundtracks for heart-stopping film scores and special effects.

"No matter what the dynamic demands were called for by the music, no subtleties were sacrificed; the resulting performance was extended, smooth, and relaxed," reports Arnie Goodman in Volume 11, Issue 2 of The Audiophile Voice. "The JC 1 always sounded completely in control and provided luxuriant detail. Its ability to replicate every nuance of the musical performance was a joy to hear."

The JC 1 provides 400 watts into 8 ohms with 135 amps of peak current. Its 25 watts of pure Class A power is user-switchable to 10 watts of Class A power when heat dissipation is a concern. Other features include balanced XLR or unbalanced RCA connectors, a 12v trigger, an audio sensitivity trigger, adjustable turn-on delay, and a ground lift switch. Advanced circuitry, premier parts selection, unequaled sound quality, and stunning design are bound to make this amplifier a legend in its own time.

Powerful J-FET and MOSFET Circuitry

The JC 1 design is based on a complementary differential J-FET input stage followed by two stages of selected push-pull MOSFETs, ultimately driving nine pairs of the most powerful complementary bipolar power transistors that are available today. This gives 400 watts into 8 ohms, 800 watts into 4 ohms, and 1200 watts into 2 ohms without compromise.

Superior Parts Quality

The JC 1 breaks new ground in parts quality. Its construction includes Vampire Direct gold-plated OFC RCA jacks, Neutrik XLR connectors, reliable RT DC bypass and Zobel capacitors, Superior Electric binding posts, Vampire continuous cast copper signal and DC wiring, Nichicon Great Supply raw DC capacitors (132,000uF in the high current supply), Nichicon Muse DC and local bypass capacitors, Harris hyperfast soft recovery diodes for all bridge rectifiers, and Sanken output transistors.

Meticulous Circuit Board Design

Circuit functions are divided between four separate, carefully oriented circuit boards (and associated wiring) to minimize unwanted circuit interactions. Overall system signal flow was developed in concert with the board layout with special emphasis on overall system grounding. Boards underwent many layout iterations both to optimize manufacturability and performance. The final main board can handle double the very substantial current of which the JC 1 is capable. This required very wide matched circuit paths in 2-oz. copper on both sides of the board for critical nodes.

A Mammoth Power Supply

Thanks to independent power supplies for the input, driver and output stages, the JC 1 is extraordinarily difficult to stress. Audible strain due to layout-generated resistance is vanishingly small. Part of the reason for such a beefy layout is the mammoth power supply with a 1.9 kVA encapsulated toroidal power transformer, which required fitting four very large filter capacitors plus the separate input stage power supply on the main circuit board. The power supply uses 18,000 µF filters for driver stage and 132,000 µF Nichicon "Gold Tune" filters for output stage. The separate dedicated input board is thus more immune to power supply noise and from circuit noise in the separate auto turn on control board. The JC 1 input board mounts directly on the back panel for minimum input and input select wiring length. The layout is absolutely symmetrical with the shortest possible signal path. Here too, there's an emphasis on minimum resistance to reduce unwanted circuit interactions.

Other features include DC Servo and relay protection circuits, auto turn-on by 12v trigger or audio signal trigger, a ground lift switch with adjustable turn-on delay, and a premium detachable AWG 12 power cord with silver solder.

"Best of Breed"

"If you are a quester on the path toward the finest sound you can personally own, then you must consider owning John Curl's latest JC 1 amplifier," urges Max Dudious in Positive Feedback Online. "It has those 'magic' qualities that differentiate the best of breed from the also-rans."

"It took but a few seconds for me to absolutely fall in love with the Halo JC 1," confesses Stereophile's Michael Fremer, who concludes: "A bargain, and highly recommended."

"I have nothing but the highest regard for this product and I recommend it wholeheartedly," observes Arnie Goodman in The Audiophile Voice.

Owner’s Manual (1.3mb PDF)

Parasound products cannot be shipped outside the USA.

• Premier monaural amplifier
• Designed by legendary John Curl and CTC Builders
• Ultra-high bias Class A / AB operation
• Exclusive two position bias level adjustment
• Balanced input with discrete circuitry and Neutrik XLR connector
• Vampire Direct gold-plated OFC RCA input
• Dual heavy-duty 24k gold-plated 5-way speaker binding posts
• Direct Coupled - no capacitors or inductors in signal path
• Complementary discrete JFET input stage and MOSFET driver stage
• 18 beta-matched 15 amp, 60 MHz bipolar output transistors
• 1.9 kVA encapsulated toroid power transformer
• Independent power supplies for input, driver and output stages
• 18,000 µF filters for driver stage
• 132,000 µF Nichicon "Gold Tune" filters for output stage
• REL and Nichicon "Muse" capacitors
• Harris hyper-fast soft recovery diodes for all bridge rectifiers
• DC Servo and relay protection circuits
• Auto turn-on by 12v trigger or audio signal trigger
• Ground lift switch, adjustable turn-on delay
• 4u chassis with rear carry handles, rack mount kit included
• Premium detachable AWG 12 power cord with silver solder
• THX Ultra 2 certified

• Continuous power output 20 Hz- 20 kHz: 400 watts RMS x 1, 8 ohms; 800 watts RMS x 1, 4 ohms; 1200 watts RMS x 1, 2 ohms
• Class A power output, 20Hz – 20 kHz: 25 watts, bias set to high, 8_; 10 watts, bias set to low, 8 ohms
• Current capacity: 135 amperes peak
• Power bandwidth: 2 Hz - 120 kHz, +0/-3 dB at 1 watt
• Total harmonic distortion: < 0.15 % at full power
• IM distortion: < 0.03 %
• Slew rate: >130 V/µsecond
• Dynamic headroom: > 1.8 dB
• Input sensitivity: 1 V for 28.28 V output, THX Reference Level
• Input impedance: 100 k ohm
• S/N ratio: >120 dB, IHF A-weighted, bias set to high; >122 dB, IHF A-weighted, bias set to low
• Damping factor: > 1200 at 20 Hz
• Power requirement: 250 watts, idle; 1280 watts, full power into 4 ohm
• DC trigger output capacity: +12 Vdc, 150 mA
• Dimensions: 17-1/4" w x 7-5/8" h x 20" d, 7" h without feet
• Net weight: 64 lbs.
• Manufacturer's limited warranty: 10 years parts, 5 years labor

"Editors' Choice" Award - The Absolute Sound Magazine, 2012

The Absolute Sound magazine honored the JC 1 with a "Product of the Year Award" for 2012, calling it "silky-smooth, crystal clear, and abundantly detailed. An amp to listen to all day."

Sam Tellig's Stereophile Product of the Year

"So my pick for 2003 is the Parasound Halo JC 1 amplifier, a pair of which I own."

"The remarkable things are the build quality, the looks, the price. Before you blow $10-20k or more on some amps that were recommended by a reviewer who didn't buy them, give a listen to the Parasounds, which this reviewer did purchase. I am not saying they're the best amps ever. I don't know. But I'm floored by what's on offer for $6k. Kudos to John Curl, Bob Crump, and Carl Thompson who collaborated on the design; and to Richard Schram for bringing it to market."

"Don't buy an amp without hearing these, even if you can't afford them."

"Rethink my devotion to tubes? Well, once again - as with the Pathos Classic One last month - yes."

- Sam Tellig, Stereophile, December 2003

"It took but a few seconds for me to absolutely fall in love with the Halo JC 1. "

"If big amps are said to be slow to react, the JC 1 disproved that myth: it was lightning-fast, delivering transients and sibilants with a speed and clarity that were positively addictive."

"There was nothing solid-state-sounding about the JC 1 -- either on top, where it was anything but 'hard' or 'etched', or on the bottom, where it didn't serve up one note, overdamped bass. "

"There was an honesty to the overall tonal and harmonic presentation that transcended technological stereotypes. Powerful, transparent, smooth, organized, dynamic, transparent, and rythmically supple, the JC 1 offered a combination of attributes that added up to many weeks of listening pleasure. "

"With this much honest power available, it was hardly surprising that the JC 1 handled major-league dynamic swings with ease."

Conclusion: "A bargain, and highly recommended."

- Michael Fremer, Stereophile, February, 2003

Stereophile's Performance Rating:

"545W into 8 ohms...1154W available into 4 ohms, 2255W in 2 ohms and no less than 4,200 W in 1 ohm. The latter is equivalent to an output current of 64.7 amps!"

"This is excellent measured performance. The Halo JC 1 is not only the best amplifier to come from Parasound, it ranks up there with the best high-end heavyweights."

- - Test Results Reported by John Atkinson, Chief Editor of Stereophile, February, 2003

"If you are a quester on the path toward the finest sound you can personally own, then you must consider owning John Curl's latest JC 1 amplifier. It measures and performs stunningly well. It has those 'magic' qualities that differentiate the best of breed from the also-rans."

"These amps are truly outstanding, among the best I've ever heard, and the best I've had in my system. They distance themselves from nearly all amps in their price class and catapult themselves into the highest echelons of the best that audio has to offer."

"John Curl seems to have achieved his design goal of achieving the best of both tubed and transistorized sound."

"If you're in the market for a top-quality amp, now hear this… They may be the biggest bargain in high-end performance."

- Max Dudious, Positive Feedback Online, Issue 8

"The JC 1 / JC 2 combo produces a remarkably detailed and shockingly realistic sound."

"The JC 1 / JC 2 sound strikes a keen balance between offering superlative resolution and sounding beguilingly sweet and natural. I find myself totally absorbed by CDs that previously bored me."

"If you are new to high-end audio, Parasound’s JC 1 / JC 2 combination is a great place to start. It would be worth your time to experience them firsthand through a dealer. Bring along some of your favorite music, and be prepared to hear it like never before."

- Steve Guttenberg, Home Entertainment magazine, June 2008