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"Recommended Component" 2013 - Stereophile,"Editors' Choice" Award - The Absolute Sound Magazine, 2012Sam Tellig's Stereophile "Product of the Year" 2003"It Ranks up There with the Best"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. The JC 1 won "Recommended Component" status for 2013 from 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." "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." 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 DesignThe 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 CircuitryThe 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 QualityThe 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 DesignCircuit 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 SupplyThanks 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. Parasound products cannot be shipped outside the USA.
"Editors' Choice" Award - The Absolute Sound Magazine, 2012The 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 Audio Advisor Insight - Parasound High Value to Price RatioAudio Advisor Insight - Parasound JC-1 and JC-2 Back StoryAudio Advisor Insight - Parasound in HollywoodAudio Advisor Insight - Parasound Customer ServiceAudio Advisor Insight - Parasound Amplifier Power
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| Product Reviews | ||
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Best I've Heard | |
The Parasound JC1s are better than any amp I've had in my system. They make every speaker I've tried sound better - from small bookshelfers to my big Avalon towers. The bottom end I'm achieving with these is spectacular. I've never heard such authoritative bass. They never seem to run out of steam. At the same time, there is a delicacy to the highs that rivals many of the tube amps I've tried. Construction is first rate. It is a very well made product. As an engineer, I am impressed with the design efforts of the three engineers who built this amp. It was obviously a labor of love. It's a fantastic amp. | ||
| - Todd V, CA | ||
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Awesome Product | |
These Parasound Halo JC1 monos are awesome. These have 25 watts of pure Class A output so most of my listening is done in pure Class A which gives them a purity that is soo seductive. Images are highly resolved with great detail and clarity. Tone is neutral. They are also very fast and clean sounding. Using with my B&W 802D and Spendor SP1 speakers in a fairly large - 18 x 22 - room. If you are building an elite audio system, put these on your short list. | ||
| - Donnelly, Wm., NH | ||
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Five - No - Ten Stars! | |
I recently had the opportunity to sell my Krell 7200 amp to a friend who has been lusting for it for a while and ordered up a pair of the JC1s. They arrived in just three days. Unboxing I was struck by the care Parasound takes with their packaging. They came in two heavy duty boxes with lots of packing. In no time my friend and I had them hooked up and driving my Magnepan 3.6s. I had planned to let them burn in for several days, but couldn't wait and began listening after only a couple hours. They sound amazing, simply amazing. They project a huge soundstage that is controlled down to the finest details. These are a major step up in refinement over the Krell amp with relaxed, yet authoritative presentation of detailed, yet cohesive music. The palpable sense of presence, the nuanced differences in instrumental timbres are remarkable. This sensation holds through many hours of listening with a variety of music genres. I was thinking of updating my speakers but now I may not need a speaker upgrade at all, given the clarity, precision and obvious headroom of the JC 1's combined with an immensly pleasing musical quality that make me smile every time I listen with them driving my speakers. The longer I listen, the bigger my smile. To say I'm pleased would be a profound understatement. Thrilled is more like it, but still falls short. I'm in pure audiophile heaven. | ||
| - Milo D.G., DE | ||
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Clean and Effortless | |
I bought a pair of JC-1s for a few specific reasons: power, S/N ratio, input options i.e. balanced jacks, bias, sensitivity, and price point. After a couple weeks of having them as part of my system, I have to say that they live up to the many, many positive reviews you can find on the web. Within 10 minutes of setting them up--a slightly confusing process if you dont give the manual a quick read--I was impressed. I skipped over anything subtle e.g. jazz, easy listening, classical, light alternative and went straight for my stack of metal CDs; if this amp was everything it was cracked up to be, I figured it should turn my sizable listening room into a mosh pit. Fifteen minutes later, my ears ringing and a little out of breath, I said to myself, Holy crap, these amps have BALLS! Not the most technical of reviews, but I couldnt believe the amount of clean, DETAILED sound that these mono blocks put out. Hitting the volume control on your preamp will be an adventure; it is nothing but fun to push these amps. Bass is tight, clean, and ample. Decay is commendably smooth and was a pleasant surprise. Noise of course depends on what you feed these amps, but they certainly did not introduce any significant hum or hiss into the equation. I have since played dozens of different CDs of various genres through the JC-1s. Most of the time I am suitably impressed, or more importantly, the amps just disappear and leave the music. A couple of CDs have sounded subpar; I attribute this to the fact that a quality system is far more revealing than a mediocre one and is quick to expose poor recordings. I have not tried any movie media through them; I setup my listening area solely for music, though I have no doubt these amps would do justice to about anything you could throw at them. Aesthetically, these amps have grown on me. Frankly, I have seen amps that are more eye-grabbing, but two of these sitting side by side on floor stands--and I dont suggest anything else: these are heavy and you could fry eggs on the heat sinks--have a solid and slightly understated look. Guests to your listening area can tell from looking that you have invested in quality components, and if they dont like it--well hell, you can blow them backwards about ten feet with the push of a button. The protection circuitry seems very sensitive; not a bad feature by any means. I have seen it trip twice; once when the wall voltage sagged badly, and the second time when a cheap power strip plugged into another outlet in the room failed. As I said, this is a good thing. In summary, if $8000 is your idea of a bargain on powerful, quiet, detailed monoblocks, then a pair of JC-1s may be just the thing for you. SYSTEM + Krell HTS Preamp. + Music Hall CD-25.2 CD Player. + Phase Technology 9.1 Speakers - 4 ohms. + Optical connect from CD Player to preamp, balanced interconnects from preamp to JC-1s. + Listening room: medium/large in size, moderately active acoustics, long, very light reverberation from far walls. Enjoy! | ||
| - Tim M, AZ | ||
