$17K
New Parasound Halo JC1+ monoblocks just released!!!
Those trying to get the old JC1’s cheaper may want to wait as these new ones should reduce the price of the old one used. And look at these babies do current
Old Model New Model
- 400 → 450 Watts @ 8Ω
- 800 → 850 Watts @ 4Ω
- 1200 → 1300 Watts @ 2Ω
- Peak current: 135 → 180 amps
- http://https//www.stereophile.com/content/parasound-halo-jc-1-monoblock-power-amplifier-0
- Cheers George
63 responses Add your response
That’ll quickly come down just like the old ones did 30%, as Parasound like to do volume with their products. Probably around $12-$15k once the dust settles. Yikes, almost twice the retail. But it looks like they pulled out all the stops on this new designYep more of the stuff + some, that made the old one a great amp, this is one amp that’ll drive anything, and even better again. |
I find it a little bit strange that all of the PR is about the “technical improvements” and not about the sonic improvementsIf they are correct technical improvements, then it improves the sonics as well. Also Parasound aren't the sort of company to get into subjectively waxing lyrically about sound presentation. They leave that up to the reviewers, with their poetic BS about how things sound. The real test for me will be if JA from Stereophile gets to put it on the test bench, for the real specs. Cheers George |
17k, for non-bespoke amps made offshore? Not that Taiwanese hi-fi is not good, but that price point will dis-qualify most of the buyers who would be chasing the JC-1 in my opinion. Wasn’t the original advantage around Parasound to offer great bang for the buck by manufacturing off-shore according to the US design? |
To be honest the Ampzilla was a classic desig y the late great Jim Borgiano, which was ,is noticably better then the paramount just read the reviews, it was over $10 k, Underwood wally has them. On close out $5 k new delivered. You will find Nothing close for this money ,and the matching preamp just as good. |
Well one could always buy a pair of the old ones used, they get around $3-$4k a pair depending on condition. And they’ll blow away just about anything as well, maybe but for a Gryphon Antillion Evo, which I heard an a/b with and were just a little better on the Wilson Alexia’s, and those Antillions are not budget priced at all. |
georgehifi, "And they’ll blow away just about anything as well, maybe but for a Gryphon Antillion Evo, which I heard an a/b with and were just a little better on the Wilson Alexia’s, and those Antillions are not budget priced at all." With very few exceptions, based on my experience I just don't agree that any amplifier truly blows away another amplifier. Yes, easily discernable audible differences, but blows away very rare. |
georgehifi, My father owns a record store and I've been into music my entire life. I've been an "audiophile" for over 30 years. As I try to grow as a person and "audiophile", my goal is to be a little more measured regarding what I post. I'm not a shill for anything, I no longer use hyperbole to describe differences between components, and try very hard to be more descriptive when describing differences between components. When "we" say something destroys, blows away, without being descriptive, we shortchange the individual and our hobby. The truth is at a certain level it comes down to preference, more so than one component totally destroying the other. e.g. I listened to a pair of Magico M2 with the same components that I have. The room certainly impacted the sound, but despite being twice the price of my speakers, they didn't destroy them. They present details differently and the soundstage was pushed back more, but it wasn't like I heard something that I've never heard. |
I’m not a shill for anythingget a grip, read my post above yours, before going off half cocked, I apologized to you. I got you wrong with "ricevs" who gets tweak1 to shill his Class-D’s. And sorry in Australia when something is "unanimously considered superior" heard between 6 audio reviewers/audio manufacturers in an a/b, we usually use terms like "it blew it away". |
"And sorry in Australia when something is "unanimously considered superior" heard between 6 audio reviewers/audio manufacturers in an a/b, we usually use terms like "it blew it away". Reviewers/audio manufactures have a different mission. They often use hyperbole and flowery words to exaggerate differences. As an end user that has no skin in the game, my only obligation is to tell the truth based on what I hear. My mission isn’t to deceive, exaggerate, or sell components. I don’t think a reviewer’s opinion is any more valuable than anyone else’s. I have enough experience that I don’t rely on a dealer or manufacturer to tell me what I hear or dictate my preferences. |
My mission isn’t to deceiveNeither is mine mate, I told it how it was heard by 6 very experienced listeners. BTW this isn’t the first time you’ve been negative or put **** on Parasound products, seems in your posting history you have a thing against Parasound components, amps, pre’s and digital, yet you keep buying them, so you say. |
I'm not negative towards Parasound. Within a particular price range I think Parasound is great. I've heard the JC5 and thought it was very good and offered a lot of bang for the buck. One of the best system I've heard had Gryphon amplifiers and the other had Absolare mono-amps. I simply go by what I hear/prefer regardless of manufacturer. |
Whatever buddy. John Curl’s best amp to date was the original Parasound Halo JC1 monos, till these even beefier Halo JC1+ monos came along. You say they "sound ok" and are "a lot of bang for buck" quite a massive understated that I and the others believe that were there. The JC1’s were the only thing to to drive and make the Wilson Alexia’s sing beside the Gryphon Antillion, without hearing them I'd dare say the new JC1+'s could equal or maybe better the Gryphon Antillion |
A great design does not guarantee a great implementation. The JC1’s were the only thing to to drive and make the Wilson Alexia’s sing beside the Gryphon Antillion Without sharing the other amplifiers included in this evaluation to the resultant gold-star awarded JC1’s, the comment above is of little value. |
Without sharing the other amplifiers included in this evaluation I’ve given one of the other amps, as the Gryphon. No need to belittle the ones that were easily beaten by giving their names just because they couldn’t match it against the JC1’s into the Wilson Alexia’s one of the hardest speakers to drive, which demand large amounts of current without an amp becoming stressed. These amps that were beaten, in their own right, and kept within their driving ability limits are all good amps, (as many members here own them) just not as good as the JC1’s into the Alexia’s Cheers George |
Actually the Curl Thompson Crump CTC amp the Bar-B-Q was for sure the best Curl amp - the heroic monster amp that just preceded the JC-1, which were “bang for the buck” amps as opposed to an all out attempt. I suspect the same can be said for the CTC Blowtorch preamp. I was a participant in the exhibits at CES with Curl and Crump for the Bar-B-Q, Blowtorch and the debut of the JC-1s the following year. I isolated the Blowtorch and JC-1s as well as the number cruncher DAC. |
w1000iYou need to do more research, the best sounding amp around have very little feedback. Designers like John Curl, Nelson Pass, Dan D’agostino, Gryphon ect ect ect use as little negative feedback as they can, sometimes even only using just local feedback instead of global. This little feedback always sounds better if the design is a solid design to start with, instead of having feedback higher just so the amp can be cleaned up and can then get better advertised THD figures and lower output impedances. Cheers George |
I bought a JC-5 a few months ago after auditioning the JC-1. I found the two amps to have a very similar sonic signature, but the JC-5 was slightly cleaner sounding. The speakers I was using were fairly easy to drive, so the added current capability of the JC-1 didn't come into play. Both amps could easily drive the speakers to high volumes. I've owned a dozen or so fairly high end SS amps from Levinson, Krell, Pass and Bryston over the years, and I'd say the JC-5 is easily in the same class or better. However, the other SS amps are not recent models - mostly from the 80's and 90's. Based on my experience with the JC-5, I would expect the JC-1+ will be an outstanding amp, particularly for speakers that are more challenging to drive and need the high current capabilities. |
I bought a JC-5 a few months ago after auditioning the JC-1. I found the two amps to have a very similar sonic signature, but the JC-5 was slightly cleaner sounding.Wondering if you asked the shop demo'er if the JC1's were in high or low bias mode, as I found high bias was much sweeter and transparent in the upper-mid/highs on the Wilson Alexia's, yet still retained the same hammer like impact and definition in the bass as low bias mode did. Cheers George |
I wonder if echohifi will be carrying these. Would be interested in bringing my modded JC1s for comparison with JC1+. I always found non-modded JC1s to be a bit dark with rolled off upper end. It is like listening to speakers with speaker grilles vs without when you compare non-modded JC1 to Empirical Audio modded JC1. I am not sure why Parasound advertise 25W of class A. Reading the Stereophile review the stock bias settings were significantly lower than recommended by John or Tony at Parasound. I don't push the recommended range on my set and I am in 55W and 58W of class A bias on my samples (assuming 8Ohm load). They do run hot though and in hot summer days that can be a problem (nice to have low bias mode when you need it). Last time I checked the bias settings I forgot to measure them in low bias mode, but they are probably half of power of high bias mode which is enough for many. I would be curious seeing how they measure. If I had a sample available I would have measured them on Audio Precision myself. |
Hello All, I have great appreciation for Parasound/John C amplifiers. I am sure that the new JC1+ would be an outstanding amplifier. However none of the John C amplifiers are balanced design unlike Pass Labs and many other more expensive brands. How much of this balanced design with common noise reduction functionality leads to sonic benefit? Would that be a key criteria when you are evaluating a solid state amplifier? |
How much of this balanced design with common noise reduction functionality leads to sonic benefit?Not much as I’ve found, only the noise "can" be a touch lower if the interconnects are unshielded or 10mts or more long. In fact many pieces of equipment’s with balanced inputs and outputs are fake and sound worse, being just balanced opamps in front of or after the main single ended amplification circuitry. And then 99% of amps are SE output anyway to the speakers the black "negative" speaker terminal is at earth potential so not being balanced output. The new JC1+ monoblocks have got balanced inputs. https://www.stereophile.com/content/parasound-halo-jc-1-monoblock-power-amplifier-0 Cheers George |
Hello Georgehifi- Thanks for your response. JC1+ indeed supports balanced inputs like the old JC1 but the circuit inside is not balanced which is where you get the most benefit out of a pure balanced design. Just having a balance input with a single ended circuit inside, at least in theory, doesn't have much benefit. More on this balanced design, people argue that if you are having a fully balanced upstream component like a Bricasti DAC or any other such products it sound the best when you connect it to a downstream component[s] like pre-amplifier and/or directly to a power amplifier which is also fully balanced. Does anyone have any comment on this design? |
