Parasound JC 1 or Musical Fidelity KW 550?

Mribob
I had a dealer demo an a/b comparison for me of the Parasound vs the MBL 8011's...it wasn't close; the mbl's were much tighter; cleaner; smoother; and richer than the Parasound...and run a lot cooler...was not impressed with the Parasound...

Mribob,
Do you know if the JC-1's were fully broken in? I had the JC-1's and ultimately did not like them (I preferred the Simaudio W5 and the Aragon Palladiums) but always wondered if I was too impatient since many have commented that they need extensive break-in. Just something to consider.

I'll just chime in to say that I had the JC-1's in my house in several systems (Maggies, Gallos, Aerial 10T, Avalons) and I was not impressed. To me, these amps just do not bring life into the music. They may be powerful and make bass, but I never heard much in the way of magic or resolution from them. Not anywhere near as good as the Ayre V1xe that I currently have. I also heard the JC-1's in a store and was not impressed. I think there is too much hype on them... but that's just my 2cents!

Not to answer your question but, I have the B&W N802's. I replaced a MF A308 pwr amp with a much smaller rated (110 wpc vs 250 wpc) Marantz SM11. I loved the difference so much, I bought a second Marantz and I am using them as mono blocks. Don't know why people complain about the N802's being bright. Mine sound just right and I love listening.

Just my $.02.

Paul

Elly, unless someone has tried both amps with the N802s, this is nothing but a popularity poll. Even then, that individual's taste may be different than yours.

I've owned large, 3-way, five driver, floor standing speaker for years and have tried many top rated SS and tube amps with them. By far the best in my system has been the JC-1s. In fact a friend came by to hear them right after attending the CES. His comment was that while some systems he heard in Las Vegas surpassed my system in specific areas, nothing, even in the $30-50K range, was better overall.

What does this mean to you? Only that you must try any amp you are considering in your own system. And what if you don't have a local dealer? My best advice is to buy used and conduct your own home audition. If you are disappointed in any way, you may then resell them and try another.

Response to Mribob
I had a dealer demo an a/b comparison for me of the Parasound vs the MBL 8011's...it wasn't close; the mbl's were much tighter; cleaner; smoother; and richer than the Parasound...and run a lot cooler...was not impressed with the Parasound...this was on same cables and speakers; we just switched out at same listening session the different amps; on same music source...it was very revealing...and they are similiar in price...just my two cents.

The MBLs are $7150 PER Mono-block, so they are 2x the price.