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Parasound JC-1 with B&W Nautilus speakers?

Hello All,have any of you had the chance to listen to the JC-1 and B&W Nautilus speakers? I currently have B&W N802 for LR front, HTM1 Center, N804 Surround. My Pre is B&K Ref-50 and Amp is B&K Ref-200.5. I am looking to upgrade my system for better 2 channel performance. I am starting with the Amp first, 2 ch pre-amp with unity gain for HT bypass and then CD a high quality combo DVD/SACD/CD. I will keep my B&K equipment for HT use. I am considering the following amps; Levinson 436, Mcintosh MC602 or MC501, and Parasound JC-1. I have already auditioned the Mcintosh and Levinson in my home and will be getting the JC-1 this week from my local dealer to audition. Thanks for your input.
tfee
chuck
204 posts
 
Tfee,

I have had the Parasound JC-1's and they are a great pair of amps. Given your equipment, i feel they should mate very well. JC-1 is voiced toward the warm side and with the 400 watts should push the B&W's nicely. Levinson 436 is a nice amp as well as the McIntosh gear. The Lev and the Macs are not as warm sounding as the JC-1's. Be careful however, the JC-1s will need to be left on for a month straight before they will sound their best.
tfee OP
6 posts
 
Chuck, Thanks for the response. I received the JC-1s yesterday and you are right, they are warm sounding compared to the Mac and Levinson and my B&K. I listened to them for about 5 hours last night. It took me a while to get used to the new sound. I am hearing details in the music that I have not heard before. I will keep these for a few weeks before I make my final decision. This is a dufficult decision, because I don't have the best upstream gear to bring out the best in the amps I am evaluating. But I can only afford one thing at a time...
bpwalsh
1,207 posts
 
Break in the JC-1s 24/7 with music going through, low volume is fine...at 30 or 31 days you will hear a very nice improvement, and it keeps getting better for almost another month after that as they become lighter, faster and sweeter...
jrwr7
211 posts
 
Hey Y'all,

Tfee, I hope you will keep us posted on the changes you hear as the amps settle. I'm thinking about the JC-1s and I'm trying to gather as much info as I can. I would also like to hear from someone who has had experience with both the JC-1s and the Plinius SA-250 MkIV. I currently own the Plinius and I'd like to know if it is worth considering the JC-1s as an upgrade..........John
ritteri
223 posts
 
One thing you may not like about the JC-1's is their slightly forward in your face presentation. I auditioned em when I was looking for a pair of high quality monoblocks a few months back, definetly a great amp, much smoother than the old HCA3500(which I owned for a few months a few years back)with the same great bass definition.
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