Bryston 7B SST vs. Parasound Halo JC 1 shootout...

Every review in Stereophile and every other mag for that matter is a rave review.

Mdomnick,

Your statement about Stereophile is not true. John Atkinson took a lot of criticism from his readers for giving a less than a sterling review of the new Thiel CS 1.6. Michael Fremer, the one who actually reviewed the Halo JC 1, has criticized the Harron monoblock amplifiers as being "too tidy." He felt that their soundstage was too small for the price, or something like that. When Michael reviewed the Ayre V1, he gave a mixed review, stating at the end of the article that both solid state and tube lovers alike may not like the sound of the Ayre. The impression that he gave was that the amp was too much of a comprise and MAY not appeal to either amplifier camp. And when Michael reviewed the Aerial 8, he used a Mark Levinson 335 as a test amplifier. He felt that the amp was a little too sterile for his tastes. He concluded that it was an amp that appealed to the head more than the heart, or something to that effect. Finally, Michael noted that when he reviewed the $32,000 Midi-Grand Kharma 1.0 loudspeaker, he felt that the bass was not tight and fast enough for his room and that the loudspeaker was not the last word in dynamics, despite the big soundstage it created.

So you can see that Stereophile, and especially Michael Fremer, do not give a rubber-stamp rave review with everything they test. Thus, the Halo JC 1 could very well be an amplifier worth listening to.

I certainly didn't mean to suggest the Halo was a bad amp, as I have never heard it for myself. It seems to me with all the reviews I have read lately, I finish the article by hearing the reviewer say if I didn't already own "this," I would concider "that" in my line up of gear to demo. There always seems to be some qualifying remark. I know everything works differently with different gear, but there also is gear out there that is just plain bad and it seems reviewers are afraid to say it.

My favorite is, "In conclusion after my glowing review, at x dollars, the jimmy-who component pales in comparison to my personal reference fling-flong component at 7x dollars or even the whoopdee-doo component at 3x dollars...but still it is really, really, really, really good. You should go buy one (although I wouldn't)"

Mdomnick,

I don't mean to "get on your case" about the Halo. I understand what you are saying about reviewers and their reviews. It causes me to spend a lot of time analyzing a review; sometimes I have to read it six or more times to really understand the hidden meaning, if any.

I can still remember John Atkenson's review of the Thiel CS 6. He praised the speaker. Having been a former Thiel CS 3 owner, I had high expectations. Well, I listened to the CS 6 with a Mark Levinson 335, Mark Levinson 380S, Meridian 507, and Transparent Audio Super cables and interconnects. The sound was disappointing and bland. So much for Atkenson's recommendation.

The Halo is on my short list of amps to audition and to be used with the Magnepan 3.6/R. The other amps include the Classe CAM 350, Pass X250, Bryston 7B SST, and BAT VK500, just to name a few. I am a little skeptical myself about the Halo. I have heard the Halo A23 and found it to be harmonically thin, polite, and somewhat reticent. Not a bad amp for $850, but the Adcom GFA 5500 is much better for a $150 more.

Even if the Halo JC 1 is a great amp, I don't think it will be a commercial success. At $6,000, one could always buy the Pass X250, and for a thousand more, there is the CAM 350. Most people willing to spend that much money on an amp will opt for the Krell FPB 300CX, Mark Levinson 335, Plinius SA 250 Mark IV, or VTL MB 450. In Northern California, the Halo is carried by The Good Guys, not exactly Sound by Singer if you know what I mean.

Happy listening!