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


Anyone had the pleasure of hearing both of these highly praised mono block amps?

They both seem to offer A LOT of bank-for-the-buck, are both "powerhouses" , and both reatil for $6k a pair.

Any feedback on how they compare to each other? Strength's minus's, plus's of each over the other?
denf
The Good Guys decided not to carry the JC-1 due to pricing......This is the reason Essential Audio is now a dealer as is Audio Kinesis in New Orleans (Duke Lejeune) as this is the very first of the high end products from Halo which will be sold by small high end dealers that do more than sell boxes....The unit is already a commercial success as they ordered another hundred of them which will be built this month........I did the best I could with the sound of the unit and expect others will like it as well....It is the best we could do in a very high powered amplifier that was to be machine made......The pricing is about 1/3 what they would cost if built by hand here due to automated manufacture in Taiwan........Glad you didn't mention the other sacred cows layed to waste Brian as this sort of thing is not for a message board when you have a commerical interest.....Fine for hobbyists, but not for dealers.....
Mr.Crump- for some who was "paid a flat amount as consultants to Parasound," you seem to be doing a lot of stumping for this product.

The report I got from my friend who heard your set-up at CES was not inspiring. You should have used your Rockports
for the demo.

Mr.Walsh- Fremer's endorsement is worthless.
Mr. Atkinson routinely measures equipment with poor performance/problems and still allows it to be rated Class A. Please don't hang your hat on these industry shills.

Wonder how many pairs Audioadvisor has sold. I'll wait until they go on sale in three months.

A hui hou aku.
I'll defer your comments about the show exhibit to Bob Crump. When did your friend hear the system?

As for Fremer's review, take it as you will. I think a lot of people put more credibility in his opinions than others. Atkinson's measurements are out in the open for all to see. Parasound doesn't have anything to hide.

Buy your amps wherever you wish. I'm not a box mover, I take the time for demonstrations and for people who just want to stop by for a listen. If you are in the Chicago area or just passing through, please feel free to visit and relax over a cold one or a cup of coffee. My time is yours.

Brian Walsh
Essential Audio
Kan813, advise your friend not to waste his time coming by our CES room in 2004 as it will be pretty much the same uninspiring set-up....About the only thing we will do differently next year is get there earlier as the digital system and AC filter take a couple days to behave and the speakers don't image at all until they have been plugged in for two to three days.....I was pleased with the sound from Friday night through the remainder of the show and it inspired me enough to want to do it again with Sound Lab.....No they don't have the "pop" of the Rockports, but they are cleaner with better low level detail and are extremely coherent.....
Kana813 - It seems to me the proof is always in the listening. For what it's worth, I'm simply a consumer who owns the previous product which was designed completely by CTC (Curl, Thompson, and Crump): the Blowtorch preamp. You don't need to take my word for it, of course, but it is truly a fabulous preamp. Knowing from this what CTC can do, I am excited to hear the JC-1s. My guess is that people who think these amps are just another Parasound product will be in for an extremely big surprise.