Thirty hours is nothing on a new pair of speakers so they definitely need some time to stretch out.
I will continue to break them in cautiously.
Do you know why the Parasound JC5 exploded? I am wondering if there is a problem with your A/C power in your house. Also, I have done this myself, double check your speaker connections and make sure they are in phase.
They don’t know the root cause but one capacitor completely blew along with some other components. My guess is one of the mosfets failed and dumped full line voltage into the speaker since these kinds of amps are direct coupled. I heard a pop and a second later the amp exploded. Speaker drivers smelled like they were burned. Resistance measurement showed millions of ohms on the speaker. It’s completely gone. There are no power issues at my place. I have 3 other audio systems working just fine. Other electronics on the same circuit are fine. Speakers are connected correctly. System worked great for 4 months before amp exploded out of nowhere while listening at low to mid volumes driving an 8 ohm speaker.
Speakers don’t need hundreds of hours to reach peak performance. Do you have another pair of speakers on hand to check the Parasound amp? If there is nothing wrong it should reach optimum temperature in several hours. After that leave it on 24/7. That’s what I do with my preamp/amp/DAC. I listen every day so I want the electronics running warm.
The original JC5 was only 4 months old (purchased new from authorized vendor) so I did not try it on the other speakers. I was happy with that setup and didn’t need to try other speakers. With the replacement JC5, I did try other speakers and it is difficult for me to tell since all other amps I have are also Parasound but the older models. They sound different than the JC5 so I cannot compare but I can tell you that the magic is gone. I am playing my system more but I am scared to leave it on all night or while I am at work due to the fear of it exploding again. It’s a phobia now since it happened once. This is the first time an amp has exploded so I fear that but I will leave it playing all the time while I am at home and awake to get some hours on it.
Does it change much from the first time you turned it on, until a while later?
Not any different than my other audio systems. It improves slightly in 1-2 hours but I still find the sound to be lacking by quite a bit in clarity and smoothness. It sounds like something is clogged and not fully open. It sounds a bit gritty as well.
Agree the litany of conditioners, wires, and magic incantations - even if they sometimes matter- are not at the heart of first order problems.
Conditioners, cables are all the same from previous system. They are all working great so they are not the cause of the bad sound.
I’m sorry you had the amp take out your speaker as it blew! Like everyone else, I don’t understand why they didn’t give you a totally new amp and some coin toward a new set of speakers!
When I got my KEF’s they sounded sharp and harsh in the upper midrange. I played tunes about 15 hours a day for a couple of weeks and the sharp edge and the harshness is gone.
Thanks - that is what I don’t understand. They assured me unit was new but "inspected" and expect an open box. Not sure why they couldn’t have just gave me a brand new sealed unit. They did not tell me what the inspection was for. I was humble that they were going to send me another unit so I didn’t ask additional questions. That is a long burn in time for your KEFs. If I compare your time to mine, I’m just at the beginning. I do not plan to escalate this or ask additional questions or try to return items as I am tired and just want to move on and accept the downgrade in sound. Perhaps in the future if funds are available, I can invest in equipment from other brands.
Did you demo the speakers or buy them based on specs or good reviews? I you did and they sounded good on whatever amp you demoed them on, I’d look at the amp. Otherwise if you didn’t hear them before purchase, speakers, including good ones, can sound very different and perhaps you really need the sound your JBLs gave you.
No, it was solely based on video and written reviews plus the looks (which I adore). I think there is something wrong or things haven’t burnt in enough but a lower cost A23 amp which is many years old to me sounds better than the JC5 on these speakers. The JC5 is more authoritative but overall the sound on the A23 sounds better and more normal. I do not have any other good amp at the same level as a JC5 to compare.
Do you keep the Parasound turned on all the time?
No - I fear of another explosion. When it happens once, it adds the fear into a person. Sparks / smoke / entire place smelled of burnt electronics. I do not wish for this to happen again ever, especially if I am not home.
I have 5 other Parasound products that I am very happy with but 4 out of the 5 are amps that I purchased 7-8 years ago. The original JC5 sounded great so I believe in their products. Please do not mistaken anything I have written as anything against Parasound. I am thankful that they honored the warranty to whatever company polices they use. I was deciding do I even want to list the vendor but I did because I think it is important as this thread can provide good information.
My plan is to let them keep burning in and to live with it for the time being but I tell you, my basement system which costs 8X lower in price which consists of big box store bookshelf speakers and an integrated amp to me sounds better.
