Power, precision, control. A Parasound stack.

As I continue down the road of reviewing separates from the same company, a lovely stack of Parasound awaits some Barn time.

Imagine an audiophile game show and the clue is — “He designs phono stages”.

I imagine the number one answer might very well be John Curl of Vendetta Research fame. Here’s J. Gordon Holt from his review of the Vendetta SCP-2 Phono Preamp in Stereophile (c.1995):

Few people in the audio business would deny that John Curl is an audio design genius—arguably the greatest one of our generation.

…at $1895, it is the most expensive stand-alone solid-state phono-preamplifier on the market.

My, how some times have changed as today’s most expensive phono preamps approach the $100K mark.

John Curl is all over the Parasound JC 3+ Phono Preamplifier, figuratively and literally, as he had more than a hand in its design. The JC3+ can handle the output from Moving Magnet (MM) and Moving Coil (MC) cartridges, offering adjustable input impedance for the latter by way of back panel mounted knobs. The rest of the business end of the JC3+ offers single-ended RCA and balanced XRL outputs, a screw-down Ground terminal, AC Polarity switch (Invert/Normal), optional 12V Trigger control, the power button and IEC inlet.

The unit’s spartan front panel has two backlit buttons on its far left and far right sides — On/Off and Mono (for playing mono records), respectively. Pretty straight forward.

The JC 2 BP Preamplifier houses a number of performance features hidden inside including dual-mono left & right channel circuit boards, hand-matched complementary FETs, direct DC servo-coupled design with no capacitors in the signal path, premium 4-gang motor-driven analog master volume control, separate TKD brand analog gain controls for L & R channel, and 3/8″ thick aluminum shielding around audio boards. To name just a few.

Thank goodness for photos and specifications (below), but as you can see, the JC 2 BP has you covered on the ins and outs including a pair of Inverted RCA Outputs that reverse signal polarity.

Woof! The JC 5 packs a walloping 400 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms upping the ante to 600 Watts per channel into 6 Ohms. The thing about power, this kind of power, is it doesn’t come in a cigarette pack-sized case. The JC 5 is big and heavy (73 lb.).

One thing each piece in the Parasound stack has in common is John Curl who sits on my list of favorite HiFi designers along with other luminaries.

Stay tuned for a full review on how this Parasound stack stacks up.

Parasound JC 3+ Phono Preamplifier: $2999 Parasound JC 2 BP Preamplifier: $3999 Parasound JC5 Stereo Amplifier: $6499 Stack Price: $13,497

Parasound JC 3+ Phono Preamplifier Specifications

Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 20 kHz, +/- 0.2 dB Total Harmonic Distortion: < 0.01% at 1 kHz Signal to Noise Ratio, MM: > 87 dB, input shorted, IHF A-weighted | > 78 dB, input shorted, unweighted Signal to Noise Ratio, MC: > 87 dB, input shorted, IHF A-weighted | > 67 dB, input shorted, unweighted Interchannel Crosstalk: 72 dB at 1 kHz Input Impedance: MM: 47k Ω | MC: 50 – 550 Ω variable, 47k Ω fixed Output Impedance: Unbalanced: < 100 Ω | Balanced: < 100 Ω per leg Input Capacitance: 150 pF Input Sensitivity at 1 kHz: MM: 4mV for 1 V output | MC: 600µV for 1 V output Total Gain: MM: 48 dB | MC: 64 dB XLR Pin Identification

1 = Ground (Shield) 2 = Positive 3 = Negative (Return)

Standby: 1 watt Power On: 12 watts 115 or 230 VAC 50 – 60 Hz (Selected on Chassis Bottom)

Width: 17-1/4″ (437mm) Depth: 13-3/4″ (350mm) Height, with feet: 4-1/8″ (105mm) Height, without feet: 3-1/2″ (89mm)

Weight: Net: 19 lbs. (8.6 Kg) Shipping Weight: 26 lbs. (11.8 Kg) Rack Mount Accessory: HRA 2 (may be purchased separately)

Parasound JC 2 BP Preamplifier Specifications

Frequency Response: 5 Hz – 100 kHz, +0/-3 dB Distortion

THD: < 0.003% at 100 Hz THD: < 0.005% at 20 kHz IM: < 0.003%

> 116 dB, input shorted, IHF A-weighted > 104 dB, input shorted, unweighted

> 100 dB at 10 kHz > 90 dB at 20 kHz

Gain: 14 dB, maximum L, R Gain Control Range: – 10 dB Input Impedance: Unbalanced: 30k ohms | Balanced: 30k ohms per leg Output Impedance: Unbalanced: < 60 ohms | Balanced: < 60 ohms per leg Input Sensitivity: 200 mV for 1 V output Total Gain: 14 dB Maximum Output: 8 V XLR Pin Identification

1 = Ground (Shield) 2 = Positive 3 = Negative (Return)

110 – 120 V or 220-240 V, 50 – 60 Hzs (Set AC Voltage switch on rear panel) 25 watt standby; 30 watts when turned on

Width: 17 1/4″ (437 mm) Depth: 16″ (406 mm) Height, with feet: 5 7/8″ (150 mm) Height, without feet: 5 1/4″ (133 mm)

Weight: Net: 24 lbs. (11 kg) Shipping Weight: 36 lbs. (16.4 kg) Rack Mount Accessory: HRA 3 (May be purchased separately)

Parasound JC5 Stereo Amplifier Specifications

Power Output – Both Channels Driven: 400 watts x 2, 8 Ω | 600 watts x 2, 4 Ω Power Output – Bridged Mode: 1200 watts x 1, 8 Ω | Bridged 4 Ω operation is not recommended Power measurement parameters are at 120 VAC: 0.05% THD, RMS continuous power, full audio band (20 Hz – 20 kHz) Current Capacity: 90 amps peak, per channel Slew Rate: > 130 volts per microsecond Frequency Response: 5 Hz – 100 kHz, +0/-3 dB | 20 Hz – 20 kHz, +0/-0.25 dB Total Harmonic Distortion (THD): < 0.05 % at full power | < 0.03 % at typical listening levels IM Distortion: < 0.04 % TIM: Unmeasurable Inter-channel Crosstalk: > 87 dB at 1 kHz | > 72 dB at 20 kHz Input Impedance: Unbalanced: 33 kΩ | Balanced: 66 kΩ,(33 kΩ per leg) Total Gain: 29 dB Input Sensitivity for 28.28 V Output into 8 Ω: Unbalanced: 1 V | Balanced: 1 V per leg S/N Ratio: > 116 dB, input shorted, IHF A-weighted | > 111 dB, input shorted, unweighted Damping Factor: 1000 at 20 Hz DC Trigger Requirements: +9 Vdc to +12 Vdc, 5 mA Audio Trigger Requirements: 2 mV – 10 mV XLR Pin Identification

1 = Ground (Shield) 2 = Positive 3 = Negative (Return)

Width: 17-5⁄8″ (448 mm) Height without feet: 7-1⁄8″ (181 mm) Height with feet: 7-3/4″ ” (197 mm) Depth: 20″ (508 mm) Depth with cables: 21-1⁄2″ (546 mm)

Net Weight: 73 lb. (33.1 kg) Shipping Weight: 90 lb. (40.8 kg) Power Requirement

Standby: 1 Watt Idle (no music playing): 225 Watts Typical listening levels: 400 Watts Maximum: 1500 Watts

In Barn for Review: Meitner MA3 Integrated D/A Converter

DUT: This Is Not A Test

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