Faster than a speeding bulletand able to leap tall transientsin a single bound, the JC 1monoblocks are the latest superamp from Parasound’s new

upscale Halo line of electronics. Namedin recognition of legendary designerJohn Curl (the “JC” of the JC 1’s), these400-watt burly beasts are a fitting trib-ute to a veteran engineer and one of thefounding fathers of the high-end audioindustry. Curl’s legacy dates back to theearly ’70s and includes such designs asthe Mark Levinson JC-2, Denneson JC-80 preamplifier, Vendetta phono pream-plifier, electronics for The Grateful Dead,and recorders for Wilson Audio andMobile Fidelity. John and his cohorts atCTC Builders can rightfully be proud toadd the Halo JC 1 to their resumes.

According to the “ParasoundRomance story” which accompanied theamps, the design for the JC 1 was anevolutionary process going back to 1989with the original HCA-2200 stereoamplifier, and continuing in the ’90swith the HCA-3500. After a decade-long tenure with Parasound, John Curljoined forces in 1999 with Bob Crumpof TG Audio fame and circuit boarddesigner Carl Thompson to form CTCBuilders. Over the course of the nexttwo years, CTC began a series of circuitboard and parts modifications to the3500, resulting in the limited produc-

tion of the CTC BBQ, which debuted atthe 2001 Consumer Electronics Show.Later that year, the JC 1 project waslaunched when Parasound commis-sioned CTC to develop a monoblock ver-sion of the 3500-based BBQ.

Several years and a major faceliftlater, the two handsomely rugged alu-minum chassis sitting in my listeningroom hardly resemble the CTC BBQ Iremember from CES. And based on whatI recall hearing, the power plant insidehas undergone major renovations aswell. According to Curl, the JC 1 uti-lizes a beefy 1.9kVA encapsulatedtoroidal transformer, which is twice thepower supply of the HCA-3500. Otherrefinements include larger heat sinksand better connectors, wiring, and cir-cuit layout. The JC 1 design is based ona complementary differential J-FETinput stage followed by two stages ofselect push-pull MOSFETs, ultimatelydriving nine pairs of the most powerfulcomplementary bipolar power transis-tors available today. This translates into400 watts into 8 ohms with 135 amps ofpeak current. The Class A operatingregion of the JC 1 has also beenincreased to over 25 watts, which means,save for equipment-torture-test record-ings, the majority of one’s listening ismost likely done in Class A mode.

Although Parasound recommends aminimum 30-day break-in period, I was

impressed with the remarkable speed,clarity, transparency, and focus of theseamps straight out of the box. I found theoverall sonic character to be fairly neu-tral, with a pace, rhythm, and effortless-ness that was absolutely addictive. I wasalso taken in by a number of otheraspects of the JC 1, including how easyit was to hear through the soundstage,and hear differences in recordings aswell. It’s not that I haven’t noted thesesame qualities in other components; it’sjust never been quite so obvious before.Originally recorded as a vocal resume forclub gigs, Eva Cassidy’s rendition of“Tennessee Waltz” (Imagine, Blix StreetRecords) was by far the best I’ve heard inthe resolution of inner detail. Thenuances and subtleties of each guitarpluck were more noticeable and clear.Eva’s voice was seductively pure,smooth, and natural, and so perfectlyplaced in the center of the soundstage, Icould hear the space around her.

The JC 1 paired up superbly withboth the Ayre K-5x solid-state and BATVK-3i tube preamps. The 3i wasn’tquite as detailed or extended in theupper frequencies as the Ayre, but addeda little more body and weight to themix. My reference Harmonic Tech ProSilway 2 balanced interconnects workedquite nicely, as did some of the newPurist Audio Design Museaus cables. AsI’ve mentioned before, I usually try toavoid using accessories costing morethan the component itself, but when itcame to power cords this time around, Icouldn’t help myself. (The JPSKaptovators are actually only half theprice of the JC 1, but at $1500 a pop,still a hefty chunk of change for most ofus.) I have a penchant for these cordsbecause of their ability to enhance all thepositive attributes of a component with-out changing its overall sonic character.And in this case, they did just that inspades, plus added some weight andextension to the bottom end.

Parasound Halo JC 1 Monaural Amplifier

Sue Kraft

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This was perhaps the only caveat Ihad about the JC 1. The bass was fastand focused, with a foundation reachingdown to the bowels of the earth, but hada slight propensity towards leanness. Ina comparison with the BAT VK-6200solid-state amp, the JC 1 was lighter andmore nimble, thinning out a bit (andperhaps losing a little definition as well)in the lower midrange/upper bassregion. The 6200, on the other hand,was more robust and muscular in nature,with more bulk and fullness in the loweroctaves. I’m not sure which amp wouldwin in a marathon, as both had morethan enough speed and stamina to gothe distance.

The JC 1’s presentation was nevertoo hard or aggressive, nor converselytoo soft or laid-back. If there was anyerror here at all, it was to the forgivingside. The high frequencies were to-die-for silky smooth, crystal clear, and abun-

dantly detailed. The kind you could lis-ten to all day long without fatigue.Sometimes you need to just kick back,put away the “audiophile-quality”recordings, and have some fun. For me itwas spending an afternoon listening tomy favorite ’60s and ’70s classic rockcar-cruisin’ collection. There wasn’t any-thing that didn’t sound great on the JC1. Santana’s “Evil Ways” from The Best of

Santana [Columbia/Legacy] was a blast.The music rolled from side to side (near-ly wall to wall, actually) and rockedfront to back (hence the term rock ’n’roll?) in a stunningly transparent andthree-dimensional wave of sound. Imagelines were incredibly focused and stable,with no hint of strain, brightness, orcongestion at any volume level. Andme? I was left with an ear-to-ear grin on

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my face that lasted the rest of the week.If you don’t mind the heat or electric

bills, you could always buy a set of JC 1quintuplets for home-theater use, as theseanimals are actually THX Ultra2Certified. Other features on the rear panelinclude balanced Neutrik XLR and sin-gle-ended Vampire RCA inputs, two setsof Superior Electric five-way bindingposts, a ground-lift switch in the event ofhum problems, audio signal trigger anduser-selectable high/low bias-level adjust-ment. All of my listening was done in the“high” bias setting, but in the event heatdissipation is a concern, the “low” biassetting reduces the Class A operationfrom 25W down to 10W.

The only minor user issue with theJC 1 was in determining if the ampswere turned on or off. When plugged in,a small, red pilot light in the top centerand blue halo around a power button onthe bottom left of the faceplate remain

constantly lit. The glow becamebrighter when the amps were poweredup, but it was tough to remember thedifference in the intensity of the lightsbetween on and off. So if I touched thetop plates and they were just a fewdegrees short of being able to fry myeggs in the morning, I knew I had for-gotten to turn them off again.

The goal of the JC 1’s designers wasto build a world-class amplifier at a real-world, affordable price. Based on thesubstantial build quality and superlativeperformance of these Parasound amps, Ibelieve they have succeeded. Even if youare looking to spend more than $6000on your next amplifier purchase, the JC1 deserves a listen. You may be sur-prised. I know after spending nearly sixmonths with these amps, it won’t beeasy to send them back. There ought tobe a twelve-step program for review-ers—I’m addicted! &

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M A N U FA C T U R E R I N F O R M A T I O N

Parasound Products, Inc.

950 Battery StreetSan Francisco, California 94111Phone: (415) 397-7100www.parasound.comPrice: $6000

SPECIF ICAT IONSPower output: 400W into 8 ohms, 800W into

4 ohms, 1200W into 2 ohmsDimensions: 17.25" x 7.67" x 20" Weight: 64 lbs.

ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENTAyre K-5x, BAT VK-3i preamps; BAT VK75-SE,BAT VK-6200 amps; Ayre CX-7 and Meridian588 CD players; Coincident Total Eclipsespeakers; PS Audio Ultimate Outlet line con-ditioner; Harmonic Technology Pro Silway 2and Purist Audio Design Museaus balancedinterconnects; JPS Kaptovator power cords;Coincident speaker cable; SymposiumRollerblocks; Svelte Shelf isolation devices