Parasound Halo JC 2 Preamp

[Κώστας Φ.]

Parasound is now shipping the JC 2 stereo preamplifier in its high-end Halo product family. The Parasound Halo JC 2 was designed and engineered by the legendary John Curl and CTC Builders team who have been responsible for some of the most highly regarded audio components of the past 25 years, including the acclaimed Parasound Halo JC 1 400-watt mono power amplifier.

The Parasound Halo JC 2 is a precision analog stereo preamplifier that audiophiles will use to switch between audio source components and to control the output level of the connected power amplifier. While this role may seem relatively simple, many designers and engineers have devoted lifetimes to getting it right.

According to Parasound's president, Richard Schram, "We conceived the Halo JC 2 in the spirit of the JC 1, commissioning John Curl to design a two-channel preamplifier without compromise. The resulting product achieves a higher level of sonic and measured performance than any preamplifier since Parasound was founded in 1981. The sound of the Halo JC 2 is alive with musical detail against a silent background that will give serious audiophiles both the opportunity and desire to re-explore their music collections."

The Parasound Halo JC 2 reflects Curl's genius for circuit design and performance, expressed through Parasound's obsession with quality, functionality and value. The JC 2 employs fully-balanced inputs and outputs with professional-grade XLR audio interconnections for the lowest possible levels of noise and distortion. It also has standard un-balanced connections, plus exceptional facilities for interfacing with integrated home control, remote control and other modern integration technologies.

The Halo JC 2 has a total of six line-level inputs, with two of those switchable for balanced or unbalanced connections. The main output jacks have both balanced XLR connectors and unbalanced RCA connectors. When used with power amplifiers that invert polarity the user can maintain absolute polarity, either by using the rear-panel inverted output jacks or by using the main output jacks and the polarity invert button on the included IR remote control. There are also fixed-level RCA record output jacks for connecting audio recording devices.

The infrared remote control has buttons for on/off, DC trigger activation, polarity normal/invert, volume, mute, and source selection. There are also tuning buttons for the Parasound Halo T 3 FM/AM tuner. Custom installers and systems integrators will appreciate the inclusion of an RS-232 interface, four 12-Volt Triggers, and remote control repeater input and loop out jacks. The RS-232 interface allows bi-direction communications with home automation and control systems such as Crestron, AMX, Control4, Niles, and Elan.

The Parasound Halo JC 2 is now available from select Parasound dealers. It has a suggested retail price of $4,000.


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%

S/N Ratio
116 dB, input shorted, IHF A-weighted
104 dB, input shorted, unweighted

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

Input Impedance
Unbalanced: 30k Ω
Balanced: 30k Ω per leg

Output Impedance
Unbalanced: < 60 Ω
Balanced: < 60 Ω per leg

Input Sensitivity
200 mV for 1 V output
Total Gain: 14 dB
Maximum Output: 8 V

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

Dimensions
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: 36 lbs. (16.4 kg)

Rack Mount Accessory
HRA 3 (May be purchased separately)

MSRP
$4,000 (US)

Πηγή: audioholics.com

 

[dcure]

υπάρχουν και φώτο απο το εσωτερικό του.
http://www.parasound.com/halo/jc2.php

 

[Χατζηκυπριώτης Δημήτρης]

Ενδιαφέρον μηχάνημα.

Πώς να παίζει άραγε ?

Και άλλη μια απορία η τιμή καταλόγου στις ΗΠΑ είναι 4000$ δηλαδή 3054€ εδώ πόσο να φτάσει ?

Άλλο ένα ενδιαφέρον μηχανάκι είναι και αυτό :

Αναλογικός προενισχυτής 7 καναλιών .
Συνδέεις την δικάναλη πηγή και το φοβερό νέο player υψηλής ευκρίνειας από τις αναλογικές του εξόδους και τέλος.

 

[Κώστας Φ.]

Απάντηση: Re: Parasound Halo JC 2 Preamp

υπάρχουν και φώτο απο το εσωτερικό του.
http://www.parasound.com/halo/jc2.php

:cool_4:

 

[Κώστας Φ.]

Απάντηση: Parasound Halo JC 2 Preamp

Ωραίο εργαλείο έφτιαξε πάλι ο Γιάννης.
Έχουμε και review...


Halo JC 2 preamplifier - A preamp for all seasons

Summing Up:

The Parasound Halo JC 2 is a "semi-mass-produced" preamp that has the sound of small-production run "boutique" gear. It has a very impressive parts list, features list, and specifications list. It is truly exceptional in comparison with my, admittedly older, pre-amps. It delivers greater detail yet seems more relaxed, delivers larger sound-stage without forcing that on the listener; altogether it is more lifelike, and produces more "in the room" sound than I have yet experienced in my listening area, with my gear. It has many features, yet is ergonomically user-friendly and easy to use. It is flexible, and it can be run in either balanced or unbalanced mode. It is set up to trigger a pair of JC 1s, and I can testify that it sounds remarkably well suited to drive its big brother amplifiers. It also drives my tube amplifiers to new levels of resolution, which doesn't surprise me. It responds well to "voicing" with well chosen interconnect cables. With my gear, in my room, it seems to like the very neutral, very analytic Eclipse interconnects, by WireWorld. These, and their related loudspeaker cables are very good at picking up details "down in the mix," so you don't have to play the entire system as loudly to hear them. This is a very good preamp, excellent in most regards, that will deliver lots of detail without getting in your face, and retain its sweetness all the while. It likes all kinds of music. At $4K MSRP, I find it a bargain for an upper tier piece. I may be a bit flowery, but I do believe it is a great all-purpose preamp, a preamp for all seasons.

This is a pi ce that is so good, I think you could buy it without hearing it, and that is as high praise as I can offer. But if you do buy this one as a present for your wife, I think any reputable Parasound dealer will give you a trial run. It's hard for me to imagine an amp with which it won't be comfortable, or a CD player it won't be able to accommodate. This one's a keeper. And when you phone up to place your order, be sure to tell ‘em that Max Dudious sent ya'. Ciao, Bambini.

Full Review: positive-feedback.com

 

[Κώστας Φ.]

Κι άλλο review για τον JC-2, από το Stereophile και τον John Atkinson αυτή τη φορά (οπότε έχουμε και τις σχετικές μετρήσεις)...

"The Halo JC 2

Costing a not-unreasonable $4000, the Halo JC 2 is manufactured, like the JC 1, in Taiwan. But its design, circuit layout, and parts choice are unabashedly American. John Curl began designing the JC 2 while working on the JC 1, and optimization of the design was performed by him, with the late Bob Crump choosing the parts and Carl Thompson laying out the boards. "Designed by CTC Builders John Curl, Carl Thompson & Bob Crump," it states at the top of the rear panel—a nice touch.

...

The rear panel is dominated by the two rows of input and output jacks, one row for each channel. There are six pairs of unbalanced inputs, two of which can be switched to balanced mode. As well as a pair of fixed-level Record Out RCAs, there are inverting and non-inverting main unbalanced outputs on RCAs and a pair of balanced outputs on XLRs, these wired with pin 2 hot. The gold-plated RCA jacks are all sourced from Vampire, the XLRs from Neutrik.

Internally, vertical 3/8"-thick aluminum panels separate the chassis into three shielded regions. On the left is the inductor-smoothed power supply, based on an R-core transformer and fast, soft-recovery bridge rectifiers and diodes. There is a separate supply for the relay coils, triggers, LEDs, and control circuitry, this carried on a vertical board behind the front panel.

The audio circuitry, shielded from the power supply and control sections, is carried on a separate board for each channel, and is based on hand-matched complementary FETs, a feature of John Curl's designs for a quarter-century now. The circuit is direct-coupled, with no capacitors in the signal path, and with DC offset controlled by a servo circuit. Following the short signal path, the input jacks feed a relay driven by the input-select switch. A four-gang, motor-driven potentiometer adjusts volume and polarity inversion of the output signal is performed with gold-on-silver–contact relays.

...

Summing up

I had a quibble with the Halo JC 2's plastic remote, which, with its concave bottom and the weight of the batteries all at one end, proved adept at falling off whatever I placed it on. The remote's Volume Up and Down buttons were also a bit trigger-happy; I often over- or undershot the level I wanted, until I became accustomed to the necessary technique: a succession of quick jabs rather than a prolonged press.

But when, in a review of a high-end component, a writer is reduced to criticizing the remote control, for goodness' sake, it's a sign that everything else is pretty much beyond criticism. No, you don't want to pair the Halo JC 2 with lean-sounding power amplifiers or loudspeakers, but otherwise, Sam Tellig called it in his column in the December 2007 issue (p.24–27): "The JC 2 allows music to emerge intact—with body, bloom, and dynamics, with definition and detail—from an utterly silent background....[T]he JC 2 excels at the reproduction of space." Nothing in my auditioning persuaded me that the inestimable Mr. T. had gotten it wrong. In fact, he—and Parasound and John Curl—got it very right. And at a price that will be within the reach of real-world audiophiles.

Awesome!" -- John Atkinson


"Overall, the Parasound Halo JC 2 offers superb measured performance, as I have come to expect from John Curl designs." -- John Atkinson


Full Review: Stereophile.com