HALO by Parasound JC 1+

HALO by Parasound JC 1+ Mono Power Amplifier

The origin of the JC 1+

An audio historian could make a persuasive case that our new Parasound Halo JC 1+ is the most ambitious and extraordinary achievement since I established the Parasound brand in September 1981. For almost 40 years our mission has remained the same: build audio components that sound better, measure better and last longer than our competition, at prices that are sensible. We call this “value engineering.” It challenges us and guides every decision we make for every product we build. The origins of the JC 1+ go back to 1989 when we engaged the legendary John Curl to design our power amplifiers. These were very successful, so in 2000 we commissioned Curl to develop the JC 1. Released in early 2003, the JC 1 immediately earned the respect and admiration of reviewers and audiophiles alike. It set new standards of performance and value that were unrivaled during its 16 years in production. In fact, the last JC 1 to come off the production line sounded just like the first JC 1. There were no “improved” versions during its entire product life — simply because the JC 1 design, development, and manufacture made it so far ahead of its time. A few years after the JC 1’s introduction, consumers and dealers began asking when we planned to build an improved JC 1. After all, this is a common practice in the audio industry (which makes me wonder, why couldn’t they get it right in the first place?). My reply was always the same: “We could make changes to increase its price, but none that would materially improve performance. Yes, we could make a more expensive JC 1 and, if we were lucky, it might sound as good as the existing JC 1”. In early 2014, John Curl announced that he was investigating ideas that could substantially improve the JC 1 performance. As all Curl’s theories are based on objective science, not wishful thinking or self-suggestion, I was all ears. It’s prudent to be skeptical of new ideas, and we were. So Parasound hand-built six experimental prototypes to test Curl’s theories. What we measured and heard were nothing short of astonishing. The JC 1+ decisively outperformed the JC 1 in every respect.

Specs:

- 400 → 450 Watts @ 8Ω
- 800 → 850 Watts @ 4Ω
- 1200 → 1300 Watts @ 2Ω
- Filter capacitance: 132,000 → 198,000 uF
- Transformer capacity: 1.9 → 2.1 kVA
- Output transistors: 18 → 24 Sanken 60Mz devices
- Peak current: 135 → 180 amps
- Weight: 64 → 83 lbs net
- Bybee Music Rails™ active high frequency noise filters
- John Curl driver stage employs a new cascode circuit design
- FR-408 input circuit board material improves HF signal integrity
- Gain switch to select 29 dB or 23 dB of gain
- R-core power transformer for input stage
- Input circuit board is shielded
- Double thickness copper on output/power supply circuit boards
- Gold-plated internal audio signal path connectors
- Custom CHK Infinium speaker binding posts
- Looping Neutrik XLR output for easier bi-amping
- Front panel power indicator LED
- Updated auto turn on circuits with 3.5mm 12V trigger jacks

All Features:

Circuitry designed by legendary John Curl
Ultra-high bias Class A/AB operation
25 watts of pure Class A power
Stable with speaker impedance dips below 1Ω
Bybee Music Rails™ – active high frequency filters for input stage
New John Curl driver stage employs a cascode circuit for greater open loop bandwidth & superior linearity
Gain switch to select 29 dB or 23 dB gain for optimum compatibility with high gain preamps or extremely efficient speakers
R-core transformer for input stage suppresses noise on power line
6 massive 33,000 uF Nichicon Gold Tune filter capacitors for output stage
22,400 uF input stage power supply filter capacitors, independent of the main power supply
Dual CHK Infinium, custom 5-way speaker binding posts for easy bi-wiring
Neutrik locking XLR balanced input & loop output jacks
Vampire 24k gold-plated RCA input & loop output jacks
Direct-coupled signal path, no capacitors or inductors in the audio path
JFET input stage, MOSFET driver stage
24 beta-matched 15 ampere, 230V, 60 MHz bipolar output transistors
2.1 kVA shielded toroid power transformer with premium H18 grade core
Independent power supplies for input stage, driver stage & output stage
Full power is rated all the way down to 2Hz for unrestricted low-end bass
Harris hyper-fast soft-recovery bridge diode rectifiers
REL & Nichicon Muse capacitors
DC servo & relay protection circuits
AC turn-on inrush surge protection with relay bypass
Automatic turn-on by 12 V trigger or audio sensing
4 rack space chassis with rear carry handles
Rack mount hardware is included
Available in silver or black