Parasound Halo JC 5 Power Amplifier Designed by John Curl

Description

MY TAKE: "For more than twenty years Parasound has been a name synonymous with unequaled value. Their electronics are respected for both performance and reliability, and compete with significantly more expensive products. Modestly priced, previous offerings have changed common perception about the level of performance that can be achieved at the price point. For a number of years, the legendary John Curl has worked with Parasound as a consultant. His input has greatly influenced their products and is one ofreasons for the praise they’ve received from the audiophile community. The JC5 represents a benchmark for Parasound and is a wonderful product. The JC5 is massively power, providinf iron-fisted control while retaining the ability to reproduce the subtlety and nuance of music. Highly recommended" - Galen Carol

REVIEWS:
 

Stereo Times: "The JC5 is the best amplifier I've ever listened to in my own home. I was unable to identify any specific faults.  I am keeping it, and I am pleased to have it. Well done, Parasound." - Greg Simmons

SoundStage!: "Having heard the JC 5, I realize that it's worth every penny. Its sound delighted me in ways that few other components ever have. By any measure, the Halo JC 5 is a superb power amplifier. I can't recommend Parasound's Halo JC 5 highly enough."

HomeTheaterReview.com: - Best of 2018

Hi-Fi News (UK): - Outstanding Product Award "This is one fast, hard-hitting amplifier with superb grip on speakers. The JC 5 will please even if you never explore the limits of its performance."

Home Theater Review: "The JC 5 plays whatever you want the way it was meant to be played. For Parasound to have such stringent design criteria on the JC 5 is impressive indeed. Like its big brother, the original JC 1, the Parasound JC 5 is a stunning amplifier."

Part Time Audiophile: "I really enjoyed what the Parasound Halo JC 5 Stereo Power Amplifier brought to my rig. It provided a fine balance between the fork in the proverbial audiophile road of good sound and accuracy. Inherently neutral, accurate without being dry, no solidstate etching or harshness whatsoever, and imaging and soundstage that could compete with similarly priced tube amps – this all adds up to what I think is a big win for Parasound.

Parasound’s design objective for the JC 5 was to meet customer requests to distill the essence of the acclaimed JC 1+ monoblocks into a stereo power amp. I haven’t heard the JC 1+ yet so I cannot comment on that, but in my opinion the Parasound Halo JC 5 Stereo Power Amplifier is a winner. If you are looking for a beefy solid state power amplifier under $10k I suggest giving the JC 5 an audition. Highly recommended." - Graig Neville

FEATURES:

400 watts x 2 @ 8 Ω RMS, both channels driven
600 watts x 2 @ 4 Ω RMS, both channels driven
1200 watts x 1@ 8 Ω, in bridged mode
Circuitry designed by legendary John Curl
Ultra-high bias Class A/AB operation
12 watts per channel of pure Class A power
90 amperes peak current per channel
Stable with speaker impedance dips to 1.5 Ω
Balanced inputs with discrete circuits
CHK Infinium, custom 5-way speaker binding posts
Neutrik locking XLR input connectors
Vampire gold-plated RCA input & loop output jacks
Direct-coupled signal path, no capacitors or inductors
DC Servo and relay protection circuits
AC turn-on inrush surge protection with relay bypass
Dual-mono input stages with ±110 volt DC rails
JFET input stage, MOSFET driver stage
24 beta-matched 15 ampere, 60 MHz bipolar output transistors
1.7 kVA shielded toroid power transformer with independent windings for each channel
Independent power supplies for left & right channel input stages, driver stages, output stages
8,880 µF Nichicon Gold Tune filter capacitors for input stages
132,000 µF Rubycon filter capacitors for output stages
Full power is rated all the way down to 5Hz for unrestricted low-end bass
Harris hyper-fast soft-recovery bridge diode rectifiers
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

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)

Dimensions
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