A good preamp for around $1000 for parasound JC1s

I would have to say classe cp-50 or bryston bp 25 i have a bp 25 hooked up to a sim w-5 it sounds amazing.

You can try to find a pre-owned Pass Labs X2.5 , not exactly your budget (1000.00 $USD) but close
I use the Pass X1 and the combo X1/JC1s is simply magical

I am using a P/LD 2000 with a Halo A21 to great effect. The remote does control polarity along with inputs & volume.

Regards,
Todd

I recently purchased a used Parasound C2 to use as a preamp in a 2 channel sytem with a Parasound Halo amp (not JC1). I tried the Parasound 2100 but found it lacked definition and control relative to the C2 in my home theater.

The prices of used C2 controllers have dropped to slightly above the $1000 mark. There is currently a used model for sale on Audiogon for $1099. IMHO the C2 offers excellent audio quality from one set of balanced direct analog inputs, a set of direct analog inputs in 5.1 configuration as well as through digital inputs and through analog inputs connected to the DSP.

While you may not use the video inputs, the C2 unit offers exceptional flexibility in audio inputs, a very good remote and excellent value. I expect it will maintain its resale value near the current price level. It also will match your JC1s in appearance.