anyone here tried Parasound "New" JC-5 amp

Hey @ja_kub_sz I'm glad you're liking your JC5.  It really is a sweet sounding amp.

I couldn't agree more that this is a funny hobby.  No two systems sound alike, and every component / link / placement / treatment in your system contributes to the overall sound.   Just like Forrest Gump would say: "Life is like a box of chocolate...".

Good luck with it!  Would love to hear more from you after the burn in if you have some spare time.

 

 

@xcool this is a funny hobby. I actually feel the JC5 is throwing out a little too much bass ever so slightly, but the bass control and smoothness is phenomenal! I was listening and thinking to myself last night "yeah there’s a lot of bass", but it doesn’t sound over the top and muddied like I’m accustomed to hearing with the other components I’ve trialed in house.

Overall I’m really liking the JC5 but only got about a solid hour in of listening.

From the hip and right out of the gates, the JC5 is definitely more detailed then my mono block 851w’s, and spacial depth is better. But the JC5 is not as neutral of an amp as what I’m accustom to (which I honestly like). Some how the JC5 brings some sounds, most notable vocals, way forward and really etches the contrast of certain sounds. I really enjoy it, but want to spend a solid 6-8hrs and just soak it all in.

My only dig this far is it’s size. OMG! So I was looking at the Coda No. 8 (5.5" x 17" x14" and 63lbs), vs the JC5 (7.5" x 17 x 20" and 73lbs). The size seems a bit excessive comparatively and if the amps were/are equally good, I’d probably go with the smaller size of the Coda after seeing how big this thing is.

@ja_kub_sz I do run a sub, but I try to keep the crossover and gain at lower settings to keep it from sounding too boomy.   With my latest cable upgrade,  I'm hearing more bass without touching the setting on my sub.

@xcool Nice! Do you run a sub? I've never have had lack of bass issues with sub's.

Great @ja_kub_sz , would definitely like to hear your thoughts on the JC-5.  I did end up getting the JC-5, and had been mostly happy with it.  I wish it has a little more bass, but I really like the musically and smoothness of the amp.   

Recently, I upgraded my cable from my source to my preamp (JC-2) and also from JC2 to JC5, and I'm getting a nice boost in the bass department.   I'm now hearing some low and punchy bass that I haven't heard before.  I'm very happy with my latest upgrade.

@xcool I too was looking at both the Anthem and JC5 and kinda the McIntosh MC830's (a little pricey) and Coda No. 8 (was really tempted).

I'm really impressed with the Coda (not crazy on the looks), but ultimately went with the JC5 (arriving tomorrow). The JC5 won out with the loop outs which I wanted (not available on the Coda).

I'll let you know what I think of it, but I'm kinda excited to see what the JC5 can do.

My current system is...

Innuos Zenith(3)+Phoenix USB

Musetec MH-DA005 DAC

Technics SU-R1000 (integrated used as a pre)

Cambridge Audio 851w Dual Mono Amps

JBL L-100 Classic 75's

Dual KEF 12b Kube Subwoofers

I'm really happy with my 851's, but am looking to most likely get new speakers and put my current system in reserve (2nd system). But my 851's pump out 500(8ohms)/800(4ohms) so should be interesting.

I'll definitely post my thoughts.

I really want to grab the JBL S3900's with dual JL Audio e112 subs for my new front line system, but that's about 15k away from me right now.

I got the Technics, the Musetec and now JC5 to roll over.

Well see... Excited

Hi @antman Sounds like from your last post, you had replaced the Anthem STR amp with JC-5.   Will you be able to share your insights a little more about these 2 amps?  I'm currently thinking about getting a new stereo amp and JC-5 and Anthem STR are the 2 amps I have in mind.    

I'm currently running Parasound JC-2 preamp with Halo A31 power amp, and considering upgrading my stereo sound for music. 

Thanks.

Alucard,   that funny you said that..  the JC-5 replaced Anthem STR.
And now the Luxman L509x replaced the both of them...  and I think it might be the end gamer.   for now.  LOL

I know this is a little late, but if you like the sound from the JC-5 amp you might want to listen to the Anthem P2 power amp, once you listen to the Anthem P2 you will hear the difference and switch to the Anthem.They are both priced around the same amount, plus the Anthem does not even get warm while playing at full power and can go down below 2 ohm loads if needed, so it's able to drive any speaker out there.

Hi jetter, that's totally cool.  It's all about personal preference with this stuff, lol.  It's so hard to try to describe what "creamy" means unless you have heard that.  The Parasound does slightly roll off/soften the highs, but it is not a "creamy" sound at all.  You can have good high frequency response, but still have a creamy sound - it's more of a midrange description, but the "Class A smoothness" can affect the entire frequency range.
The Parasound has excellent clean and realistic midrange, but the slight softening of the highs put it slightly on the "warm" side of neutral.  A "creamy" sound is not realistic at all because it introduces a creamy signature to the actual source waveforms - similar to how some tube amps create this different "tube texture" that is not part of the original soundtrack.

Hi auxinput, thanks for the detailed explanation of the virtues of the amps that you have provided.  In musical preferences I am most sensitive to a too bright presentation and this will make or break a system for me.  Even though my speakers have soft dome tweeters, I still think having an amp that slightly rolls off the high end is my preference.  I am not sure if that is what you are referring to as a "creamy" sound.   

I am currently evaluating a Parasound A21+ in my system and at this point I am loving it.  But I need to decide to keep it or not soon and so far I am leaning towards keeping it.  It doesn't hurt that I did get a bit of deal on it. 

The previous generation Krell Evolution amps (402e, 302e, 2250e) are probably the best amps I have heard for this type of sound (which is my preferred sound also). But they can be as much as 8-10 years old (if you are concerned about age). The larger models are extremely heavy and require freight shipping on a pallet (the 402e is 175lbs unboxed!!). This can be a hassle and expensive if they need to be shipped back to Krell for servicing. The Evo 2250e is only 92lbs and can be handled via Fedex. These Krell Evo amps really “sing” in my opinion. ---NOTE: do not confuse these with the lower end KAV-2250 and Showcase models. They are not the same thing. Examples of other amps with this type of dynamic and high resolution sound are Esoteric, MBL, Gryphon, Soulution, Plinius. Some of these can get really expensive.


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The Emotiva amplifiers actually have an excellent high resolution circuit, --BUT-- they are compromised by low cost parts and, in certain cases, design approaches (to meet the cost target of the product). This results in things such as grain in the sound and harshness / brightness. These things can be worked around with various levels of effort. I have direct experience with the entire history of Emotiva amps and can go into a very detailed discussion if you are interested in exploring this avenue. However, a stock Emotiva will definitely NOT play at the level of Parasound.


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There has been a trend in the last 5-8 years for amps that have the high Class A smooth/creamy type of sound. The newer Krell amps (solo/duo/chorus) have this very smooth sound with a touch of creaminess. They sound completely different than the previous Evolution amps. You might not get the “sparkle” you’re looking for here. The new Mark Levison amps are VERY smoothed and creamy sounding (I don’t know what old Levinson sounds like). Boulder is another amp that is slightly creamy. There are many others, but I can’t remember all the brands I’ve heard in this category (since it’s not my taste).


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Lastly, the final element are wiring and fuses. For all my wiring (power cord, interconnect, speaker cable) I some variation of solid-core OCC copper with Furutech Rhodium terminations. Solid-core copper sounds the most natural and the rhodium plated terminations enable the high frequency sparkle and overall resolution that normal gold/copper cables don’t have. I used to have silver a long time ago. Silver is definitely fast, but over time and listening, I have determined that silver imparts an artificial character to the sound (it just doesn’t sound natural). For fuse, I always use Furutech rhodium, but in some cases the Isoclean gold-plated warmer sounding fuse would be excellent (such as a fast Bryston 7B3 amp). I can also dive deeper into this discussion if you want.

Hi auxinput, it sounds like you have had a number of amps.  Which amps in your opinion have it all, good bass, mids and treble (resolution)?  Thanks

I heard the JC5 at RMAF last year.  I also have owned JC1s and A21 amps.  They are all relatively similar, though the bigger amps with bigger power supply will have more solid sound.  I have also read that JC1 amps require an enormous amount of hours to burn in (some say 400+, some say 1200 hours!)

That being said, the Parasound amps are very refined and excellent sounding amps, but they are voiced slightly on the warm side and the highs are very slightly rolled off and softened. So, yeah, I agree that the top end lacks that sparkle and resolution.  My JC1s definitely had over 1000 hours.

They are not JC1s at all. John Curl has redesigned the amplifier and those that I trust who have heard the JC1 and JC5 have much preferred the latter amp. As far as I’m concerned I view the 5 as an upgrade to the 1. 

I am am sure they share similarities but it is a revised circuit. 

Sad to see no high-bias mode on the JC-5.

The JC-5 is essentially 2 JC-1's in a single box. The JC-1 Mono's have been discontinued. You can bridge 2 JC-5's as mono blocks and get 1000 wpc.

I had a chance to audition the JC5 against a Parasound A21. The amps were driving Vandersteen Quatros. Not surprisingly, the JC5 produced sound that was more articulate, intense, and palpable than the A21. Liked the JC5. I also had a chance to compare the JC5 to the Audio Research VT80 SE, which is a couple of thousand more. I thought that the Audio Research amp sounded dark compared to the JC5, and produced bass that was less articulate.

I my source are DSC Puccini, Kuzma TT w/ JC3+, Marantz ND8006
All Kimber Select wiring.

So an update. Been playing with Bob Robbins@MySpeakerSetup (a revised version of "Sumiko Master Setting")
OMG what a difference it made. It open up and starting to hear those synergy at the top end.
maybe all the I needed is the speaker re-positiion.  LOL

I find the Elipsa to be rolled off on the top end some. Maybe it's showcasing more of the speaker's characteristics? What is the rest of the system?

From what I've been told the JC5 is a musical sounding amp which differs a bit from their other offerings in the Halo line, which are more neutral. It could be that you like more jolt on the top end to synergize with the Elipsa's very smooth top end.