Mdomnick,
Your statement about Stereophile is not true. John Atkinson took a lot of criticism from his readers for giving a less than a sterling review of the new Thiel CS 1.6. Michael Fremer, the one who actually reviewed the Halo JC 1, has criticized the Harron monoblock amplifiers as being "too tidy." He felt that their soundstage was too small for the price, or something like that. When Michael reviewed the Ayre V1, he gave a mixed review, stating at the end of the article that both solid state and tube lovers alike may not like the sound of the Ayre. The impression that he gave was that the amp was too much of a comprise and MAY not appeal to either amplifier camp. And when Michael reviewed the Aerial 8, he used a Mark Levinson 335 as a test amplifier. He felt that the amp was a little too sterile for his tastes. He concluded that it was an amp that appealed to the head more than the heart, or something to that effect. Finally, Michael noted that when he reviewed the $32,000 Midi-Grand Kharma 1.0 loudspeaker, he felt that the bass was not tight and fast enough for his room and that the loudspeaker was not the last word in dynamics, despite the big soundstage it created.
So you can see that Stereophile, and especially Michael Fremer, do not give a rubber-stamp rave review with everything they test. Thus, the Halo JC 1 could very well be an amplifier worth listening to. |
Mdomnick,
I don't mean to "get on your case" about the Halo. I understand what you are saying about reviewers and their reviews. It causes me to spend a lot of time analyzing a review; sometimes I have to read it six or more times to really understand the hidden meaning, if any.
I can still remember John Atkenson's review of the Thiel CS 6. He praised the speaker. Having been a former Thiel CS 3 owner, I had high expectations. Well, I listened to the CS 6 with a Mark Levinson 335, Mark Levinson 380S, Meridian 507, and Transparent Audio Super cables and interconnects. The sound was disappointing and bland. So much for Atkenson's recommendation.
The Halo is on my short list of amps to audition and to be used with the Magnepan 3.6/R. The other amps include the Classe CAM 350, Pass X250, Bryston 7B SST, and BAT VK500, just to name a few. I am a little skeptical myself about the Halo. I have heard the Halo A23 and found it to be harmonically thin, polite, and somewhat reticent. Not a bad amp for $850, but the Adcom GFA 5500 is much better for a $150 more.
Even if the Halo JC 1 is a great amp, I don't think it will be a commercial success. At $6,000, one could always buy the Pass X250, and for a thousand more, there is the CAM 350. Most people willing to spend that much money on an amp will opt for the Krell FPB 300CX, Mark Levinson 335, Plinius SA 250 Mark IV, or VTL MB 450. In Northern California, the Halo is carried by The Good Guys, not exactly Sound by Singer if you know what I mean.
Happy listening! |
My Standards are Krell FPB 350 MC/KTC line stage, VTL MB 750/VAC Renaissance, and Mark Levinson 335/380S. I will judge the Halo JC 1 against these units and I will tell you if it has a prayer.
Keep in mind that John Curl is the designer and Mr Thompson and Mr Crump have voiced the amp. It's my understanding they were contracted to help create the Halo JC 1, but they are not Parasound; they have little control over what Parasound might do to the design in the months ahead. If Parasound wants to use cheaper parts, will they consult CTC? And if one were to buy the Halo, it's not going to CTC if it needs repairing.
Parasound trails the leading edge of the high-end. Most audiophiles dreaming about the perfect amp or preamp don't conjure up Parasound products as their ideal. I certainly don't. I lust after equipment I can't possibly afford, and settle for equipment, while not sounding bad, that's cheaper. This equipment won't give most people a sonic epiphany.
I have heard the other Halo equipment. It is nicely made, attractive, and reasonably priced. When coupled with Monster Cable, the Veritas 2.4 loudspeaker, and a Sony SACD player, I was underwhelmed by the sound. The sonics were detailed and transparent with fairly good clarity, but the midrange lacked body, three-dimensional layering, and texture. The combination only produced average dynamics. What bothered me the most was the polite and reticent portrayal of the upper midrange and treble. It seemed to give, at best, a mid-hall perspective. This perspective might be fine for some, but for those wishing a more involving and exciting presentation, one that has greater immediacy, they will have to look elsewhere. Maybe it was the Veritas loudspeaker? It's hard to say. But I do know that I much prefer the Adcom GFA 5500/Conrad Johnson PV14LS combination, which can be had used for about $2,000. If the JC 1 sounds anything like its small amplifier counterpart, it won't do well in the long run. |
Hi Rcrump,
Let me get this straight, The Good Guys has decided not to take the Halo JC 1 because of price? Well, that means those of us who live in Northern California won't be able to hear the JC 1, unless there's another dealer. Wow, that's ironic seeing how Parasound's headquarters is in San Francisco.
Will the head office have amps on loan so those of us in California can hear the JC 1? I think this situation supports my contention that the JC 1 will not be commercially successful.
And I advise anyone interested in this amp, or any amp, you must see it and hear it before buying. Don't buy online based on a single review. You will regret it!
Have any of you on this board been to The Good Guys? It's almost as bad as buying your electronics at Sears. |
Oh please! So my musical tastes are pedantic, now? Well did I tell you of the system I just heard this weekend that had the Wisdom Audio Infinite Grande ($600,000) in a specially treated room (35'x 50' x15' @ $250,000) running a Burmester CD 969 Transport, a Burmester 970 SRC D/A Converter (about $69,000 combo), a Boulder 2010 preamplifier, and 24 Krell Master Reference amplifiers ($120,000 each) using specially designed Nordost Valhalla interconnects and speaker cables? The system price was about 4.5 million including tax and installation. I'm sure the JC 1 can trump that combination without breaking a sweat!
With all do respects, Rcrump, the equipment I have heard in the recent past, careful auditions that went for hours I might add, was equipment that I might be able to afford if I were to come into some type of financial windfall. The Krell Master Reference or the Mark Levinson No. 33 are simply too extravagant even if I had a net worth of ten million. I use, as my standards, components I have heard and that have been widely recognized as excellent audio devices that one might be able to afford. How many people you know are rushing out to write a check for the Infinite Grandes, especially in this recession?
Yes, The Good Guys are not better than Sears. Not a complaint, simply my observation. It's too bad they won't pick up the JC 1. If they had, I could have drug my audio junk to their store to give the JC 1 a fair audition. Well, now that's impossible, isn't? I was serious about your headquarters having loaner amps. How do you expect me to hear you new amp, get on an airplane and fly some distant place because you got one good review and your amplifier has good specs? I don't think so. If you want my business, you will have to make your product available. Your channel network for the Halo line leaves much to be desired in California, the home of your corporate headquarters. And I will not buy your product, or anyone else's, based on a magazine review and a lot of Internet hype.
The Halo JC 1 offers a promise to people like me: a music enthusiast who is willing to spend more than one might on an Adcom or a Bryston, but who is unable to buy the big Krells, VTLs, Audio Research, or Mark Levinson amps, the ones you think the JC 1 will bury in head-to-head competition. Those are big words, and maybe your right? But do keep in mind that Krell's cheapest class A amp produces 300 watts in class A with Plateau Biasing, while the JC 1 produces a mere 25 class A watts. Am I supposed to be impressed by that?
If I do get a chance to hear the now famous JC 1, I will be comparing it against the Classe CAM 350, Pass X250, Bryston 7B SST, and BAT VK500 with the Batpack option. I'm sorry in advance if you think this gear is beneath yours, but something tells me you have a lot of competition. Also on my list are other garbage amps like the Classe CA 301, PS Audio Classic 250, Belles 350A, Theta Dreadnaught II, BAT VK6200, Proceed HPA3, and McIntosh MC 352 all to be used with the Magnepan MG 3.6/R, a budget speaker to be sure, and a decent tubed preamp, which wouldn't meet your approval. |
In my previous comments, I meant to say that my audio standards are pedestrian, not pedantic, which they very well might be as well. I also noticed at least one or two typos. So it's clear that I can't spell.
The point of this discussion was to compare two amps: the JC 1 and the Bryston 7B SST.
Going on my past experience of the Bryston amps, I would expect the 7B to have a powerful bass, articulated mid-bass, prominent midrange with a touch of brightness and sparkle toward the yang side, and a crystal-clear top end. Sound about right? One can balance this sonic perspective with choice of preamplifier and cabling. I would choose a tube preamp and cables that might be considered slightly warm, but not rolled off. My front end of choice would be a turntable to add more life to the sound, and my speakers of choice would, indeed, be the Maggies.
After talking with Jim Whiney of Magnepan, he told me that he uses a pair of bridged Bryston 4B ST amps to power his MG 20s. Well, he'll have to throw them out to buy the JC 1s, won't he?
For the JC 1, something I have never heard, and may never be able to hear, I would guess that the midrange, compared to the Bryston, would be more relaxed, better focused, maybe more detailed, but more reticent and less exciting. The top end of the unit should be smooth, but maybe a little polite. The soundstage might be a little smaller and have a mid-hall perspective. I would match the JC 1 with an Audio Research LS25 Mark II preamp to increase dynamics and I would use more dynamic sounding loudspeakers, such as the Von Schweikert VR4 Gen III Special Editions. The JC 1's power would be overkill for the VR4s but I think it might be a good match. And for cabling, well there's Acoustic Zen or maybe Nordost. For my front end I might try a SACD player from Sony or Classe.
But alas, I will never get to hear the JC 1 because of where I live, which happens to be only the fourth largest urban center in the country. |
The 4.5 million dollar system was a joke. However, all of the equipment listed does exist.
I am in luck, Rcump. I checked your web sit again, and the Music Lovers in Berkeley is now listed as a dealer.
And when I do get a chance to hear your amp, you had better believe I will give it a review, a fair one of course! Also don't be surprised if I buy it. Remember, the amp is targeted at people like me, not the wealthy or the down and out. If I like the amp and I buy it and it's not a commercial success, it won't matter to me personally because I will have my unit. How's that for being selfish? Don't get me wrong: I don't want you guys to go out of business. I just think you are going to have a tough up-hill battle. Krell and the others are not going to throw in the towel just yet. |
