Parasound Halo JC3 Jr. Phono Preamplifier
Parasound Halo JC3 Jr. Phono Preamplifier
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Parasound Halo JC3 Jr. MM/MC Phono Preamplifier
“An unquestionably talented phono stage. Its ability to take a very wide spread of genres and levels of mastering and deliver them all with a consistent and engaging balance of refinement, spaciousness and overall musicality is a welcome one.”
“Truthfully the JC 3 Jr. is not a 3+. But it comes uncomfortably close to the original JC 3, the phono pre that would later evolve into the 3+. Its winning musicality proudly upholds the family name.”
Circuitry designed by the legendary John Curl, and board layouts by Carl Thompson.
The Parasound Halo JC3 Jr. phonostage offers MM/MI or MC support, and three-level gain selection for both the single-ended and balanced outputs. A mono switch can improve the sound of mono LPs. Variable MC impedance can be adjusted between 50 and 550 Ohm.
The design offers an incredible signal-to-noise ratio of up to 94 dB, with a THD less than 0.02%. Only the finest components are used, with Vishay-Dale resistors in the audio path, Vampire 24k gold-plated RCA jacks, and Neutrik XLR connectors.
An aluminum shield separates power supply and audio circuits, and the toroidal power transformer is also carefully shielded. The power supply uses high-speed-soft recovery bridge rectifiers and common mode inductors.
The Upscale View
Parasound is one of the industry's low-key, high-return brands. It's not always the first name on a customer's lips, yet is a hugely respected and loved brand by people who work in high-end audio. This isn't just because of the legendary John Curl who is behind most of its top-flight designs, but also because Parasound uses such expensive and solid engineering, yet is able to price its products so reasonably. Parasound is the brand of choice for someone who really knows good sound, but doesn't have the budget for audio jewellery.
Specifications
Inputs: Stereo RCA, XLR balanced, 12 V trigger
Outputs: Stereo RCA, stereo XLR
Input Impedance
MM or MI: 47k Ω
MC: 50- 550 Ω
Output Impedance
Unbalanced: < 100 Ω
Balanced: < 100 Ω per leg
Input Capacitance: 150 pF
Gain
Single-ended: 40 dB, 50 dB, 60 dB
Balanced: 40 dB, 56 dB, 66 dB
Dimensions (WHD): 17-1/4" x 2-1/2" x 14-3/4"
Weight: 13 lb.