For designer comments on the engineering behind
the Halo JC1, click
here
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San Francisco, 8/27/02 -- Parasound has introduced its highly-anticipated
400-watt JC 1 monoblock power amplifier as the flagship amplifier for
its new Halo line of premium audio components.With nearly inexhaustible
current reserves, the amplifier easily delivers 800 Watts into 4 Ohms,
and 1200 Watts into 2 Ohm loads. This extremely powerful and uncompromising
component was developed by Parasound in collaboration with legendary designer
John Curl’s CTC Builders, and represents the culmination of 13 years
of Curl's ongoing evolution of Parasound power amplifier topologies.
“The combination of Parasound’s ability to manufacture
very high quality components, and John Curl’s remarkable design,
makes this one of the finest amplifiers ever built at any price,”
said Parasound’s president, Richard Schram. “The sound quality
and power capabilities of this amplifier are breathtaking.”
Formed in 1998, CTC Builders consists of John Curl handling
electrical design, board and layout design by Carl Thompson, and Bob Crump's
component selection and implementation. The trio has developed a number
of products, including the CTC Blowtorch preamplifier and the CTC BBQ
amplifier, that have received the utmost respect and accolades from the
most discerning audiophiles and high-end magazine reviewers.
The JC 1 was conceived as a signature product, growing
out of CTC's modifications of the Parasound HCA 3500 amplifier
which was sold between 1999 and 2001. With various changes to
the design, including a much larger heatsink and double the power
supply, as well as component and layout alterations, the monoblock
JC 1 is unmatched by anything at its $3,500 price, and will stand
up favorably to any component available at any price.
The heart of the JC 1 power supply is a large toroid transformer
rated at 10 Amperes continuous, backed up with four enormous 33,000-microFarad
Nichicon Gold Tune electrolytic filter capacitors, which Curl believes
to be the finest in the world. The tremendous inrush of current required
to charge 132,000 microFarads of capacitance requires a specially designed
relay-bypassed "soft start" circuit to prevent tripped circuit
breakers. Through meticulous board design and component placement, as
well as massive aluminum heatsink, the amplifier operates without the
need for unnecessary cooling fans.
Curl's complementary JFET and MOSFET configuration for the
input and driver stages respectively provide pure class A operation in
these parts of the circuitry. Nine pairs of high current bipolar transistors
in the output stage provide up to 25 Watts of pure Class A -- more than
that of amplifiers selling for several times the price of the JC 1. Only
during extremely loud musical passages or large bass transients, such
as special effects 'explosions,' does the JC 1 enter Class AB operation.
The JC 1 power amplifier features the stunning silver cabinetry
common to the entire Halo by Parasound line. The JC 1 is currently
available at a suggested retail price of $3,500 each.
Halo by Parasound was introduced in 2002 as a performance
and design-conscious step-up from the company’s traditional product
line. Founded in 1981, Parasound Products, Inc., is a privately owned
U.S. company that specializes in providing affordable audio and home theater
components to the critical listener.
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Parasound JC 1 Specifications
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