JC1

Editor's choice 2012
- the absolute sound !

"Med sine nesten utømmelige kraftreserver bør den kunne drive nærmest hva som helst av høyttalere som sammen med utsøkt byggkvalitet, mekanisk pålitelighet,vide brukspotensiale og fleksible kompabilitet ligner dette mer og mer på en tidløs klassiker. Jeg gir derfor forsterkerne mine varmeste anbefalinger"

-Fidelity (2011)

Det er simpelthen bare å gi seg over for hvor nær denne relativt rimelige forsterkeren kommer det absolutt beste på markedet med en i forhold ganske så fornuftig prislapp.

- Fidelity

Editor's Choice Recommended Product - Power Amplifier $5,000 to $10,000

- the absolute sound 2004

Class A Recommended Component - "...the sound wasn't strained in any way, and there was an overall sense of ease. Dynamic ease. Listening ease. Just ease." "Tonally, the Parasounds were magnificent... with no trace of solid state hardness."


-Stereophile 2004

"The bass on the JC 1s is state of the art, riveting, jaw dropping." "Listening to the Parasound Halo JC 1 monoblocks is a thrilling experience. I could go on for days praising their bass slam, transparency, immediacy, and brilliance." "In three words: they are fabulous." - Jason Victor Serinus

- Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity, August 2004

2003 Amplifier of the Year, Stereophile

"...incredibly effortless and natural." "This amplifier certainly held me captivated and entertained, drawing me into the music." "If you want to lose yourself in the music, there are precious few components as good as the JC 1."

- HiFi News 2004

Sam's Product of the Year "Before you blow $10k-$20k or more on some amps that were recommended by a reviewer who didn't buy them, give a listen to the Parasounds, which this reviewer did purchase." "Don't buy an amp without hearing these, even if you can't afford them."

- Stereophile 2003

"Beautiful Brutes." "The JC 1s rank with the best amplifiers I have heard in recreating a multideminsional sound field." 

- Enjoythemusic.com 2003

"...Parasound's Halo JC 1 amplifier, is among the most precisely nuanced amplifiers I know, able to draw the slightest and most delicate of musical expressions, to make the subtlest distinctions. It can also rock you, like your back ain't got no bone, 'cuz it's a brute. It is the amp for all seasons." "It has the ability to produce a believable facsimile of spaciousness, that 3-D sound-staging that makes the illusion of space between the instruments nearly tangible; the ability to produce timbral, harmonic, and dynamic accuracy that results in what we call 'inner detail'; the ability to produce delicate refined purity of tone one moment, and then bowl you over with A BIG WALL OF SOUND the next." "...these amps are truly outstanding, among the best I've ever heard, and the best I've had in my system."

- Positive Feedback 2003

"...I was impressed with the remarkable speed, clarity, transparency, and focus of these amps straight out of the box." "The high frequencies were to-die-for silky smooth, crystal clear, and abundantly detailed. The kind you could listen to all day long without fatigue." "There wasn't anything that didn't sound great on the JC 1." "I was left with an ear-to-ear grin on my face that lasted the rest of the week."

- The absolute Sound 2003

"It took but a few seconds for me to absolutely fall in love with the Halo JC 1." "Powerful, refined, smooth, organized, dynamic, transparent, and rhythmically supple, the JC 1 offered a combination of attributes that added up to many weeks of listening pleasure. I'd be happy to have it go on indefinitely - as, no doubt, will many of you." - Michael Fremer

-Stereophile 2003

Test i Fidelity 2011
Omtale Fidelity 2006
Omtale Secret of Home Theater
Omtale Enjoy the music
Omtale Positive Feedback
Omtale Stereophile
Home Theater Design

JC3

Product of the year (Phonostage of the year)
- the absolute sound 2012

Editor's choice 2012
- the absolute sound !

"As with the JC 1 and 2, the construction quality of the Halo JC 3 is first-rate."
"Like the Vendetta, the JC 3 wasn’t merely quiet, or even really, really quiet-it was silent."
"In every case the portrayal of the recorded acoustic was exquisitely detailed."
"It’s superb at both frequency extremes, and tonally it’s as close to neutral as any component I’ve heard."
"Highly recommended!"

- Brian Damkroger

"As with John Curl’s legendary Vendetta phono preamplifier, the Halo JC 3 was superbly quiet."
"Looking back through this report, I seem to have used the word superb several times, and justifiably so:
The Parasound Halo JC 3 measured performance is indeed superb."

- John Atkinson

"The internal layout was gorgeous, if like me, you’re into such things. It abounds with top-quality parts including Vishay-Dale resistors and REL capacitors in critical circuits." "it’s as quiet as a mouse in hospital slippers." "And this is key to its bat-sensitive low level resolving power, its ability to peer deeply into the small recess of a musical moment" "Dynamically there’s a riveting balance of extremes at play, from profound ambient silence to rollicking kick-butt energy." "this is the kind of resolving power and specificity that make the JC 3 so addictive." "In terms of real-world performance, the place where most of us actually live, the Parasound Halo JC 3 is the best phono preamp I’ve heard in my system." "My highest recommendation."
- TAS - Neil Gader

Golden Ear Awards 2011 !!
- The Absolute Sound

“…the JC 3 showed me what makes listening to vinyl recordings so special.”

“I never wanted the performance to end as the JC 3 had music erupting from a silent background…”

“…the depth of the soundstage was shockingly good.”

“The clear precise imagery of separate performers on a deep wide soundscape was quite astonishing.”

“The JC 3 was not just good, it was truly mesmerizing.”

“The team at Parasound has produced a winner with the JC 3!”

- Enjoythemusic

The Parasound JC2 is a remarkably fine phono preamp that easily held its own against the far costlier competition.
..I can confidently say that the JC3 represents the best current value in phono preamp that I know of, as long as you can live with the limitation of a choice of only two loadings, 100 and 47kOhm. Highly recommended!

- Stereophile Michael Fremer

” In case one concludes that creating a preamp like this is simple, consider the parts Mr. Curl employed to achieve what Parasound calls a “magical” sound: Vishay-Dale resistors, EL capacitors, Vampire RCA jacks, plus “balanced outputs using Neutrik XLR jacks. ...”

- New Yourk Times 2010

‘ Parasound, the San Francisco-based manufacturer of high-end audio components, has announced that it is now shipping the first production run of its much-anticipated John Curl designed Halo JC 3 Phono Preamplifier. Nearly 20 years ago Curl also designed the Vendetta Research SCP2B that is still regarded by many audiophiles as the preeminent phono preamp."


-Home Entertainment 2010

“…  the actual phono gain circuits are relatively small within the JC 3's 18 lb chassis. To keep the background black and silent I insisted on housing each channel in its own extruded aluminum enclosure, each further isolated from the power supply with 3/8-inch thick low-carbon mild steel partitions. All parts are top quality with Vishay-Dale resistors used exclusively and REL capacitors in critical circuits. In fact, the passive EQ parts values and quality are the same as in the original Vendetta. ”

- Home Toys 2010

“ It sort of looks like the preamp that Apple would design to me.  .”

-Slash Gear 2010

“ San Francisco - Parasound has begun shipping Halo JC 3 phono preamp, promoted as drawing on a venerable hand-built audiophile design that would cost more than $8,000 to build today. .”

- Twice 2010

" I've taken every possible opportunity to point out to equipment designers the need for a mono switch on a phono stage. Many looked at me with uncomprehending eyes. Some said "Well putting a switch into the signal path will degrade the sound and our customers would object." Others said, "Yes. It would be a good idea but there's not really any call for it."
As of this week, all that has changed and Parasound and John Curl get the credit.
Parasound's new Halo JC 3 phono preamplifier sports a monoing switch on its front panel. And what's even more important, it is by all accounts a meticulously designed and engineered product in every way.”

- TheSoundscape 2010

“  The new Parasound Halo JC 3 is a high-performance dual-mono phono preamplifier built with high quality parts, solid construction, and a very clean design. Like all phono preamplifiers, the JC 3 must multiply the tiny audio signal generated by a high-end low-output moving coil (MC) or moving magnet (MM) phonograph cartridge and make it strong enough to deliver to the input of a line level preamplifier. Parasound's Halo JC 3 is a dual mono design with unbalanced inputs and outputs using Vampire RCA jacks, plus balanced outputs using Neutrik XLR jacks. .”

- Enjoythemusic.com 2010

"High build quality with simple but solid casework from a company you can trust and superlative sound make for excellence in our book. Hence, I am happy to give the Parasound JC 3 a TONEAudio Exceptional Value Award for 2011"

-ToneAudio

Test i The Absolute Sound 2011
Golden ear Awards 2011 - The Absolute Sound
Historien bak JC3
Test i Enjoythemusic 2011
Test i Stereophile 2010
Omtale New York Times 2010
Omtale Home Entertainment 2010
Omtale Home Toys 2010
Omtale Slash Gear 2010
Omtale Twice 2010
Omtale Soundscape.net 2010
Omtale Enjoythemusic.com 2010
Omtale ToneAudio 2011

JC2

Editor's choice 2012
- the absolute sound !

Voted Amplifiation Component of the Year by Stereophile. “The Parasound JC2 has ‘the ability to let the listener hear deep into the recesses of the recording’s genesis’.”

-Stereophile


Voted Preamplifier of the Year by The Absolute Sound.
“This is a terrific linestage preamp that would be a Product of the Year in any year.”

-The Absolute Sound

The Parasound Halo JC 2 is a line-level preamplifier that delivers superlative sound. Like any good preamplifier, its primary function is to "get out of the way" of the signal coming from the music source and not impart any coloration of its own. The JC 2 is one of the closest preamplifiers I've heard to attaining this ideal, and lets the music come through with exquisite detail and clarity. It's solidly built and performed flawlessly during hundreds of hours of operation.

- Frank Doris 

“The JC 2 exhibits a high standard of construction.”

“ST was impressed by the JC 2’s noiseless operation and excellent reproduction of space, which allowed music
“to emerge intact-with body, bloom and dynamics, with definition and detail-from an utterly silent background.”

“JA…”it excelled in the areas of images and dynamics.”

“Perhaps the finest solid-state line stage I have heard,” sums up ST.”

“This is what a great line stage does: lets all the other components perform at their best.”

-Stereophile "The Best of the Best Recommended Components"

Omtale Fidelity 2007
Omtale Stereophile
Omtale Positive Feedback

A51

”With music, the A51 radiated sweetness and light. With action films, it rained thunder and lightning.”

- Stereophile Guide to Home Theater

Omtale Fidelity 2004
Omtale Audiophile.no

P3

”…built on such an epic battleship scale that I was tempted to smash
a bottle of champagne across the fascia upon first switch-on.”

- Futurelooks

"For både lav pris og massevis av krefter gjør sammen med glimrende lydkvalitet dette til det kanskje beste kjøpet!"
-Fidelity

Omtale Fidelity 2011
Omtale Fidelity 2004-1
Omtale Fidelity 2004-2
Omtale Fidelity 2010-8

P7

“With its delightfully open, balanced sound” and outstanding versatility,

the Halo P 7 is the category killer of analog multichannel preamps or HT bypass,” raved KR.”

“Delightful sound.”

-Stereophile "The Best of the Best Recommended Components"

A21

Editor's choice 2012
- the absolute sound !

Product of the Year Award 2004 - Two-Channel Power Amplifier 
"For those who desire the power of a Mack truck with the finesse of a Mercedes Benz in a two-channel amplifier, look no further than Parasound."

- Audioholics

Omtale Fidelity 2011
Omtale Fidelity 2010

A23

Editor's choice 2012
- the absolute sound !

“…it continues Parasound’s tradtion of giving people more
performance for the money than they have any right to expect..”

- HiFi News (UK)

"For både lav pris og massevis av krefter gjør sammen med glimrende lydkvalitet dette til det kanskje beste kjøpet!"
-Fidelity

Omtale Fidelity 2004

Model 5125

En av dem som fortsatt «holder koken», er amerikanske Parasound. Noe de nye NewClassic-komponentene ettertrykkelig beviser. Her går muskler og finesser hånd i hånd!

- Lyd og Bilde

Omtale Fidelity 2005
Omtale Lyd & Bilde 2005
Omtale DVD Hjemmekino 2005

Model 5250/ Model 5250 v.2

”Smooth, natural sound coupled with plenty of punch.
…The Model 5250 offers serious bang for the buck.”

- Home Theater

 Many amplifiers (especially those found inside AVR's) can output decent power into two channels, but when pressed to do all five at once they often cannot keep up. Such is the downside to the internal amplifiers in my Denon 4308 AVR. At very loud volumes with this disc there is a decrease in dynamic range (almost an audible squashing of the sound) when pressed hard. No such issue with the Parasound. I was able to get very loud with no clarity issues and no audible compression of dynamics.

- HomeTheaterandHighFidelity

Omtale i HomeTheaterandHighFidelity 2011

Model 275

“Parasound is an awesome company.”

- The Audiophile Voice

Omtale Fidelity 2005
Omtale Fidelity 2008

Model 2125

”I am extremely pleased that they have once again proven that quality products can be had for much less than a king’s ransom.”

- Home Theater Spot

Model 2100

”If you think of a sound system as a window into your recordings, the 2100 / 2125 combo is like Windex.”

- Enjoy the music.com

Omtale Fidelity 2007
Omtale audiophile.no

Zphono

“…the most impressive aspect of the Z-Series’ sound was what wasn’t there: grain, sizzle, edge, and grit.”
- Stereophile

Zamp v.3

”The smoothness and naturalness of the Zamp’s midrange was exceptional: clean, sweet, realistic, and musical.”
“If you’re in the market for a inexpensive amplifier, run – do not walk – to check out Parasound amp. It’s fabulous value for the money.”

- audioXpress

Den som ønsker god lyd fra ekstremt plassbesparende produkter, bør se nærmere på dette forsterkersettet fra Parasound. Superkompakt og til dels meget vellydende.

- Lyd og Bilde

"fat and delicious"
“There is air and elegance here and in fact, not all competitors  can reproduce the atmosphere this Z set does.”

-Fidelity

KNALLKJøP!
|eg tror potensielle kunder av dette utrolig elegant utformede og tilpas' ningsdyktige pre/power-settet her vil finne et sant vidunder. Prisen er direkte fornøyelig, musikkgjengivelsen likeså.

-Fidelity

The sweetness and clarity its sound might also be termed “beautiful,” maybe even “magnificent” on the best recordings. 

- Positive Feedback

Positive Feedback Online will feature the Zamp v.3 as a Product of the Year.

-Positive Feedback

Good Things in Small Packages
Omtale i AudioCritic

ZPre

Den som ønsker god lyd fra ekstremt plassbesparende produkter, bør se nærmere på dette forsterkersettet fra Parasound. Superkompakt og til dels meget vellydende.

- Lyd og Bilde

"fat and delicious"
“There is air and elegance here and in fact, not all competitors  can reproduce the atmosphere this Z set does.”

-Fidelity

KNALLKJøP!
Jeg tror potensielle kunder av dette utrolig elegant utformede og tilpasningsdyktige pre/power-settet her vil finne et sant vidunder. Prisen er direkte fornøyelig, musikkgjengivelsen likeså.

-Fidelity