Parasound
Parasound Halo JC 3+ Phono Preamplifier by John Curl
Parasound Halo JC 3+ Phono Preamplifier by John Curl
Black
22 Saint Kilda Road
22 Saint Kilda Road
Suite 2.02
St Kilda VIC 3182
Australia
Country of origin: 
Taiwan
JC 3+ Phono Preamplifier by John Curl
Features
- Designed by John Curl - creator of the legendary Vendetta Research phono preamp
- Inputs and outputs use Vampire brand 24k gold-plated RCA jacks
- Balanced outputs use Neutrik brand premium XLR jacks
- MM 47k ohm, MC 47k ohm or MC variable 50-550 Ohms
- RIAA accurate within 0.2 dB
- Exclusively Vishay-Dale resistors in the audio path
- Triple shielding; low-carbon mild steel partitions isolate the power supplies & AC wires
- Dual mono design; each audio channel is separately enclosed in its own extruded aluminum enclosure
- Separate high speed-soft recovery rectifiers, filter caps and voltage regulators for each channel
- Mono switch can improve sound of mono and older LPs
- Built-in AC line conditioner to prevent AC noise from polluting the circuits
- AC polarity reverse switch can reduce hum in many systems
- Non-magnetic aluminum rear panel for purest sound
- Turn On Options switch: manual or auto with 12v trigger input
- Premium detachable heavy gauge IEC AC cord
- 2u Chassis, rack mountable with HRA2 (sold separately)
How the JC 3+ improves on the original JC 3:
- Variable MC load adjust independent for each channel from 50-550 ohms with dual gang potentiometers specially made for Parasound by Vishay.
- Curl-Thompson tweaked circuits to further reduce the JC 3 silent background noise.
- 24k gold plated copper traces on phono module boards for utmost conductivity and most transparency/detail in the music.
- 47% larger low ESR power supply filter caps greater reserve for head-snapping dynamics.
- Ability to turn off illumination of the front panel P logo.
- Now Available in Silver or Black.
Reviews
The Absolute Sound May 2022
Editors’ Choice: Phonostages $2000-$6000
"Thoroughly upgraded, the JC 3+ not only adds loading adjustments to the (now-discontinued) JC 3 but improvements to signal-to-noise, tweaks to the mm/mc gain stages, a beefier power supply, and a larger power transformer. With every rotation from an LP collection the JC 3+ conveys a heady mix of profound silence and kick-butt energy, a kiss of romance through the mids, and an ability to extract low-level information and define it in acoustic space."
Input Audio April 2022
"John Curl's preamplifier achievements are legendary. The JC 3+ phono preamplifier expresses the character, verve and impact of all music genres with an insightful 'deep look' into the grooves of records. The JC 3+ is extremely satisfying and an outstanding value."
Audiotechnique (Hong Kong), March 2020
"Parasound’s JC 3+ Phono Amplifier is a masterpiece and its creators John Curl and Carl Thompson spared no expense to achieve sound quality and performance that is impeccable."
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The Absolute Sound September 2018
"Time has not dampened its sonic bona fides one iota. Its ability to see into a symphony orchestra and define each section is uncanny. Backgrounds remain eerily quiet, instrumental timbres ripe as plums, and channel separation exquisite."
AVTech Awards for 2015/16 (UK)
"Best Phono Stage."
Stereo Times, March 2016
"The Parasound seems to infuse instruments with air and musical life. Soundstage depth cues seemed almost tube-like in their dimensionality, and instrumental and vocal layering often left me wide- eyed and slack-jawed. High-end sound reproduction doesn't get much better than this. Thoroughly and very highly recommended!"
Hi-Fi World (UK) March 2016
"Outstanding-amongst the best. The soundstage was tight and honed, delivery was crisp, precise and accurate... forceful and exciting. Vocals were nothing less than haunting, while the low noise design offered a clean and open presentation." Five Globes.
Stereo Times Most Wanted Components 2015 Award
"This sturdy, well-built, and - at nearly 20 pounds - quite beefy unit, represents electronics wunderkind John Curl's latest thinking on affordable phono pre-amplification. The results are magical: impressively wide dynamics, superb neutrality, excellent detail retrieval, wide staging, holographic imaging, and more than a whiff of the air and ambiance one gets from great tube gear. In the real world, it doesn't get much better."
Secrets of Home Theater & High Fidelity Best of 2015
"Parasound's uncompromising approach has resulted in a truly stunning piece of gear. I'm confident that how the JC 3+ breathes life and energy into music is exceptional. After you've experienced it, it seems impossible to take even the smallest of steps backward. It invigorates everything it touches."
AV TECH media (UK) Awards 2015/2016
"Unerringly clean and crisp, modern-sounding design that remains fully able to communicate the alluring sound of vinyl replay, imparting the inherent flavor of a recording with consummate ease."
The Absolute Sound 2016 High-End Buyer's Guide
"The JC 3+ conveys a heady mix of profound silence and kick-butt energy."
HiFi News (UK) Finest Products 2015
"Essentially, the JC 3+ is an unerringly clean and crisp, modern-sounding design, yet one that remains fully able to communicate the alluring sound of vinyl replay."
HiFi News (UK) October 2015
"There is no shortage of phono stages on sale at the Parasound's price point, but the Halo JC 3+ stands out. A beautifully designed and built package, it boasts a good - if not totally comprehensive - range of facilities. Best of all is its superb sound quality; I have heard few better designs at any price, and the fact that it's able to achieve this for a sensible sum of money makes it an exceptional product."
Home Theater HiFi (March 2015)
"I'm confident that how the JC 3+ breathes life and energy into music is exceptional. After you've experienced it, it seems impossible to take even the smallest of steps backward. It invigorates everything it touches. The extraordinary thing is that every time you listen, it feels special and reminds you that this strange alchemy called audio sometimes fulfills its promise."
Stereophile Review Highlights
"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 Curlís 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 Absolute Sound Review Highlights
"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 thereís 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 Iíve heard in my system."
"My highest recommendation."
- Neil Gader
Frequency Response
20 Hz - 20 kHz, +/- 0.2 dB
Total Harmonic Distortion
< 0.01% at 1 kHz
Signal to Noise Ratio, MM
> 87 dB, input shorted, IHF A-weighted
> 78 dB, input shorted, unweighted
Signal to Noise Ratio, MC
> 87 dB, input shorted, IHF A-weighted
> 67 dB, input shorted, unweighted
Interchannel Crosstalk
72 dB at 1 kHz
Input Impedance
MM: 47k Ω
MC: 50 - 550 Ω variable, 47k Ω fixed
Output Impedance
Unbalanced: < 100 Ω
Balanced: < 100 Ω per leg
Input Capacitance
150 pF
Input Sensitivity at 1 kHz
MM: 4mV for 1 V output
MC: 600µV for 1 V output
Total Gain
MM: 48 dB
MC: 64 dB
XLR Pin Identification
1 = Ground (Shield)
2 = Positive
3 = Negative (Return)
AC Power Requirement
Standby: 1 watt
Power On: 12 watts
115 or 230 VAC 50 - 60 Hz
(Selected on Chassis Bottom)
Dimensions
Width: 17-1/4" (437mm)
Depth: 13-3/4" (350mm)
Height, with feet: 4-1/8" (105mm)
Height, without feet: 3-1/2" (89mm)
Weight
Net: 19 lbs. (8.6 Kg)
Shipping: 26 lbs. (11.8 Kg)
Rack Mount Accessory
HRA 2 (may be purchased separately)
