Parasound JC 5 Halo Stereo Power Amplifier Open Box Full Warranty
A Chip Off the Old Monoblock Parasound's Halo JC 5 distills the essence of two Halo JC 1 monoblocks into a single-chassis stereo amp with outstanding sound quality, power, and value.
The JC 5 is a 400-watt per channel stereo amplifier designed by John Curl that combines design elements of two top-of-the-line Halo JC 1 monoblock power amplifiers into a single chassis the same size as one JC 1. The JC 5 combines high power and ultra-high bias Class A/AB sonic quality at roughly two-thirds the price of a pair of JC 1s.
An Enviable Heritage The Halo JC 5 boasts an enviable heritage. The Parasound Halo JC 1 monoblock was designed by John Curl and introduced 16 years ago to instant international acclaim. It is acknowledged as the benchmark for amplifier performance and value. In 2003, Stereophile awarded it 'Amplifier of the Year' and has honored it as a Class A Recommended Component twice a year for fifteen years - far longer than any other audio component.
"Hits a New Sweet Spot" "The JC 5 is a remarkable amplifier that creates a new sweet spot in our Halo product family," said Parasound's founder and president Richard Schram. "Our customers often tell us they love everything the JC 1 offers, but they wondered if we could deliver comparable performance in a no-compromise stereo amplifier, while saving them money and space. We challenged John Curl to distill the essence of two JC 1 mono blocks into a single chassis, and the result has exceeded everyone's expectations."
Profoundly Powerful, Supremely Musical The Parasound Halo JC 5 stereo amplifier is profoundly powerful and supremely musical. High bias class A/AB provides 12-watts-per-channel pure class A power and class AB effortlessly to its 400 watts per channel 8 ohm rating. The output stage employs 24 beta-matched, 15 ampere, 60 MHz bipolar transistors to deliver a formidable peak current of 90 amperes.
The power supply employs a 1.7 kVA shielded toroid power transformer with a premium H18 grade steel core. It has independent secondary windings for its dual-mono power supply. As with the JC 1, the input stage B+/B- rails are 10 V above the output stage rails to eliminate any chance of distortion caused by voltage sagging when the amp is under load. Independent power supplies for left and right channels input stages employ filter caps totaling 8,880 F. Driver and output stages employ massive Rubycon filter caps totaling 132,000 F.
Direct-Coupled Design The Halo JC 5 is direct-coupled, protected by DC servo circuits to eliminate coupling capacitors, while extending bass response down to 5 Hz. Its balanced inputs use discrete circuits with Neutrik locking XLR connectors, and Vampire 24k gold-plated RCA input and loop output jacks. Propeller type 5-way speaker binding posts are 24k gold-plated and accept 7-gauge bare wire. They are custom-manufactured by CHK Infinium to Parasound s exacting specifications.
The JC 5 is available in silver or black. Rack mount hardware for its four rack space chassis is included. Shipping weight is 95 lbs.
400 watts x 2 @ 8 RMS, both channels driven
600 watts x 2 @ 4 RMS, both channels driven
1200 watts x 1@ 8 , in bridged mode
Circuitry designed by legendary John Curl
Ultra-high bias Class A/AB operation
12 watts per channel of pure Class A power
90 amperes peak current per channel
Stable with speaker impedance dips to 1.5
Balanced inputs with discrete circuits
CHK Infinium, custom 5-way speaker binding posts
Neutrik locking XLR input connectors
Vampire gold-plated RCA input & loop output jacks
Direct-coupled signal path, no capacitors or inductors
DC Servo and relay protection circuits
AC turn-on inrush surge protection with relay bypass
Dual-mono input stages with 110 volt DC rails
JFET input stage, MOSFET driver stage
24 beta-matched 15 ampere, 60 MHz bipolar output transistors
1.7 kVA shielded toroid power transformer with independent windings for each channel
Independent power supplies for left & right channel input stages, driver stages, output stages
8,880 F Nichicon Gold Tune filter capacitors for input stages
132,000 F Rubycon filter capacitors for output stages
Full power is rated all the way down to 5Hz for unrestricted low-end bass
Harris hyper-fast soft-recovery bridge diode rectifiers
Automatic turn-on by 12 V trigger or audio sensing
4 rack space chassis with rear carry handles
Specs
Power Output Both Channels Driven 400 watts x 2, 8
600 watts x 2, 4
Power Output Bridged Mode
1200 watts x 1, 8
Bridged 4 operation is not recommended
Power measurement parameters are at 120 VAC:
0.05% THD, RMS continuous power,
full audio band (20 Hz - 20 kHz)
Current Capacity
90 amps peak, per channel
Slew Rate
> 130 volts per microsecond
Frequency Response
5 Hz - 100 kHz, +0/-3 dB
20 Hz - 20 kHz, +0/-0.25 dB
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)
< 0.05 % at full power
< 0.03 % at typical listening levels
IM Distortion
< 0.04 %
TIM
Unmeasurable
Inter-channel Crosstalk
> 87 dB at 1 kHz
> 72 dB at 20 kHz
Input Impedance
Unbalanced: 33 k
Balanced: 66 k ,(33 k per leg)
Total Gain
29 dB
Input Sensitivity for 28.28 V Output into 8
Unbalanced: 1 V
Balanced: 1 V per leg
S/N Ratio
> 116 dB, input shorted, IHF A-weighted
> 111 dB, input shorted, unweighted
Damping Factor
> 1200 at 20 k Hz
DC Trigger Requirements
+9 Vdc to +12 Vdc, 5 mA
Audio Trigger Requirements
2 mV - 10 mV
XLR Pin Identification
1 = Ground (Shield)
2 = Positive
3 = Negative (Return)
Dimensions
Width: 17-5/8" (448 mm)
Height without feet: 7-1/8" (181 mm)
Height with feet: 7-3/4" " (197 mm)
Depth: 20" (508 mm)
Depth with cables: 21-1/2" (546 mm)
Net Weight
73 lb. (33.1 kg)
Shipping Weight
90 lb. (40.8 kg)
Power Requirement
Standby: 1 Watt
Idle (no music playing): 225 Watts
Typical listening levels: 400 Watts
Maximum: 1500 Watts
