Parasound JC3 Phono Preamplifier Review

[@iwpnj1]

Thanks for such a plain, no nonsense, straightforward review of todays audio products. I have been watching (yes, I subscribed) to your channel for a short time now and find it refreshingly awesome. I dont have the budget for some of the gear you review, but it leads me down the right path to new audio purchases. Who would've thunk that Parasound is where I need to be. Equipment wise. Presently using Vintage Carver system; CT-27V and AV-405. Good stuff for the age, but just looking for sonically more. Greedy me.

[@Slammintone]

Have had the JC3+ for 2yrs now. It was great with a Hana SH into its MM section. It is phenomenal (!!) with the Koetsu Black going into the MC section with 100ohms loading. Night and day difference just switching cartridges on VPI Prime. With the Hana SH it communicated the music and the artists very nicely. With the Koetsu, forget the third party communications, it speaks directly and the images and timbers come through strongly and with such a focus. Don't know about the standard JC3 but the JC3+ is a monster of a phono preamp. Dead quiet and deep black backgrounds serve to illuminate and lay bare everything there is to hear inscribed in the grooves.

[@williamwalker3418]

Great review Ron,always a pleasure watching new record day. I get where you're coming from regarding the amount of resolution and detail that a good phono stage can bring to your system.I never fail to be amazed at the amount of information there is in the grooves of a record'just waiting to be discovered by the right equipment. I use a dynavector XX2 mk2 cartridge and a Linn Linto phono stage and I remember being bowled over by the level of detail when I first heard them together,I was hearing things I'd never heard in my music before. The tom tom's in gimme 3 steps are a great example of the small details that reward you when you upgrade to a pre amp like this. Keep up the good work!

[@revelationsoundstudio]

Great review. I would love to get this phono preamp but it's a little too much money for me. Thankfully Parasound also has the JC3 Jr which is pretty close to this model but at a more affordable price. The newer JC3+ has the impedance selector thankfully which offers more options to get the setting to match your cartridge.

[@rustyfan89]

Ron , love your reviews, down to earth , honest, and not from some old curmudgeon so heavily biased and still uses a flip phone I just recently have been getting back into vinyl and 2 channel audio, my home theater as much as I have invested just isn't cutting it look forward to your reviews, new record day is the bees knees to quote those old reviewers

[@Newrecordday2013]

Really appreciate the comments man!

[@jasontexman]

I want to second this!! Ron, I love your site. Keep up the good work.

[@CrazyAboutVinylRecords]

I have the JC3 + and it is unquestionably the best phono preamp I have ever owned, and over the last 40 years I have had some phono preamps in my rack that sell for more than $5,000. My only quibble with this video, and it is one I have with a lot of audiophiles, is that I don't find it particularly constructive to couch the conversation as though it was a war between vinyl and digital. It doesn't really help anyone, and doing so usually reveals more about the biases and/or lack of experience of the person pushing a position about formats than it does about sound quality. What people really should be talking about is the differences in how vinyl and digital music is mastered or the content's pedigree that might make one sound better than another. I have some digital recordings, most of which are either DXD 24bit/352.8KHz PCM or DSD 11.2MHz that would totally blow away even the most persnickety audiophiles when played on a decent system. The tracks of those recordings were expertly laid down in a recording studio using high quality mics, and were subsequently mixed and mastered on a great mastering chain by someone who knew what the hell he was doing. Not surprisingly, the same music cut to lacquer by someone equally well qualified sounds just as amazing...but not better. What makes a lot of digital music sound like crap is poor mastering and excessive dynamic range compression. The industry is starting to come around and it is not the colossal problem that it was 10 years ago or so. However, it is still an issue with digital music production that rears its ugly head often enough to suggest there is more work left to do. That being said, there are some excellent mastering studios out there right now doing fantastic work with mastering for both vinyl and digital: Abbey Road Studios, Bernie Grundman Mastering, Sterling Sound, The Mastering Lab, Georgetown Mastering, and Cohearent Audio are just a few.

[@MrMarantzman]

Funny blooper at the end Ron... LOL

[@charlesf2804]

I'm now wondering if this Parasound would better the built-in phonostage of my McIntosh C2300 preamp. Time to do some research, I guess.

[@955rotel]

Hey Ron..........How does the JC-3 compare with your Pass Labs phono preamp that I believe you said sells for $3800........Also I guess this is an old review since the JC - 3 is now the JC-3+ & sells for $3000-....John Curl is one of the best designers of amps in the world.....Excellent review Ron.Thanks for posting.......

[@Newrecordday2013]

Rich Zinamon Ya know, the JC3 is one heck of a preamp and when it comes to comparing it with the XP15, id say its a fair fight in terms of sonics. The reason I chose the XP15 is the versatility of loading options without detecting any shortcomings in the fidelity of the product. I would love to hear the JC3+ but that ship seemed to have sailed a while back when the PR rep for Parasound stopped replying to my request.

[@MichaelAmster]

@@Newrecordday2013 How does the JC3 compare to the Lounge LCR MKIII? How about for MM vs MC?

[@hewie2u]

I have a Vendetta Research , has any review been done comparing the two models .

[@1999zrx1100]

Just wondering what Amp and phono section you are comparing the JC3 to. Thanks

[@LAREXJR]

I recently dumped the compact disc format and anything that's less than flac files in the digital area so I started a vinyl collection some standard vinyl and 180 gram.I own a marantz 1060 stereo amplifier and a marantz 6200 turntable.Though I'm not very audio savvy,what I would really like to do is purchase a tube phono preamp,a Jolida JD9 to be exact so I won't have to use the amplifiers phono input and get better sound quality.Now my question is Where would I connect my tube phono preamp in the amplifier??? To one of the auxilary inputs???or the phono input on the amplifier???& please excuse my audio ignorance,Thanks.

[@Newrecordday2013]

LAREXJR Great question! Yeah, you can use any available input such as aux, cd, dvd, etc... any of those inputs are looking for a line level signal and thats what your phono preamp will be sending!

[@Mike-76]

Great! Thank you

[@grounding123]

Hi Ron, great review! I'm about to invest on a sound system and need some help.Would it make a world of difference if I include this phono JC3 to the integrated halo 2.1., or would it be wiser to invest on seperate parasound components altogether? And would you recommend adding the Phono JC3 to the JC2 BP? Thank you in advance for your help.

[@Newrecordday2013]

+grounding123 JC3 and a Halo Integrated would get you so damn close to separates its not even funny. I would recommend that combo all day long.

[@grounding123]

Thanks Ron for the advise, I think I will go that route!

[@anmic3590]

@@Newrecordday2013Hi! Would you recommend the Hint 6 over the a23+ and P6? I’m looking to change my Pioneers c73/m73 Urushi series from the 90s. I have a pair of Focals Aria 948 with a svs sb-1000 pro sub. As sources a Denon DCD-A110, a Rega Planar 3 2000 with a Linn Addikt, an Eversolo DMP-A6 Master edition with Gustard R26 dac. A Pioneer minidisc player and a Pioneer tape player too, from the good old times. Probably I will add a phone preamp, but I’m not sure if the Zphono XRM or the JC3 Jr (not sure if the difference in sound is worthy). Thank you!

[@jamiehayman6602]

Sorry did not mean to sound cold as I think I came across that way, so Sorry about that.. It's just when I watch a video I always like to hear what I'm watching.. It's like dangling the keys to a new car in front of you then saying sorry you can't drive it..lol Parasound nice gear even though I have never heard any in person..

[@Newrecordday2013]

No worries man! I totally get that!

[@rssarma]

How would you rate this compare to the Lounge Audio MKIII preamp?

[@Newrecordday2013]

Raj Sarma Depends on the cart, table, speakers, system... can you give me an idea what you have?

[@rssarma]

I'm currently running an Ortofon MC Vivo Blue through a SUT (built by Parks Audio using Cinemag 1254 transformers) connected to my Lounge Audio phono preamp. This is connected to a restored Marantz 2285B. Turntable is a VPI Scoutmaster II, JMW 9 Signature tonearm. I'm wondering how much of a difference it would make if I replace the SUT & Lounge with the Parasound.

[@rssarma]

Speakers are B&W CDM-1 SE.

[@Newrecordday2013]

My guess is the JC3 would be overkill for that cart... granted, this is without ever hearing it so take it with a grain of salt.

[@rssarma]

Thanks for letting me know. I would consider upgrading the cart, which one did you use with the Jc3?

[@trekjudas]

I hate it when the soundbar crowd chime in! They literally don't know what they're talking about but they love to insult people!

[@todd.goslin6190]

seems a shame you're using tubes in both preamp and power amp then throwing a solid state piece for the phono stage.....cough...cough....Ares...cough.

[@music9556]

build one way cheaper

[@jamiehayman6602]

Wow all that talking and no demo....

[@Newrecordday2013]

Jamie, this review was done before I had the gear needed to do samples. Sorry about that. Ill see if I can get one posted for you.

[@phantasm1004]

Jamie....that's what one does when one does a REVIEW. When ones does a DEMO, that's when actual music is played. Do you understand the difference now?

[@lonnyhandwork422]

Uhm. How do you propose one would give a demo and post it on KZbin? You'd only hear the quality of the recording and the KZbin compression and the impact of whatever device (PC, iPhone etc) - none of which would remotely sound like the product being reviewed!

[@phantasm1004]

Lonny Handwork Uhm...if you're looking for sound quality, particularly if/when you're listening through computer speakers (regardless of caliber), I have to ask why you're even here. How about this...instead of pissing and moaning like an angry pre-adolescent, BUY YOURSELF ONE. You'll have all the sonic magic your system can offer in the privacy of your own living room.