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How good is Empirical Audio's Parasound JC1 Mod?

Category: Amplifiers

I am looking for others that have had their Parasound JC1 modified by Steve Nugent at Empirical Audio. I just got mine back, and what a difference. I loved my JC1s, 2004 Amp of the Year. Now I am absolutely ecstatic... It’s like I went from an Audi TT to a Porsche 911. Same product family but a lot better… The result the most musical solid-state amp I have ever had in my system.

I have found that the JC-1 monoblocks stock sound a lot better than most amps in their price range, however there is a lot more performance potential locked-up in these amps. Their primary weakness is dynamics, particularly in the high frequencies. They also tend to be a bit muddy in both the midrange and highs due to their power delivery topology, even though they deliver the detail in spades right out of the box, or at least after a month or two of break-in. This muddiness can best be described as a bit of congestion or compression. They just do not open-up and envelope you in an unrestrained, spacious sound field.

The EA Turbomod removes all of these weaknesses. It transforms JC-1s into spectacular, breathtaking music machines. The soundstage doubles in width compared to the stock amp and the slam factor improves by an order of magnitude. The weight, authority, and richness of the music are improved dramatically. There is a spaciousness of the sound field that just immerses the listener. The focus of violins, violas, and cellos is razor-sharp, but with finesse and sweetness, not harshness. Transient response is improved so that percussion, such as drums, cymbals, bells and vibraphone, all have real attack, sustain and decay. Vocals are breathtaking – airy and articulate. The front-to-back layering is so detailed that the relative positions of different instruments can be sensed within a few feet. Most first-time listeners believe they are listening to surround-sound, when it is only 2-channel. Is it the best-sounding solid-state amp on the planet – I think so… But note that it took me about two weeks of break-in to get them to their peak performance.

p.s. Has anyone tried them in low level listening mode. I have and boy is it fun not to lose the detail at low levels.
nicholasz

Showing 1 response by jafox

jafox
1,444 posts
 
I don't know if I would discredit a review from a new member just because this is that person's first post here. But reviews on products that compare to other products, in this case, a stock model vs. a modified model, without the comparison being made with the two products side by side, well ..... the comments have little merit.

The (perceived) sound of my system is clearly not consistent from day to day. Many members here have noted this is due to many factors: mood, AC power quality, room temp/humidity, etc. So based on this alone, there might be a few listening sessions in the week where the sound is absolutely phenomenol and other times, it's just not "there". I have heard huge differences in components that still were not as dramatic as these day-to-day differences in my system with no system changes. Maybe I just need to wait for my room to warm up from all the tubes so I can relax and be cozy and then be content. 8-)

So how someone can take delivery of a product and suddenly claim the updates "remove all of the weaknesses" is not easy to accept as the reference point is nothing more than an aural memory. And this is not anything against this particular review. This is one of the biggest issues I have with reviews here and in audio magazines.

John
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