New Parasound JC3 Jr. vs Gold Note PH 10

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Wee Wiily, Oct 18, 2017.

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  1. Bananas&blow

    Bananas&blow It's just that demon life has got me in its sway

    Location:
    Pacific Beach, CA
    Because I'm sick. @Guth. But what if the Black is everything I've ever craved in my system?
     
  2. Helom

    Helom Forum member

    Location:
    U.S.
    Can you comment on the biggest differences you notice between the Jr. and the Lounge? I'm ready to upgrade from the Lounge but hoping the $1500 price point is a worthwhile leap.
     
  3. Guth

    Guth Music Lover

    Location:
    Oregon
    LOL, understood. Sadly, all I can report is that the DV10x5 sounds really good to my ears though the JC3 Jr.. While I might not be able to provide the best review of the Jr., I can say that this experience has been an eye opener for me regarding just how much of a difference a phono stage can make and the role it plays within the context of even a more modest system such as mine. Happy listening!
     
    Bananas&blow likes this.
  4. bluemooze

    bluemooze Senior Member

    Location:
    Frenchtown NJ USA
    What problems were you experiencing with the cartridge? :)
     
  5. Bananas&blow

    Bananas&blow It's just that demon life has got me in its sway

    Location:
    Pacific Beach, CA
    I'd be happy to. I made the upgrade and instantly noticed a difference. More detail, deeper tighter bass and a higher extension in the treble (bright at first, wait for the 100 hour burn in, I've just left the unit on since I purchased it). More detail, Bigger soundstage In my system it was just everything I would hope for in an upgrade. An instantly noticeable improvement in multiple areas.

    Dead quiet. This thing just produces no noise. I read a review and the reviewer said it was the quietest phono preamp he had ever reviewed, at any price point. I never noticed any noise coming from the Lounge but there must have been, because this just sounds noticeably quieter and better.

    I took a leap of faith purchasing this unit. I have been so happy with the lounge, I was not expecting much of a jump. But in my system the jump was probably the best thing I could have done. I would be surprised if you didn't feel the same way with a Jr. in your system. I now own two Parasound products, the A21 amp and the Jr. and I love them both. Awesome products.
     
    punkmusick likes this.
  6. Bananas&blow

    Bananas&blow It's just that demon life has got me in its sway

    Location:
    Pacific Beach, CA
    Yes the phono pre is a huge part of the analogue chain. I notice you live in Oregon.
    While I'm a Zonie now, I am a born and raised Oregonian. Aloha west of Portland to be more precise is my hometown.
     
  7. Helom

    Helom Forum member

    Location:
    U.S.
    Thanks for the insight.
     
    Bananas&blow likes this.
  8. Guth

    Guth Music Lover

    Location:
    Oregon
    To clarify, I'm not experiencing any problems with my cartridge — I'm using a DV10x5 cartridge which is Dynavector's high output moving coil cartridge. The P75 that I mentioned is Dynavector's phono stage. The P75 that I own is the first generation of the product and it had developed a buzzing noise from the unit itself (as opposed to a buzzing heard through the playback chain).
     
  9. bluemooze

    bluemooze Senior Member

    Location:
    Frenchtown NJ USA
    Thanks. :tiphat:
     
    mike catucci likes this.
  10. Guth

    Guth Music Lover

    Location:
    Oregon
    My Uncle lived in Aloha for many years. Good luck with the Ortofon Black should you decide to go that route. At least you can feel comfortable knowing that you'll hear it presented in fine fashion with the JC3 Jr..
     
    Bananas&blow likes this.
  11. mike catucci

    mike catucci Forum Resident

    Location:
    PA
    It arrives on Friday. I have the Ania currently. I'll certainly update as to how it pairs with that. I just traded my 2M Black, which I adored (I had no choice as it was a means to an upgrade for me) and have a feeling that would have been dynamite with the Jr. So if the Ania does not pan out I've been considering the Bronze just to compare it to the Black. If you check out comparisons on the web between the Black and Bronze, they seem split. Many people say the Black is another level up over the Bronze. Others say the two are almost indistinguishable. I've only heard one and so cannot comment.
     
  12. AudioBob

    AudioBob Well-Known Member

    Location:
    new york
    Hi..i own an LFD phono preamp....does anyone know if the Para JC3 Jr would be an upgrade ? always looking to improve if I can
     
  13. Bananas&blow

    Bananas&blow It's just that demon life has got me in its sway

    Location:
    Pacific Beach, CA
    I would venture a guess that very few people out there have done a side by side comparison of these two with the LFD being a smaller company and the Jr. being very new. Your best bet is probably read the reviews and see if the descriptions would sound like an upgrade to you. Price wise they are close $1300 vs $1500, so I would expect a smaller jump than I experienced. But price is indeed not everything.
     
  14. Helom

    Helom Forum member

    Location:
    U.S.
    Well this happened today:

    [​IMG]

    Giving the Jr a test run. I'll post my initial thoughts later tonight.
     
  15. Helom

    Helom Forum member

    Location:
    U.S.
    I only spun a half dozen albums tonight, but so far I am very pleased with the performance of the JC3 Jr. I've encountered many questionable "upgrades" in my journey through audiophilia, but I'm thrilled to say this is not one of those.

    There's no point in repeating what @Bananas&blow already mentioned. I didn't find it to be bright out of the box, but I completely agree with all the rest:


    I may still try a PH-10 in the future. @amgradmd was very gracious in taking the time to send me some Flac files recorded from his Mediterraneo and PH-10. They were very impressive.
     
  16. Bananas&blow

    Bananas&blow It's just that demon life has got me in its sway

    Location:
    Pacific Beach, CA
    Hey @Helom , I'm glad you like it! I'm looking forward to more impressions from you. I've found the initial impression to be the most valuable before my mind and ears adjust to the new sound. One thing I've noticed in my first week with the Jr. is that my thirst for higher quality pressings has increased. As middle of the road pressings are not as tantalizing as my premium pressings. One thing I really enjoy is focusing on an area of the sound, such as. treble, midrange or bass, and each time I do with this preamp, I find that I notice an improvement in all 3 areas. Sounstage. Imaging. It's just better. This is a great unit. If you have a sub $500 phono pre and a system that can reward upgrades, you owe it to yourself to give it a listen. There is magic in the next level.
     
    bluemooze and Helom like this.
  17. Helom

    Helom Forum member

    Location:
    U.S.
    I too noticed an improvement in all three ranges (bass, treble midrange). Every disc I played tonight sounded better than I've ever heard them in the past, even a couple mediocre ones. I was a bit worried that my M97xe/SAS cart would be outclassed but it's kicking @$$ with the Jr. It blows my mind what this $350 cart/stylus combo can do. Other big improvements I noticed are the "air" around instruments and image definition.

    I was listening with the Lounge last night and kept thinking what a great bargain it is compared to the other entry level stages I've used. So while the JC3 Jr. is definitely a worthwhile improvement, I also have a renewed appreciation for the Lounge.
     
    ThorensSme and bluemooze like this.
  18. amgradmd

    amgradmd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Richmond, VA
    I'll gladly send rips made with the PH-10 and Mediterraneo to whoever is curious about the sound. Just let me know!
     
    Dubmart likes this.
  19. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
  20. Davey

    Davey NP: Hania Rani/Dobrawa Czocher ~ Inner Symphonies

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    That's full retail, as mentioned earlier in the thread they are available new for $300 less than that if you don't mind buying from a dealer on the internet, but you may have to wait for the next shipment to arrive in a couple weeks if he's sold out, seems to just order 5 at a time, not sure what he charges for shipping, B & M dealers may be offering discounts too ... Gold Note PH-10 *Shipment arrived today 5-1 - Audio Asylum Trader
     
    Last edited: May 2, 2018
  21. Helom

    Helom Forum member

    Location:
    U.S.
    As much as I was tempted to try the PH-10 for its unparallelled feature set, I decided to stick with the JC3 Jr. Based on what I'm hearing with this preamp, I suspect that going with anything else in this price range would likely be a lateral move in terms of sound quality. I also factored in my previous experience with Parasound's customer support and resale value. At the end of the day, I don't want to end up on a preamp merri-go-round as I had done with integrateds.

    Thanks again to @amgradmd for sharing his insight with the PH-10.
     
  22. TheVinylAddict

    TheVinylAddict Look what I found

    Location:
    AZ
    I hit "Like" on your post because that resonates....
     
    Helom likes this.
  23. Pythonman

    Pythonman Forum Resident

    Location:
    Florida
    Cool. I'm looking awfully hard at the A21 amp right now as part of a major upgrade from my BrioR integrated amp. I love the Brio and my VPI Prime/Hana has shown me the Brio is far better than I'd suspected it was but I need some serious horsepower now. I kind of broke the news to the wife that it's TIME for a rather large upgrade and she about broke something across my head as a reply but she know's it's no use when I've made my mind up.

    The JC3 JR is another contender along with maybe the Sutherland in that price range and possibly one or two others. The only amps I'm seriously considering are the Parasound A21 and the Pass Labs X150.8.
     
    Bananas&blow likes this.
  24. amgradmd

    amgradmd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Richmond, VA
    I'm glad I could help out. Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with either of the preamps. Both are fantastic. I know mine is and believe what I hear about the Parasound unit. What sold the PH-10 for me, besides fantastic sound quality, was the ability to upgrade down the road. And my upgrade path is nigh as I have the induction power supply coming soon! I'm also very interested in the tube output stage!! I'll report back once I get the PS!
     
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  25. Bananas&blow

    Bananas&blow It's just that demon life has got me in its sway

    Location:
    Pacific Beach, CA
    That's quite a price jump between the two amps that you are considering. $2500 versus $5K? And the A21 is easily obtainable in the $1600-$1700 range on the used market.
     
    punkmusick likes this.
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