New Parasound JC3 Jr. vs Gold Note PH 10

An A25 is offered currently in the classifieds. Worth a look if you'd like one at a good price.

 

Try $2500 vs $6750. Neither option is set in stone but what is likely to happen is whichever one I do get I doubt I'll ever hear the one(s)I don't get. I may go with a more budget priced preamp to funnel as much cash into the power amp I can for now. But the preamp is going to have to better the Rega Brio's preamp by a significant margin either way.

The allure of the Parasound A21 is the great reviews I've read about it's sound and reliability. The fact that it's reasonably affordable doesn't escape notice either but that's far from the deciding factor. It may simply be the exact thing I'm looking for and if it is I'll buy new and hang onto it for the long haul. John Curl is a legendary amp designer and I'm sure I'd be proud and lucky to own one of his creations.

The Pass option OTOH (and I'm looking at the XA30.8 as well for the same price roughly) represents a dream of owning a major monster amp that's rated up there (by me at least) with Levinsons and Krells and the old Threshold amps I've drooled over the last 30 years.

 

Plan on obtaining the JC 3 Jr soon, current cart is a Sumiko Blackbird. No complaints, just looking for thoughts on whether i should consider upgrading the cart as well. If so, what is recommended and what sonic improvement should i expect to notice the most?

 

Not yet. If you change 2 variables at once, you don't know which component gave the the biggest improvements or degradation. Enjoy the Jr. for a while. Let it break in and absorb the improvements (although I personally noticed no break in with the JR., it sounded great from the first note). Given the overwhelmingly positive reviews of this preamp on the forum, as well as my personal experience, I expect you are absolutely going to love it. While this phono preamp can surely handle superior carts to my Ortofon Bronze, when it came time to replace my bronze, I couldn't justify the extra cost of upgrading because I was already so happy with the sound and just picked up another Bronze. Over-spending on the hobby also came into consideration.

 

The JC 3 Jr is replacing a Pro-ject Tube Box SE II. Turntable is a Pro-Ject Perspective (kind of sexy)
Just doing the JC 3 Jr at this time to gauge the improvement - but, if i want to kick it up further, what cart to consider? What am i gaining on an already good setup?

 

You're bound to find the sound to be drastically different. Whether you will enjoy the change will be up to you. From the needledrops I remember listening to using that phone preamp, the sound was warm but not very detailed and rather forgiving. The JC3 Jr is much more neutral and linear with a slight sheen. Depending on your equipment and tastes, you'll either fall in love or wonder what the hype was about. Make sure you can return it if it doesn't know your socks off.

 

What's a slight sheen?

 

A bit on the treble side?

 

Ok, back in my speaker buying days i would say to the dealer, i want "crisp, clean with punch".

 

I think is pretty close to what you will get with the JC3 Jr.

I got in another JC3 Jr. demo today and looking forward to unboxing it and hooking it up. I think it's a pretty incredible unit for the price point.

And if you are looking for an additional suggestion in addition to the Jr., the new Rogue Triton II is also quite impressive (and a little cheaper then the Jr.).

 

I’m loving my jc3 jr. Got a decent discount on mine which pretty much sealed the deal.

 

Then I'd recommend a Long Island Iced Tea or a handmade Margarita.

Guaranteed everything will sound good then after that....

 

Yup, a shot of rhythm and booze.

 

I take it from this post you haven't yet purchased the JC3 Jr. I also noticed you don't have a profile filled out yet, so it's tough to gauge without knowing your preamp, amp, speakers what kind of synergy to expect.

Blackbird is a "higher end" MC, are you predominantly an MC user? The Blackbird being $1000+ MC cartridge is "higher end" in my book and not sure where you want to "kick it up" to from that level , but seems like your cartridge won't be a limiter!

 

Likely the JC 3 Jr direct to active Dynaudio Focus 20XDs. As for "kick it up" - a higher level of sound reproduction seems about right.

In the Sumiko family, the new Starling is above the Blackbird. It is described as having improved resonance control - the cartridge is quieter with faster response time and very coherent presentation.

Anyway, all good, no rush to do anything more than get squared away with the preamp.

 

Which was the basis of my question - are you planning on staying with MC carts with the new preamp?

 

Yes, MC.

 

Given the level of the MC carts, speakers.... have you looked at and considered the JC3+ instead of the Jr?

 

Audio Gent, I hope that you'll find the JC3 Jr. to be to your satisfaction. I likely would not have ended up with one of these phono preamps if it wasn't for my local dealer. I never know what this shop is going to have on hand when I stop by. While they do carry plenty of lower priced gear, it's not uncommon for them to have components that are priced more like sports cars. The owner of the shop is really straightforward about what he has on hand, not everything that he sells excites him personally. Typically when he utters "you really need to hear this" it's in reference to something that's way, way out of my price range. (I really appreciate listening to such high end gear, but as nice as it is, I'd personally rather have a sports car for the money, lol.) So when this occurred earlier this year regarding a phono preamp that was within my price range I was surprised. Then he handed me a JC3 Jr. in the box to take home and I suppose that the rest was history as they say. As far of the characteristcs of the JC3 Jr. are concerned, I would say that "crisp, clean with punch" applies, at least to my ears with the Parasound set up in my system.

 

My thinking is the Jr makes for a nice upgrade and where i'm comfortable on cost for a preamp. If i go further, tend to think it should be the cartridge and where it all begins, with the grooves.

 

Sounds like you've made up your mind, and done all the diligence needed, so good luck in your choice!!! I am sure you'll be happy, the first step is being comfortable.

 

Thanks, i'm happy just like my guy with the 4 legs.

 

Parasound also has some of the best customer support in the biz. IMO, it's about as close to a can't-go-wrong brand as you're likely to find in this hobby.

 

And why I own a P5, A21 and soon a JC2 BP and maybe a JC3+.

EDIT: oh, and a 2125 V2 in my shop

 

A comment by Fremer that resonates, he concluded "the JC 3 Jr is not quite as good as the JC 3+ but at half the price it comes surprisingly close".