New Parasound JC3 Jr. vs Gold Note PH 10

Well, there it is then....That wraps it up and removes all doubt!

 

Resonates, percolates - then runs out of gas.

 

I'm curious as to what (if anything) you hear as differences between the JC3 Jr and the Triton II. Both are very configurable - the big difference is that it looks like the JC3 Jr. has balanced outs, while the TII does not.

 

Have not really done a back to back comparison b/t the two (yet).

 

I've seen some debate on this topic actually and I'd say its not so clear cut that the cart makes a bigger difference than the phono preamp. Some of the biggest jumps in sound quality I have observed in my journey were from the phono preamp upgrades.

 

Should have by next week, will post comments after i fire it up. The way i'm looking at this - let me get settled in with the preamp first. That will put me in a better position to appreciate an upgrade in cartridge if that's something i decide to do.

 

But then you've only run one cartidge with the Jr (the Bronze, a MM), and never tried an LOMC, correct?

 

Hooked up the JC 3 Jr today. Initial impression is the sound is smoother with a quieter background. Curious to see if i notice a difference as the days go by, hours accumulate and it settles in.

 

Dear Jerry,

I hope I met you at Capital Audiofest 2019. Did you sell the 2-SB? I was wondering if you had version 1 ($2,500) or version 2 ($3,000)?

Still, thank you for your comment. If you have a moment, please like LKV Research FB page.

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Dennis
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Did you ever get the power supply for the PH-10? I'm curious if you thought it ended up being worth the money.

 

Interesting question about the power supply. I purchased a Gold Note PH-10 / PSU-10 pair. I was incredibly impressed with the sound (moving from a Rega Aria). With just the PH-10 I had some audio hum/buzz you could hear through the speakers when the volume was high. When I hooked up the PSU-10 everything went dead silent. I was thrilled with the sound of the pair and would strongly recommend the PSU-10 if it weren't for its reliability issues. My first PSU-10 failed in less than 2 months. It started making a loud (75 db) mechanical buzzing sound coming from the unit intermittently. Within 2 days it would start the buzzing at power on 80% of the time. I requested a repair under warranty. Gold Note issued an RMA and I shipped it off 2 months ago....but have not received it back as of yet (the PH-10 continued to work but had the annoying low level hum/buzz). I elected to buy a second PSU-10 knowing it would take a while to get the RMA repair/replacement. The second one failed in a similar manner within 2 weeks. It too is now being RMA'd for repair. Once both return I plan on selling the Gold Note PH-10 and both PSU-10s. In the interim I purchased a Parasound JC3+ and am very happy with it.

 

Having owned both the Gold Note PSU-10 / PH-10 combo and the Parasound JC3+, if it weren't for the reliability issues with the Gold Note PSU-10 I could have been very happy with the Gold Note. It seemed to make the music more open and 3-dimensional than the Aria but it also had a tendency on some recordings to sound too bright (almost harsh). Compared to my Rega Aria it was a huge improvement and literally had me re-evaluating albums that I previously had written off as bad recordings. (I grade the audio on each album in my collection). The Parasound JC3+ does not sound quite as open / 3-dimensional as the Gold Note, but it does not cause some recordings to sound too bright like the Gold Note did and the stereo image on the JC3+ seems to stay better anchored/centered if a little less pronounced.