Tavish Adagio, Parasound JC3+, JC3 Jr or something else in the $1.5K - $3K

Hey Mike, hop;e all is well. How's that Herron treatin' ya?

Happy to share my thoughts on the LCR Tube - although you will have to be patient though for a more detailed accounting at a later time, as the day after I received it I was flew out on business, and things have gotten a little hectic since. As of last week, I had no trips planned, and home for the month, suddenly I have two more trips in the next couple of weeks, and then a possible two week trip to Romania (which I am trying to pass off to someone else!)

I had a couple hours last Sunday to install and listen, and just had another hour or so today. Sunday I hooked it up to my Yamaha GT-2000L TT with a DL-103R and also briefly with the AT33Mono, and today was the Denon DP-59L TT and a DL-110 cart. The LCR Tube is flexible, with a front dial for gain from 40-60DB, and three different loading options / banks (1, 2 and 3 on the dial), with configurable banks. Here is how Robert (Lounge Audio entrepreneur) described the three loading banks:

Bank 1 is for MM, it has a 45k vishay foil resistor.

Bank 2 is for HOMC, it has a 5k caddock foil resistor.


Bank 3 is for LOMC, it has a 324 ohm TE neo-ohm metal film resistor. ​

I am going to be patient in my testing and to put it through its paces. I have not even tried it yet on MM - I will probably do that on the SL-1200 or KP-9010... not sure yet. Plus remember I still have the Adagio on its way , then to boot Robert just updated my LCR / Copla combo and its on its way back. So my to-do list is a little packed on the audio front for a while, coupled with a busy work / personal schedule. I also have some ~40 new albums I haven't had a chance to listen to, so it will be killing two birds with one stone when I do audition the phono stages - I will be completing my new LP checklist too!

Just a taste - today on the DL-110, I gave it a little variety - a Telarc Digital pressing of Stravinsky, Rite of Spring; a MoFi pressing of Mile Davis Bitches Brew; a Mercury Living Presence Tchaikovsky Swan Lake (late 50's Stereo); Eagles Hotel California 180g; and a 70's Atlantic Aretha Franklin. To give you a little peek, on the HOMC setting (~50db) and bank 2 on the dial (which has a 5K caddock foil resistor loaded). The LCR Tube is showing a lot of depth on the DL-110, wide soundstage, tight bass and a full rich dynamic sound. The Aretha LP I played never sounded so good on my system - my wife even commented on it. On the DL-103R and AT33Mono (LOMC carts) I have to do a little more work on, I don't think I have everything dialed in right yet. It sounded good, but it was not the same improvement I saw with the DL-110 and HOMC. Note my current LOMC is the Lounge / Copla combo on the GT-2000L, so that is my point of comparison. Lots more work to do, and I want to factor in comparisons to the Adagio too.

Not sure if you are aware, but the LCR Tube I have is a beta unit (I think it is the only one in existence currently but not 100% sure). So realize this IS a beta test.... so the expectation is there still could be minor issues here and there, and the purpose of the test is to give feedback / findings with the possibility of tweaking and trying again on anything chosen. Note that this first beta unit is solid, I have not run across any issues yet... the loading dial is a little loose, but that is easily remedied. But this is NOT a production system (yet), so testing and reporting of findings may be iterative.

I will be happy to give a more detalied accounting on what I am hearing on my TT's / cartridges in due time. (probably on a separate thread... when I mentioned it earlier in the thread, I was really trying to see if anyone was paying attention and was actually reading the thread still! ) Cheers bud.

 

Do you use balanced XLR from Parasound JC 3 to the amplifier / preamplifier?

I do because the JC 3+ manual states:

"If your line level preamplifier is equipped with balanced XLR inputs we recommend using the JC 3+ Balanced XLR output jacks for the maximum rejection of external noise sources".

XLR usually adds gain and the JC 3 Jr. specs actually says it would be 6dB more with balanced.

JC 3+ should be similar?

 

The new Modwright PH 9.0 Phono stage is just about to hit the market. It is a two box setup, with rage second box tethered to the main unit with an umbilical - virtually the same setup as the Rogue Ares and Tavish Adagio. Its standard tube complement will be EH Gold 6922's and Sovtek 6C45's from the factory. The sonic signature of this amp is said to be remarkably close to its bigges brother, the PH 150. The price of the 9.0 is $2,900, whereas the 150 is around $8,000.

The main unit features front panel loading and gain controls - a simple, yet really appreciated feature.

I have one of these units on order, and look forward to testing it and comparing against my Ares “Magnum” and the Tavish Adagio.

 

TVA,
The Herron is magnificent. Paired with the VPI Prime Scout it is absolutely the best sound I have ever heard in my life. I do not regret the purchase at all and have not thought once about upgrading. Enough of me, did you get the Adagio? I've been waiting for a review from you but unless I missed the thread I see none. It had to have arrived by now yes?

 

Just checking in to see if you received the Adagio and if so, what your impressions of its performance. I'm still on the wait list but expecting an email from Tavish in the next 2 -3 weeks. Confusing the matter is all the good things I continue to read about the Parasound JC3 Jr and the fact it has continuously variable MC loading between 50 and 550 ohms. This is a fairly big deal to me because I like the option of really fine tuning cartridge loading. My preferred cartridges (Shelter 501 II and Ortofon Cadenza Red) have outputs of 0.4mv and 0.45mv so I don't think the 60db gain of the Jr is a problem. I have a couple of capable MM phono stages (Parks Audio Budgie and in my DB Systems preamp) so maybe I just need to get a more capable single input MC phono preamp. I may have to buy both JC3 Jr and Adagio and run them head-to-head to figure out which one is better in my system. I need to check return policies.

 

With my Parasound gear I’d say standby mode keeps the equipment in just about ready to go shape. Yesterday I switched everything on ,P5 , JC3 and A21 and half an hour later spun a Led Zeppelin I 2014
Vinyl and was blown away.

With only two weeks on my JC3+ it’s gotten so good it kills me I have to send it back for a replacement because of a faulty mono switch. Initially it was reigned in a bit and could get quite shouty with vocals and electric guitars. There was little edginess and perhaps a touch of grain. All that has cleared away to reveal levels of depth , scale of size and soundstage boundaries I couldn’t have imagined were possible. The quietness of its operation unleashed a torrent of hidden details as I’ve gotten nearer to fully breaking it in. For instance? On the album I was spinning after work last night on “ Your Time Is Gonna Come” every time Bonham smacks his snare drum there’s a reverberation that sounds off with it that grows in size as it trails off and lasts until the next snare strike. In all my years I never heard this detail on that tune. I could go on and on but the main thing is the details the JC3 uncovers makes me want to listen to songs I never gave much thought to before more intently.

 

What cartridge are you using?

 

Hana SH. Really looking forward to a higher end low output MC. Dynavector XX2, Ortofon Cadenza Bronze or maybe entry level Lyra next.

 

My JC3+ is noticeably louder through using the XLR outputs into my balanced inputs of my P5 preamp. I've seen no actual numbers printed but I'd tried recording a record side to cd using the RCA outputs of the JC3 and before I flipped the record to record side two I'd gotten my balanced cables in the mail and hooked them up and set up to record side two. First thing I noticed was I barely had to crack the P5 volume to get a decent listening level. The second thing was my CD recorders level, which I'd set during the first side of the record were now far too high and had to be lowered quite a few notches to keep from overloading and ruining the CD. This was using the MM section which I think outputs 48db.

 

I'm back to RCA. XLR adds 6dB, too much for my cartridge with high output (5mV).

 

XLR adds 6db. Whether your cart sounds better with it depends on your setup but the max gain will be 66db via XLR or 60db without.

XLR also has the advantage of being quieter and allowing the use of far longer wiring if need be.

 

I just did a review of the new competitor in this segment, the Modwright PH 9.0

New Modwright PH 9.0 Phono Preamplifer - $2900

 

That does look nice, and good review on your part, though I'd agree with the poster in the other thread that it's a different price segment from the phono preamps in this thread. I'm a little surprised the Modwright doesn't have some of the better Lundahl transformers at that price too, they are actually available for less cost than the baseline Jensens in the Adagio, but it is always a dilemma for manufacturers to decide whether it's beneficial to dump a lot of money in a section of the preamp that not everyone will use.

 

I saw your review posted on the ModWright Forum, can you say anything about rolling tubes with the new phono? I know that Dan always encourages folks to try other tubes etc.

Right now I have 3 phono stages in the house. A ModWright LS-100 (full preamp with tube phono), an Audio Alchemy PPA-1 (solid state), and a Fosgate Signature v2.

I feed them into one of two integrated tube amps a MasterSound due Trenta or a Unison Research S6. Right now my favorite is the LS-100/MasterSound (I use the tape out into the integrated amp) mostly because it has the best sound stage depth. The Fosgate it quieter and a bit cleaner, but is a little two dimensional in comparison. I haven't rolled tubes very much with the Fosgate and will be putting it back in for some more extended listening.

The thing is I've had the LS-100 for years and all the tubes have been rolled as it makes a big difference. So I was wondering if you are thinking about doing some rolling with the new ModWright.

 

The unit is supposed to ship with new production 6922s, but my box had a pair of NOS GE/Mullard 6ES8s. Apparently they ran out of the 6922s and had some of the NOS Tubes around. I was not familiar with these tubes, but a search told me that these are on the short list of the tubes of this type to have. They sound pretty great, although I don’t have anything to compare the sound to. I may roll done tubes at some point, but honestly, I’m not sure what I would be looking to accomplish in terms of changes.

 

This was a wrong statement. I have since then tried a VM540ML (4mV) and now a Nagaoka MP-500 (3mV) and by comparison is pretty obvious that the 2M Black with the JC3+ is not a good match because of too much gain.

 

I’ve decided the XLR outputs on the JC3+ are sometimes overloading my P5 line inputs and that’s just using the MM inputs on the JC3+ and running my 2mv Hana SH. Luckily I have a decent set of RCAs to use with the unbalanced outputs and everything sounds fine now. I won’t bother with the XLRs again unless I get a very low output MC that needs that extra 6dB of gain. It’s nice to have that option available.

 

Me too, my XLR are kept for my future LOMC.

 

Wow! What a read this was! Lots of twists and unexpected turns! Anyhow, after all this, did the The Vinyl Addict ever get the Tavish Adagio or stick with the Lounge LCR? I'd like to hear any opinions of both, as I'm looking around for a new phono amp. I put my name on the waiting list for the Adagio. Just wondering if it's worth the 6 to 8 week wait.

 

^^^^^^^^You can take my spot.

 

Thank you! I suspect they'll just shift the wait list up. I'm also considering the new Modwright 9.0. A bit more pricey, but getting great reviews. I like that it has a Mono option.

 

There are ways around that.

 

I just went for the Modwright.

 

I’m very interested in hearing how the LCR Tube sounds. I’m really torn between it and the JC3 Jr.

 

Joined the forum just to reply to this.

VinylAddict wanted to know where the JC3+ owners were, well, here I am. The way I came to acquire this is a long story, but if you'll bear with me, here goes. Always wanted one of these as the pinnacle for phono preamps, but the cost always seemed out of the question. I always thought the most I'd spend for a phono preamp might be for one of the Cambridge Audio or maybe the cheapest Lehmann Black Cube models.

I never thought I'd be one of those who would spend as much money as I have on a music system. And as such, it's still relatively mid-fi, but it sounds great to me, and I can't see me going much further down this rabbit hole. Started a few years ago when I decided to get the old AR The Turntable that I bought used almost 20 years ago, up and running. Figured I'd have top send it off to someone, and discovered Dave at Vinyl Nirvana, but he sold me all the stuff and email support I needed o do it myself. from there, it began on a path to upgrade everything. New home theater AVR, got a center channel to go with my Paradigm Studio 20's, then found a matching used pair of Studio 100's on ebay. After that was a Parasound HCA 2205 five channel amp on ebay.

Always been a fan of Parasound since I bought my first stereo amp of theirs about 20 years ago. Turns out the AVR, while nice, wasn't so great at music, so I bought a P5. Then a Zu Audio DL-103 cartridge for the turntable. The 100 or 47k ohm settings on the P5 for MC cartridges were not a great match, so I started looking for a phono preamp with versatile loading options. Settled on a Musical Surroundings Phonomena II+, a great little preamp in its own right. But I guess I always had a little buyer's remorse, as it wasn't a JC3. A while later, I had a chance to pick up a b-stock JC2 BP from Safe and Sound, or get a new JC3+. Figured I already had the Phonomena, so went for the JC2. Again, regrets. Decided I was gonna keep an eye on ebay, Safe and Sound, and the auction sites until I came across a JC3+ at a steal. Probably six months went by, and Nothing was coming up. I was beginning to resign myself to buying brand new at full price. And then, one day on US Audio Mart, it was there. Absolutely pristine, couple years old, seller even offered it for less than he had listed. So I got a JC3+ for not a whole lot more than the Jr. retails for. The steal I was looking for. Seller was awesome, and if you're out there and recognize this, thank you again.

The Phonomena was good. This was even better. At first I wasn't quite so sure if it was that much better, but after some more listening, I've come to the conclusion it is. Very wide and refined soundstage. Very quiet, although I do get that white noise if I turn it up past 12 o'clock. Doubt if I'll ever listen to actuial music at that volume, and I've never heard a spec of noise at the levels I do listen to. It's clearer than the Phonomena, vocals are far better defined. I can actually understand the words John Martyn sings(most of them anyway.). The Phonomena seemed to need to volume to sound at its best, it seemed to lose a little at lower volume listening. Not the JC3, it's perfect. The Phonomena sounded detailed, with good separation among instruments, maybe almost too much. It was almost a case of losing the forest for the trees, if you know what I mean. The JC3+ is just as detailed, but the music holds together, remains cohesive. You hear the individual pieces, but they're there as part of the whole.

The real revelation came to me while listening to Tony Levin's bass part at the end of Don't Give Up. Textured, tones within tones, nimble and expressive, quick and defined. And deep. It was really something amazing to hear. No need or desire to search out anything more. If the Jr. gives 90% of that, as the reviews have said, I can see why so many people here have got one, and why Parasound must be selling a ton of them.