Parasound Debuts 400-Watt Monoblock Amplifier Designed By John Curl

28-Aug-02

Parasound has introduced its 400-watt JC 1 monoblock power amplifier as the flagship amplifier for its new Halo line of premium audio components. With large current reserves, the amplifier delivers 800 watts into 4 ohms, and 1200 watts into 2-ohm loads. This component was developed by Parasound in collaboration with legendary designer John Curl's CTC Builders, and represents the culmination of 13 years of Curl's ongoing evolution of Parasound power amplifier topologies. ""The combination of Parasound's ability to manufacture very high quality components, and John Curl's remarkable design, makes this one of the finest amplifiers ever built at any price,"" said Parasound's President Richard Schram. ""The sound quality and power capabilities of this amplifier are breathtaking."" Formed in 1998, CTC Builders consists of John Curl handling electrical design, board, and layout design by Carl Thompson, and Bob Crump's component selection and implementation. The trio has developed a number of products, including the CTC Blowtorch preamplifier and the CTC BBQ amplifier. The JC 1 was conceived as a signature product, growing out of CTC's modifications of the Parasound HCA 3500 amplifier which was sold between 1999 and 2001. With various changes to the design, including a much larger heatsink and double the power supply, as well as component and layout alterations, the monoblock JC 1 is claimed to be unmatched by anything at its $3,000 price, and will stand up favorably to any component available at any price. The heart of the JC 1 power supply is a large toroid transformer rated at 10 amps continuous, backed up with four 33,000-microfarad Nichicon Gold Tune electrolytic filter capacitors, which Curl believes to be the finest in the world. The JC 1 features a specially designed, relay-bypassed ""soft start"" circuit, to prevent tripped circuit breakers. The amplifier operates without the need for cooling fans. Curl's complementary JFET and MOSFET configuration for the input and driver stages, respectively, provide pure class A operation in these parts of the circuitry. Nine pairs of high current bipolar transistors in the output stage provide up to 25 watts of pure Class A. At higher output wattages, the JC 1 enters Class AB operation. The JC 1 power amplifier features the silver cabinetry common to the entire Halo by Parasound line. The JC 1 is currently available at a suggested retail price of $3,000 each. For more information about Parasound, visit www.parasound.com.

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