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Parasound Halo JC3 Jr. Phono Preamplifier
Description of the Parasound Halo JC3 Jr. Phono Preamplifier
Beautifully Compact, Intensely Musical
The JC3Jr is a compact phono preamp built for listeners who want great vinyl sound without bulky gear. It’s designed to reveal the full warmth, depth, and emotion of your records—bringing out the soul in each groove with clarity and finesse.
John Curl’s all-analogue design offers variable loading, selectable gain, and both balanced and unbalanced outputs—all in a 1U chassis that’s quietly powerful. This is vinyl at its purest, and your setup’s perfect finishing touch.
Vinyl Fans Say
- “Neutral and transparent—just pure music.”
- “The best under‑$2k solid‑state phono stage I’ve heard.”
- “Dead silent and smooth with no noise.”
How It Fits in Your System
The JC3Jr sits between your turntable and line-level input. It handles both MM and MC cartridges, with an easy-to-use variable impedance knob for fine-tuning. Choose a balanced XLR or RCA output to feed your preamp or integrated amp.
Want to mix vinyl and home theatre? The included 12V triggers let it turn on automatically, and mono mode optimises older or mono pressings.
What Makes It Stand Out
- 3 gain settings: 40, 50, or 60 dB (added gain on balanced outputs)
- Variable MC loading from 50 Ω to 550 Ω, plus a fixed 47 kΩ for MM
- RCA and XLR outputs with ultra-low distortion and noise
- Shielded toroidal power supply for silent operation
- Sturdy mini‑chassis with quality gold-plated connectors
Listening Experience
- Acoustic and jazz tracks become immersive, with air and texture
- Rock albums hit with enough punch and detail to thrill
- Subtle passages—like quiet solos or background ambience—feel natural and alive
Recognition & Reviews
- Audio reviewers praised its neutrality and clarity
- The Absolute Sound Editor’s Choice
- Positive Feedback: “best under‑$2k solid‑state phono stage”
Final Word
The JC3Jr may be small, but its impact is huge. A perfect entry into John Curl’s design legacy, it offers clean, revealing vinyl playback with quiet confidence. Compact size, big sound—your records deserve this.
Features of the Parasound Halo JC3 Jr. Phono Preamplifier
- Circuitry designed by legendary John Curl
- Circuit board layout by Carl Thompson
- Cartridge options for 47k Ω MM and MC/MI
- Variable MC impedance adjustment of 50-550 ohms
- Gain select for 40 dB/50 dB/60 dB unbalanced (46 dB/56 dB/66 dB balanced)
- Balanced and unbalanced outputs
- A mono switch can improve the sound of mono & older LPs
- Convenient auto turn-on by 12V trigger
- RIAA is accurate to within 0.2 dB
- Incredible S/N up to 94 dB and THD less than 0.02%
- Vishay-Dale resistors in the audio path
- The aluminium shield separates the power supply and audio circuits
- Shielded toroid power transformer
- High-speed soft recovery bridge rectifiers and common mode inductors
- Vampire brand 24k gold-plated RCA jacks
- Neutrik brand locking balanced XLR output connectors
- Compact 1U chassis (2.5″ high with feet)
Specifications of the Parasound Halo JC3 Jr. Phono Preamplifier
Frequency Response:
20-20Khz, +/- 0.2dB
Total Harmonic Distortion
< 0.02% at 1 kHz
Signal to Noise Ratio, 40 dB Setting
>85dB, input shorted, IHF A-weighted
>80dB, input shorted, unweighted
Signal to Noise Ratio, 50 dB Setting
>89dB, input shorted, IHF A-weighted
>84dB, input shorted unweighted
Signal to Noise Ratio, 60 dB Setting
> 94dB, input shorted, IHF A-weighted
> 91dB, input shorted, unweighted
Inter-channel Crosstalk
>80 dB at 1 kHz
Input Impedance
MM or MI: 47k Ω
MC Variable: 50- 550 Ω
Output Impedance
Unbalanced: < 100 Ω
Balanced: < 100 Ω per leg
Input Capacitance
150 pF
Input Sensitivity at 1 kHz, 4 mV Input
40 dB: 4 mV for 450 mV output
50 dB: 4 mV for 1.4 Volts output
60 dB: 4 mV for 4.25 Volts output
Input Sensitivity at 1 kHz, 1V Output
40 dB: 9 mV for 1.0 Volt output
50 dB: 3 mV for 1.0 Volt output
60 dB: 0.9 mV for 1.0 Volt output
Total Gain
40 dB / 50 dB / 60 dB (unbalanced output)
46 dB / 56 dB / 66 dB (balanced output)
XLR Pin Identification
1 = Ground (Shield)
2 = Positive
3 = Negative (Return)
AC Power Requirement
Standby: <1 watt
Power On: 9 watts
115 VAC or 230 VAC 50 – 60 Hz
Dimensions
Width: 17-1/4” (437mm)
Depth: 14-3/4” (375mm)
Depth with cables: 17” (432mm)
Height: 2-1/2” (63.5mm)
Height, without feet: 1-3/4” (45mm)
Weight
Net: 13 lbs. (5.9 Kg)
Shipping: 19 lbs. (8.6 kg)
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