PARASOUND JC 3+ PHONOPREAMP

and modal flourishes came through with amazingly realistic dynamics.

We took a left turn and pulled out a stack lots of space in the arrangements and Haslam’s voice front and center. Hearing these songs with very quiet backgrounds, superb timing, of albums by Renaissance, the sublime English progressive folk rock band that was at their peak in the 70’s. We started with Prologue from 1972, the first album to feature lead vocalist Annie Haslam, who would reign supreme for the rest of the band’s career. Her voice is otherworldly, infinitely soaring to the heavens. On key tracks like “Kiev” and “Sounds Of The Sea”, the sprawling arrangements are rendered with such distinction through the JC 3+ it was easy to suspend belief and imagine being in the 10th row at one of their legendary concerts. The band really started hitting their stride with the follow up from 1973, Ashes Are Burning. The sound was a bit more streamlined, but no less adventurous. There were even a few radio ready tracks like the very catchy “Can You Understand” and “Carpet Of The Sun”. The album was well recorded, with and spot on tonality, was really a highlight of my time with the JC 3+. The same assessment applies to the album that came after it, the epic Turn Of The Cards. It was hard not to get goosebumps hearing “Mother Russia”!

We finished up with the some classic rock in the form of an original A&M pressing of Free’s Best Of Free. While a bit skimpy, there are twelve high energy tracks with which to enjoy the voice of Paul Rodgers and the fierce guitar of Paul Kossof. The JC 3+ let the heavy crunch of “Fire And Water” and “All Right Now” come through with realistic bite. It also handled the sly groove of “My Brother Jake” beautifully. If making records fun to listen to is the goal, the JC 3+ succeeds with flying colors!

Conclusion

The enduring design of the Parasound JC 3+ breathes new life into well worn platters, and commensurate turntable. Its incredibly low noise floor and transparency are unmatched at this price. Is there better? I would venture to guess so, but at a steep cost.

The unique part about a high quality vinyl playback system is that it is a sum of its parts. Matching a turntable with the cartridge that satisfies, and a phono preamplifier that brings out the best in the pairing, is no easy task. Of course some turntables allow for juggling tonearms as well, which adds another layer.

The JC3+ worked as a perfect dance partner with both the Rega Planar 10, and Planar 6. It will likely perform as well with most turntables and cartridges on the market

The Parasound JC 3+ is not entry level, but at a buck under $3200, it is a stone cold bargain. Finding fault with the sonics and build is a fool’s errand. If you want pure solid state, accurate vinyl playback, the JC 3+ is a standard bearer. If you want colored sound, tube flabbiness, or audio jewellery, look elsewhere. If you have spent upwards of ten

Product Information: Parasound JC 3+ Phono Preamplifier: $3199 https://parasound.com/jc3+.php