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A while back, I added a Parasound JC3 phono preamp to my system. At the time, I was pleased with how well it worked with the JC2 BP line level preamp and JC1 mono block power amps to deliver truly enjoyable sound from vinyl LPs via my Magnepan 20.7 speakers.
Since then, I've heard demos of music on vinyl at dealers and in others' homes that sounded even more amazing. While the sound from LPs at home was certainly way better than it had been before acquiring the JC3, by comparison it was outclassed by some of the demos. And over time, I recognized that in my system, many SACD and hi-res digital downloads actually sounded better than LPs.
Since a couple of these demos elsewhere included a Parasound JC3 (or the newer JC3+) as the phono preamp, I was pretty sure the weak link had to be either my turntable or cartridge or both. After over 20 years of use, my Rega Planar 3 turntable and Grado Platinum cartridge were getting a bit long in the tooth.
A couple of friends had suggested that a replacement cartridge might improve things. But I was reluctant to spend a lot on a new cartridge on speculation that in combination with an aging turntable the results might be better. And I sure didn’t want to downgrade to a lesser cartridge just because it would be newer.
Then I heard some demos of first-rate gear at a local hi-fi shop that changed the calculus. They showed that ClearAudio has a line of exceptional turntables and cartridges. These start with “somewhat affordable” models and go up into the “OMG, that’s expensive” territory. Some other brands they demo’d also compared very favorably at the higher end of that scale but are way out of my desired (affordable) price range.
Wanted to see what other high-performance brands might offer at attainable prices. So with not many places to look in Houston, I started looking around for dealers in nearby cities that might have some alternatives
I set out to check out VPI turntables at a dealer in San Antonio. They had a Technics 1200G on display that sounds good but looks like it came out of a time capsule from a 1970s disco. But they also had a “demo” ClearAudio Concept Wood turntable with ClearAudio Satisfy Carbon tonearm and ClearAudio Maestro V2 cartridge. This ensemble sounds terrific (indeed, exceptionally good), has understated contemporary good looks, and the cartridge works very well with the Parasound JC3 they were using to demo this combo.
The combo was on sale as a package for an amazing clearance price that was too good to pass up. So, this ClearAudio gear is now in my system for playback of vinyl. The clarity, staging, dynamic range, rhythm, pacing and air around instruments produced via the JC3 are even more magical than before.
With the new LP playback upgrade in my system, the past few weeks instead of continuing to purchase hi-res music downloads, I’ve gone on a vinyl LP buying binge. I’ve taken advantage of sales on mostly pristine used LPs as well as snapping up a few new releases to add nearly 80 disks to my collection (around 60 of those at about a buck each).
On the new turntable via the JC3, even some of the oldest disks produce astonishingly engaging sound that the digital media could only hope to achieve. The only source I’ve heard that consistently beats well-produced (and properly re-produced) vinyl is 15 ips master tape. And that won’t be in my system any time soon.
Since then, I've heard demos of music on vinyl at dealers and in others' homes that sounded even more amazing. While the sound from LPs at home was certainly way better than it had been before acquiring the JC3, by comparison it was outclassed by some of the demos. And over time, I recognized that in my system, many SACD and hi-res digital downloads actually sounded better than LPs.
Since a couple of these demos elsewhere included a Parasound JC3 (or the newer JC3+) as the phono preamp, I was pretty sure the weak link had to be either my turntable or cartridge or both. After over 20 years of use, my Rega Planar 3 turntable and Grado Platinum cartridge were getting a bit long in the tooth.
A couple of friends had suggested that a replacement cartridge might improve things. But I was reluctant to spend a lot on a new cartridge on speculation that in combination with an aging turntable the results might be better. And I sure didn’t want to downgrade to a lesser cartridge just because it would be newer.
Then I heard some demos of first-rate gear at a local hi-fi shop that changed the calculus. They showed that ClearAudio has a line of exceptional turntables and cartridges. These start with “somewhat affordable” models and go up into the “OMG, that’s expensive” territory. Some other brands they demo’d also compared very favorably at the higher end of that scale but are way out of my desired (affordable) price range.
Wanted to see what other high-performance brands might offer at attainable prices. So with not many places to look in Houston, I started looking around for dealers in nearby cities that might have some alternatives
I set out to check out VPI turntables at a dealer in San Antonio. They had a Technics 1200G on display that sounds good but looks like it came out of a time capsule from a 1970s disco. But they also had a “demo” ClearAudio Concept Wood turntable with ClearAudio Satisfy Carbon tonearm and ClearAudio Maestro V2 cartridge. This ensemble sounds terrific (indeed, exceptionally good), has understated contemporary good looks, and the cartridge works very well with the Parasound JC3 they were using to demo this combo.
The combo was on sale as a package for an amazing clearance price that was too good to pass up. So, this ClearAudio gear is now in my system for playback of vinyl. The clarity, staging, dynamic range, rhythm, pacing and air around instruments produced via the JC3 are even more magical than before.
With the new LP playback upgrade in my system, the past few weeks instead of continuing to purchase hi-res music downloads, I’ve gone on a vinyl LP buying binge. I’ve taken advantage of sales on mostly pristine used LPs as well as snapping up a few new releases to add nearly 80 disks to my collection (around 60 of those at about a buck each).
On the new turntable via the JC3, even some of the oldest disks produce astonishingly engaging sound that the digital media could only hope to achieve. The only source I’ve heard that consistently beats well-produced (and properly re-produced) vinyl is 15 ips master tape. And that won’t be in my system any time soon.
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