The JC 2 stereo preamplifier.
(Credit: Parasound)If you're not in the "club," high-end audio might look like a bastion of elitist snobs and the idle rich, so it may come as a shock to note that some of high-end audio's greatest engineers started out in rock and roll. Take John Curl, in the early 1970s he worked his magic on the Grateful Dead's concert and recording sound systems and later kept the Jefferson Airplane aloft. That was just before he tackled film sound in Hollywood. All of that led to collaborations with high-end pioneer Mark Levinson; together they raised the stakes, considerably, with the JC 2 stereo preamplifier in 1974.
It didn't matter that the JC 2 was two or three times more expensive than any other component in the nascent high-end market; a lot of folks lucky enough to hear it and afford it bought it. The JC 2 had that effect on people. Curl and Levinson soon parted ways and over the next few years Curl designed a long run of cutting edge electronics for other companies. Levinson eventually departed the company that bears his name, and his old company now designs car audio systems for Lexus. High-end is in the big time now.
When I heard that Curl had finished work on an all-new Halo Series JC 2 stereo preamplifier for Parasound I had to check it out (it's like hearing that Carroll Shelby just built a new AC Cobra). Better yet, for this review Parasound sent along a pair of the matching Halo Series JC 1, 400 watt mono power amplifiers. I reviewed the all-new JC 1 & JC 2 combination for Home Entertainment magazine, you can read the review here.
The JC 1 is a seriously powerful amplifier, its output stage employs nine pairs of high-current bipolar transistors with massive heat sinks to insure long-term reliability. Each amplifier can deliver 400 watts to 8 ohm rated speakers, and 800 watts to 4 ohm models, and if your speakers ever dip as low as 2 ohms, the JC 1 will happily serve 1,200 watts! The JC 1 sounds potent, even when listened to at merely moderately loud levels, and maintains its composure at lease breaking, call-the-cops volume.
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Hippies in a box!
(Credit: Rhino Records)Rhino's compilation CD box sets are are not only amazingly consistent; their creative packaging and superb music programming satisfy neophytes and seasoned collectors. Their latest offering from the ever popular Nuggets series, "Love is the Song We Sing: San Francisco Nuggets 1965-- 1970 " is a trip through the era's psychedelic and ragged glories. You get a healthy dose of greatest hits, gems like the Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit," and Santana's "Evil Ways" mixed with less heralded but truly stellar tunes like Kak's "Lemonaide Kid." I swear I've never heard of Kak, but their sweet, easy rollin' epic perfectly evokes the hippy-dippy daze. Blue Cheer's uber-amped classic "Summertime Blues," and The Loading Zone's "The Bells" break free of the the peace and love ooze--that second one's completely over the top wailing and screaming vocal will probably be sampled by a zillion bands. You get 77 tracks spread over four CDs, and while I can't tell you I loved every tune, there were remarkably few clunkers. This is one box set you'll play often; I've already listened through all four discs twice.
Unlike previous Nuggets sets that came with the discs packaged inside boxes this new one tucks the CDs into the back cover of a 9 by 11.25-inch, 120 page book with a gorgeous embossed silver foil cover. Sure, there are lots of rare and groovy photos of the bands, superbly written essays by the likes of Rolling Stone magazine's Ben Fong-Torres, but for me compilation producer Alec Palao's track-by-track commentary mades for the best reading.
Rhino's remastering skills are obvious from the get-go, the sound is cleaner and clearer than you'd expect from 40 year old recordings. Bass goes plenty deep, stereo separation is also excellent. "Love is the Song We Sing: San Francisco Nuggets 1965-1970" has a suggested retail price of $64.98.
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