Parasound Halo JC1'S for Polk Lsim 707 ???

Sumerian
Sumerian Posts: 490
edited April 2014 in Electronics
I got a very good deal/offer on a pair of JC1's.
Heard a lot about these Amps ... Raving Reviews all over the net.
But I would like to get your opinion if my LSIM 707's will really shine with these monos? Do these amps make my speakers sing better?

Currently I am using the Parasound Halo A51 amp.

As always I would greatly appreciate your input and time.

Thanks in advance.
Post edited by Sumerian on

Comments

  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    edited April 2014
    IIRC DarqueKnight (Ray) had the JC1's. Take a look at his threads I bet there is a wealth of knowledge on em.
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
  • Sumerian
    Sumerian Posts: 490
    edited April 2014
    IIRC DarqueKnight (Ray) had the JC1's. Take a look at his threads I bet there is a wealth of knowledge on em.

    Thanks for the reply I do remember reading his threads long back I think I will revisit them again now.
  • Sumerian
    Sumerian Posts: 490
    edited April 2014
    Hmm Looks like he didn't use them with LSIM 707.

    I know JC1 are one of the best Amps for the money.
    But I would like to know if the speakers get benefit going up from A51.
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,566
    edited April 2014
    Do these amps make my speakers sing better?

    A51 - 60 amps peak to peak.

    JC1 - 135 amps peak to peak, can run Class A up to 25 watts and capable of 1200wpc @ 2ohms. Yeah, the JC1's will make your speakers sing much better.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."


    President of Club Polk

  • Sumerian
    Sumerian Posts: 490
    edited April 2014
    F1nut wrote: »
    A51 - 60 amps peak to peak.

    JC1 - 135 amps peak to peak, can run Class A up to 25 watts and capable of 1200wpc @ 2ohms. Yeah, the JC1's will make your speakers sing much better.

    Thanks for the reply Jesse.
  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    edited April 2014
    What specific performance improvements are you looking for?
    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,566
    edited April 2014
    Mo better sound......like all of us. :cheesygrin:
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."


    President of Club Polk

  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,967
    edited April 2014
    Personally I have no doubt some gains in SQ will be had by moving to the JC1's. How much though....to warrant the additional expense is questionable. Isn't the LSIM's 8 ohm ? Not so sure they will represent a good enough load to the amp to take advantage of what it has to offer.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • Sumerian
    Sumerian Posts: 490
    edited April 2014
    tonyb wrote: »
    Personally I have no doubt some gains in SQ will be had by moving to the JC1's. How much though....to warrant the additional expense is questionable. Isn't the LSIM's 8 ohm ? Not so sure they will represent a good enough load to the amp to take advantage of what it has to offer.

    Yes LSIM's are 8 Ohms...i am not sure about the improvement i am not expecting dramatic improvement but i assume there should be perceivable improvement. I htink this will be cutt of for law of diminishing returns

    Didnt think of the monos before but the offer on these JC1s is really enticing...
  • Sumerian
    Sumerian Posts: 490
    edited April 2014
    What specific performance improvements are you looking for?

    Overall improvement.... Better lowend... crispy/clear midrange.
  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    edited April 2014
    Sumerian wrote: »
    Overall improvement.... Better lowend... crispy/clear midrange.

    Going from a five channel home theater amp to a two channel stereo amp with over double the current and nearly double the output power will be a significant upgrade overall. I owned a pair of JC 1s for over 6 years and they deserve every bit of the praise heaped upon them. What preamp and source component(s) would you be using with the JC 1/LSiM 707 combo?
    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
  • Sumerian
    Sumerian Posts: 490
    edited April 2014
    Going from a five channel home theater amp to a two channel stereo amp with over double the current and nearly double the output power will be a significant upgrade overall. I owned a pair of JC 1s for over 6 years and they deserve every bit of the praise heaped upon them. What preamp and source component(s) would you be using with the JC 1/LSiM 707 combo?

    Thanks for the reply Knight.

    Preamp: Cary SLP 05
    Source: Media Server with Asus Xonar Essence STX

    Planning to add a HighEnd Dac and may be SACD player down the lane.

    Yes i will be using this with the combo

    This is not a dedicated two channel setup i will be using the Cary SLP 05 in HT bypass.
  • falconcry72
    falconcry72 Posts: 3,580
    edited April 2014
    Lemme know if you want to get rid of that A51...
    2-Channel: PC > Schiit Eitr > Audio Research DAC-8 > Audio Research LS-26 > Pass Labs X-250.5 > Magnepan 3.7's

    Living Room: PC > Marantz AV-7703 > Emotiva XPA-5 > Sonus Faber Liuto Towers, Sonus Faber Liuto Center, Sonus Faber Liuto Bookshelves > Dual SVS PC12-Pluses

    Office: Phone/Tablet > AudioEngine B1 > McIntosh D100 > Bryston 4B-ST > Polk Audio LSiM-703's
  • Sumerian
    Sumerian Posts: 490
    edited April 2014
    Lemme know if you want to get rid of that A51...

    Well i need it for my center and sourrounds
  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    edited April 2014
    Sumerian wrote: »

    Preamp: Cary SLP 05
    Source: Media Server with Asus Xonar Essence STX

    Planning to add a HighEnd Dac and may be SACD player down the lane.

    The JC 1s would be a great match with your current gear and planned digital upgrades.
    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
  • Sumerian
    Sumerian Posts: 490
    edited April 2014
    The JC 1s would be a great match with your current gear and planned digital upgrades.

    Thanks for the reply.
  • DarqueKnight
    DarqueKnight Posts: 6,765
    edited April 2014
    DSkip wrote: »
    I don't see the need for that much power on the 707.

    Clean reproduction of bass transients requires a lot of power. Good bass reproduction adds a lot of weight and realism to music.
    Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
  • Sumerian
    Sumerian Posts: 490
    edited April 2014
    DSkip wrote: »
    You could also consider doing a full crossover mod on those LSiM's, which should DRASTICALLY improve their overall performance.


    I havent looked into cross over yet ... i don't have complete info on it but will look into it...

    But will it really have dramatic effect?
  • BlueFox
    BlueFox Posts: 15,251
    edited April 2014
    My two cents on this thread is get your foundation in place, and then add gear to your hearts content. What is the foundation? Glad you asked. The foundation is what a good stereo is built on. It consists of a rock solid rack with no vibration, vibration isolation components for each piece of gear to drain vibrations into the rack, at least two dedicated 20 amp lines, one for the source gear and one for the amps, power conditioners to clean up each line, excellent power cables, excellent inter-connect cables, and excellent speaker cables.

    Once your foundation is in place then your current gear will sound its best, and any new gear will work at its best right from the start. Without a good foundation, buying new gear to improve your audio experience will slightly work, but you will be no where near what it is capable of achieving.
    Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
    Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
    Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes

    Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
    Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
    Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables

    Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
    Three 20 amp circuits.
  • Inspector 24
    Inspector 24 Posts: 1,308
    edited April 2014
    Considering my experience going from a Parasound 2003 to a big boy HCA-3500 for my A9's, I fail to see how the JC1's would not be absolutely awesome on the 707's.

    The depth and texture of bass improved drastically at all volumes but most notably at low volumes. They sounded like the bass had been turned up! Also it really smoothed out the high end, muting some of the brightness inherent to the A9's which allowed me to comfortably listen to them up to 10db louder than with the 2003. (80-90db)

    Apples to oranges, comparison, I know, but hey it's all fruit! :p
    Up
    LSi15 LSiC - RX-V3000

    Down
    LSiM707 - 706c - 702f/x - Dual HSU VTF-15H Mk2
    Parasound HCA-3500 - HCA-2003A - Marantz SR7005
    Sim2 D60 - Dragonfly 106" Panny 500

  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,566
    edited April 2014
    The 707's definitely sound better driven by a he-man amp. Since you can get a good deal on them now, a deal which might not be around later, I'd say grab the amps. You can always deal with the room and power stuff down the road.
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."


    President of Club Polk

  • WLDock
    WLDock Posts: 3,073
    edited April 2014
    Wow man, yeah the JC1's have already reached legendary status...but what $3K-$4K more on amps? Your A51 IS the music lovers home theater amp. 8 watts of pure class A power and a solid 250 watts into ALL channels at 8 Ohms. + 0.2 / -0.36 dB from 20 Hz to 20 kHz measured freq response, great damping factor, great sound all around...and on and on. Also, one review suggest that it opened up with a balanced input. IMO, with the balanced tube preamp that you already have and power to boot....what more would you be looking for? Your A51 is not even a year old yet.

    IMO, I would spend the money on other things you have been wanting to add to the system..... or book a two week vacation... spend a week away and the other week at home listening and tweaking the system to some new music. LOL!

    Having said all that, I think many of us would love a Big room with a couple of BIG towers powered by a couple of BIG mono blocks. Do what moves you!
    2.2 Office Setup | LG 29UB55 21:9 UltraWide | HP Probook 630 G8 | Dell Latitude | Cabasse Stream Amp 100 | Boston Acoustics VS 240 | AUDIORAX Desk Stands | Mirage Omni S8 sub1 | Mirage Omni S8 Sub2
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,967
    edited April 2014
    Do some experimentation with dacs first....SQ increase per dollar spent may not be all that with the amp purchase. I am a fan of the JC1'S btw....just think your system may benefit more elsewhere for the dollars. A good dac imho will elevate your SQ much higher than the new amps will.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • Sumerian
    Sumerian Posts: 490
    edited April 2014
    Ok here is my reason why i went with Amps first.

    I couldnt find a DAC for my expectations.
    Wanted to stick with existing brands in my setup (Cary or Parasound) dont want to mix too many brands.
    Parasound doesnt have a Halo DAC
    Cary dac using a crappy/outdated ESS Sabre chip
    Amps purchase seemed safe at it this is a 10 years old standard amp. Getting brand new pair for a used price.

    If cary DAC used a 9018 chip, I would have got it by now... i still dont understand cary design decissions like the SLP05 remote doesnt have power button.

    If not today someother day i will end up with Monos...
    since i am getting a deal on amps and since i cannot find any other component to my liking, i went with Amps.
  • pearsall001
    pearsall001 Posts: 5,068
    edited April 2014
    Add a top notch sub or two & your system will be instantly upgraded to the degree that a new amp or mono's simply won't match. The 707's are by no means bass shy but they can't compete with dedicated subs for true bass reproduction. That Halo A51 you currently have is superb for the 707's & pretty much any other speakers in the future. Velo, REL, JL Audio, Rythmik are just a few to look at if a sub is a consideration.
    "2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
  • WLDock
    WLDock Posts: 3,073
    edited April 2014
    Ball Out then! Get the amps and a new technology DAC. Those Chord Electronics are supposed to be special.
    http://www.chordelectronics.co.uk/chord-dac-technology.asp

    ...so much gear to choose from.
    2.2 Office Setup | LG 29UB55 21:9 UltraWide | HP Probook 630 G8 | Dell Latitude | Cabasse Stream Amp 100 | Boston Acoustics VS 240 | AUDIORAX Desk Stands | Mirage Omni S8 sub1 | Mirage Omni S8 Sub2
  • Sumerian
    Sumerian Posts: 490
    edited April 2014
    Add a top notch sub or two & your system will be instantly upgraded to the degree that a new amp or mono's simply won't match. The 707's are by no means bass shy but they can't compete with dedicated subs for true bass reproduction. That Halo A51 you currently have is superb for the 707's & pretty much any other speakers in the future. Velo, REL, JL Audio, Rythmik are just a few to look at if a sub is a consideration.

    I already have subwoofer DSW Pro 660WI.
  • Sumerian
    Sumerian Posts: 490
    edited April 2014
    WLDock wrote: »
    Ball Out then! Get the amps and a new technology DAC. Those Chord Electronics are supposed to be special.
    http://www.chordelectronics.co.uk/chord-dac-technology.asp

    ...so much gear to choose from.


    "The WTA filter algorithm has taken twenty years of research to develop"
    Interesting
  • WLDock
    WLDock Posts: 3,073
    edited April 2014
    Yeah, I'm hoping to get a listen to their DAC sometime this year...maybe someone at the show next week will will have one? Or there is a high end shop back in MI...maybe they will let me take a listen? I found these reviews interesting:
    http://www.computeraudiophile.com/content/561-chord-electronics-qutehd-review/
    http://headmania.org/2014/03/09/chordette-qute-ex-dac-review/
    Supposed to be a great under $2K DAC.

    Also, the new Hugo portable DAC at $2395 might be even better?
    http://headmania.org/2014/02/19/chord-hugo-review/
    http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/first-listen-chord-electronics-hugo-portable-high-res-dacheadphone-amp/

    It will be a long while before I will be able to go down the two channel road however...The Hi Res world is so vast...there are tons of DAC's out there. Still, I have a wish list system in my head I want to listen to, Rogue Perseus Magnum tube preamp ~ $1.9K, Chord DAC ~ $2K, Halo A 21 ~ $2.3K, DIY Statements towers ~$1.5K in parts. The makings of a $10K system....not even close to being in my budget, will need a new car soon. But we can dream...will find a way to put something together in time....the used market might be my only hope. LOL!
    2.2 Office Setup | LG 29UB55 21:9 UltraWide | HP Probook 630 G8 | Dell Latitude | Cabasse Stream Amp 100 | Boston Acoustics VS 240 | AUDIORAX Desk Stands | Mirage Omni S8 sub1 | Mirage Omni S8 Sub2