Parasound JC5 Stereo Power Amplifier

Power That Moves You

Drop the JC5 into your system and the room changes. Bass hits deeper without bloat, vocals float free of the speakers, and big crescendos stay calm and composed—power with finesse that makes everything feel more alive.

Designed by John Curl, the JC5 focuses on what matters: high‑bias Class A/AB with the first 12 W in pure Class A, 400 W x2 into 8 Ω (600 W x2 into 4 Ω), a 1.7 kVA toroidal transformer with 132,000 µF of storage, and 90 A peak current with safe handling of 1.5‑Ω impedance dips.

Praised by reviewers

• “By any measure, the Halo JC 5 is a superb power amplifier.” — SoundStage! Hi‑Fi.
• “A well‑mannered big amplifier… capable of handling dips down to 1.5 Ω.” — Hi‑Fi News. 
• “A stunning performer with great musicality and none of the sterility of more analytical amps.” — Home Theater Review. 

Awards & Recognition

• Hi‑Fi News — Outstanding Product. (2018)
• SoundStage! Hi‑Fi — Reviewers’ Choice. (2019)
• Home Theater Review — Best of 2018.

Specifications:

Power Output – Both Channels Driven
400 watts x 2, 8 Ω
600 watts x 2, 4 Ω

Power Output – Bridged Mode
1200 watts x 1, 8 Ω
Bridged 4 Ω operation is not recommended

Power measurement parameters are at 120 VAC:
0.05% THD, RMS continuous power,
full audio band (20 Hz - 20 kHz)

Current Capacity
90 amps peak, per channel

Slew Rate
> 130 volts per microsecond

Frequency Response
5 Hz - 100 kHz, +0/-3 dB
20 Hz - 20 kHz, +0/-0.25 dB

Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)
< 0.05 % at full power
< 0.03 % at typical listening levels

IM Distortion
< 0.04 %

TIM
Unmeasurable

Inter-channel Crosstalk
> 87 dB at 1 kHz
> 72 dB at 20 kHz

Input Impedance
Unbalanced: 33 kΩ
Balanced: 66 kΩ,(33 kΩ per leg)

Total Gain
29 dB

Input Sensitivity for 28.28 V Output into 8 Ω
Unbalanced: 1 V
Balanced: 1 V per leg

S/N Ratio
> 116 dB, input shorted, IHF A-weighted
> 111 dB, input shorted, unweighted

Damping Factor
1000 at 20 Hz

DC Trigger Requirements
+9 Vdc to +12 Vdc, 5 mA

Audio Trigger Requirements
2 mV - 10 mV

XLR Pin Identification
1 = Ground (Shield)
2 = Positive
3 = Negative (Return)

Dimensions
Width: 17-5⁄8" (448 mm)
Height without feet: 7-1⁄8" (181 mm)
Height with feet: 7-3/4" " (197 mm)
Depth: 20" (508 mm)
Depth with cables: 21-1⁄2" (546 mm)

Net Weight
73 lb. (33.1 kg)

Shipping Weight
90 lb. (40.8 kg)

Power Requirement
Standby: 1 Watt
Idle (no music playing): 225 Watts
Typical listening levels: 400 Watts
Maximum: 1500 Watts

Features:

• 400 watts x 2 @ 8 Ω RMS, both channels driven
• 600 watts x 2 @ 4 Ω RMS, both channels driven
• 1200 watts x 1@ 8 Ω, in bridged mode
• Circuitry designed by legendary John Curl
• Ultra-high bias Class A/AB operation
• 12 watts per channel of pure Class A power
• 90 amperes peak current per channel
• Stable with speaker impedance dips to 1.5 Ω
• Balanced inputs with discrete circuits
• CHK Infinium, custom 5-way speaker binding posts
• Neutrik locking XLR input connectors
• Vampire gold-plated RCA input & loop output jacks
• Direct-coupled signal path, no capacitors or inductors
• DC Servo and relay protection circuits
• AC turn-on inrush surge protection with relay bypass
• Dual-mono input stages with ±110 volt DC rails
• JFET input stage, MOSFET driver stage
• 24 beta-matched 15 ampere, 60 MHz bipolar output transistors
• 1.7 kVA shielded toroid power transformer with independent windings for each channel
• Independent power supplies for left & right channel input stages, driver stages, output stages
• 8,880 µF Nichicon Gold Tune filter capacitors for input stages
• 132,000 µF Rubycon filter capacitors for output stages
• Full power is rated all the way down to 5Hz for unrestricted low-end bass
• Harris hyper-fast soft-recovery bridge diode rectifiers
• Automatic turn-on by 12 V trigger or audio sensing
• 4 rack space chassis with rear carry handles
• Rack mount hardware is included
• Available in silver or black