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JC 3
Phono Preamplifier
OWNER’S GUIDE
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Important Safety Instructions The lightning flash with the arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of “dangerous voltage” inside the product that may constitute a risk of electric shock. The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance instructions in the literature accompanying the product. TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER.
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Table of Contents Introduction ................................................. 4 Placement and Ventilation Guidelines.............................. 5 AC Voltage Selection .......................................... 6 Audio Input and Output Connections .............................. 7 Other Connections on your JC 3 ................................. 8 Rear Panel Controls ........................................... 9 Front Panel Operation......................................... 10 Fre
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INTRODUCTION Thank You for Choosing Parasound Your new Parasound Halo JC 3 Phono Preamplifier is the pinnacle of analog audio technology and value engineering. It is legendary designer John Curl’s latest design, carrying on a proud tradition of phono preamp designs dating back to the 1970s. We are proud to offer you this exceptionally versatile audio component, knowing that it will bring you many years of enjoyment and dependability. We appreciate you taking the time to read th
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Unpacking Your JC 3 & Placement Guidelines Unpacking Your JC 3 Carefully remove your JC 3 from its shipping carton and locate all the enclosed accessories: • AC power cord • Two trigger wires, one with 3.5 mm mini plugs, one with a 2.5mm and a 3.5mm mini plug While you are unpacking your JC 3, inspect it thoroughly for possible shipping damage and tell your Parasound dealer immediately if you find any. If possible, save and store both the inner and outer cartons and–most espe
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AC Voltage Selection 115v / 230v AC Voltage Selector Switch This switch is found on the underside of the chassis. Make sure the 115/230V switch is set for the correct AC line (mains) voltage before you plug in the JC 3’s AC power cord. Note: The JC 3 could be seriously damaged if AC Voltage Selector switch is set incorrectly. Prior to plugging your JC 3 into an AC power source, check the position of the 115v/230v switch on the JC 3’s chassis bottom and do not depend on t
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Connecting your JC 3 Always disconnect the AC cords to your JC 3 and power amplifier(s) before making or changing any input, output or trigger wire connections. Inserting or removing an input or output cable while the JC 3 or power amplifiers are turned on can result in a blast of sound that can damage your loudspeakers. Make sure there is no strain or tension on any cables that could cause them to pull loose. Audio Input Connections Connect your turntable’s signal cables to
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Audio Output Connections The JC 3 Output Jacks connect to the input jacks on your line level preamplifier. Each JC 3 module has two Output jacks, one Balanced XLR jack and one Unbalanced RCA jack. The balanced and unbalanced jacks are active simultaneously. If your preamplifier is equipped with balanced inputs we recommend using the JC 3 Balanced XLR output jacks for best possible signal-to-noise ratio and best rejection of external noise sources. Note: The JC 3 uses a fully differen
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Rear Panel Controls Turn On Options Switch For your convenience, there are two ways the JC 3 can be turned on and off. Manual: Use the front panel On-Off button Auto: When the Turn On Options switch is set to the auto position, the JC 3 is turned on and off with an external +9 V to + 12 V voltage from your preamplifier. When the external voltage ceases the JC 3 will turn off immediately. When the Auto Turn On switch is set to Auto the front panel Power button is disabled.
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Front Panel Controls On-Off Button Push once to turn on the JC 3. There will be a slight delay as the circuits stabilize and the DC servos settle down. When the JC 3 is turned on the blue glow around the On-Off button will be brighter and the red P badge will glow brighter. Push again to turn off the JC 3. Mono Button Press the Mono button one time to parallel the stereo channels to mono. Press a second time to return to stereo. Older mono records and stereo records wi
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Frequently Asked Questions Why won’t the JC 3 turn on when I press the On-Off button? - Check the setting of the Turn On Options switch. It must be set to Manual for the front panel On-Off button to function. Why won’t the JC 3 turn on with an external DC trigger? - Check the setting of the Turn On Options switch. It must be set to Auto for the 12V trigger to function. Why is there no sound from the speakers? - Check that AC is live and the “P” badge and both the On-Off button
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Are You Having Difficulty? Repair or Service Call your Parasound dealer first. If the dealer can’t help you with your problem we encourage you to call Parasound’s Technical Service Department, toll-free at 1-866-770-8324, Monday - Friday, 8am - 4pm Pacific Time. We can suggest other diagnostic tests you can easily perform. If we determine that your JC 3 should be returned to Parasound or an Authorized Parasound Warranty Center for inspection and possible servicing, we will provide th
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Specifications Frequency Response XLR Pin Identification 20 Hz - 20 kHz, +/- 0.2 dB 1 = Ground (Shield) 2 = Positive THD Distortion: < 0.005% at 20 kHz 3 = Negative (Return) AC Power Requirement S/N Ratio (MM) > 86 dB, input shorted, IHF A-weighted 115 or 230 VAC 50 - 60 Hz 12 watts > 80 dB, input shorted, unweighted Dimensions S/N Ratio (MC) Width: 17-1/4” (437mm) > 75 dB, input shorted, IHF A-weighted > 70 dB, input shorted, unweighted Depth: 13-3/4” (350mm)
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Parasound Products, Inc. 2250 McKinnon Ave, San Francisco, CA 94124 415-397-7100 / Fax 415-397-0144 www.parasound.com 14
